Where did the ancestors of people named Zhang come from, and has there been any evolution?

Zhang is one of the Han surnames, ranking 24th in "Hundred Family Surnames". The surname Zhang is the third most common surname in mainland China, with 84.8 million people, accounting for 7.07% of the country's total population. The surname Zhang is one of the top ten Chinese surnames in the world and one of the three largest groups of people with the same surname in the world.

The surname Zhang originated from Zhangcheng, Jieyi, Hedong (now west of Linyi County, Yuncheng, Shanxi). During the Spring and Autumn Period, the State of Jin was the most important region in the history of the development of the Zhang surname. Zhangcheng, Jieyi, Hedong, was an important gathering place and birthplace of the Zhang surname. The ancient Zhangcheng was located on the east bank of the Yellow River in the west of Linyi, Shanxi today. The Zhang family served the Jin for generations, and after the Jin Dynasty was destroyed, they served the Han Dynasty. Both Zhang Lao and Zhang Hou were officials of the Jin State. Zhang Liang, a descendant of Zhang Lao, a Korean aristocrat, became the first hero in the founding of the Han Dynasty. Jie Zhang is also regarded as an ancestor by some descendants of the Zhang surname.

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Because in standard Chinese and various Chinese dialects, the pronunciation of Zhang is similar to that of other surnames (the surname Zhang). In order to distinguish clearly, the surname Zhang is often pronounced as "Gong Chang Zhang" as emphasis.

The grandson of Huangdi (some say he is the fifth son) was named Hui, and his official was Gongzheng (the official who supervised the manufacture of bows and arrows). He watched the arc star and began to make bows and arrows. He was the main worshiper of Zhang Xing, so his surname was Zhang. , whose descendants lived in Qingyang County, Yincheng (now Qinghe, Hebei, or Taiyuan, Shanxi), and were named the Qinghe Zhang family.

It comes from the Spring and Autumn Period, when a senior official of the Jin Dynasty recognized Zhang, and his descendants took "Zhang" as their surname. After the three families were divided into the Jin Dynasty, the descendants of this branch of the Zhang family lived in Korea, Zhao and Wei.

Zhang Liao, a famous general of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms, was originally named Nie. His ancestor was Nie Yi, a giant merchant in Mayi, Shanxi, in the Western Han Dynasty. He once offered Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty a plan to round up the Xiongnu army in Mayi.

Manchu, Mongolian, Tibetan, Zhuang, Miao, Yao, Li, Achang, Naxi, Lisu and other ethnic minorities have changed their surname to Zhang.

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An Ding Zhang family, the county looks to Anding County

Dunhuang Zhang family, the county looks to Dunhuang County, Dunhuang County was separated from Jiuquan County by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. At the western end of the Hexi Corridor in present-day Gansu Province.

The Zhang family in Wuwei looks after Wuwei County, which was established in the Western Han Dynasty. It is equivalent to the area west of the Yellow River and east of Wuwei in present-day Gansu Province.

The Zhang family in Qinghe looked to Qinghe County, which was established by Emperor Gao of the Han Dynasty. It is equivalent to the area from Qinghe in Hebei Province to Linqing in Shandong Province today.

The Zhang family of Fanyang is the commander-in-chief of Fanyang County. During the Three Kingdoms period, Fanyang County was renamed Fanyang County by Cao Wei, which is now located in Zhuo County, Hebei Province, Changping County, and Fangshan County, Beijing City.

The Zhang family of Nanyang, the commandery of Nanyang County, was established by the Qin Dynasty during the Warring States Period. It is equivalent to the area around Nanyang City, Henan Province today.

The Zhang family of Wu County looks after Wu County, which was established in the late Han Dynasty when it was divided into Kuaiji County. In the area south of the Yangtze River in today's Jiangsu Province. The administrative seat was Wuxian County, which is now Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province.