See the whole storyOrigin of my surname

Originating from the Zi surname, it comes from the descendants of Bi Gan, a famous minister at the end of the Shang Dynasty, and is a surname bestowed by the emperor. At the end of the Shang Dynasty, King Zhou was a tyrannical and incompetent ruler. Bi Gan offended him by offering advice and was killed. Bi Gan's wife, Chen, fled to Changlin Mountain and gave birth to their son, Quan. After the fall of the Shang Dynasty, because Quan was born in the forest and his father, Bi Gan, remained steadfast and unyielding, King Wu of Zhou bestowed upon him the surname Lin.

Originating from the Ji surname, it belongs to the category of surnames derived from ancestral names. King Ping of Zhou, Ji Yijiu, had a son born out of wedlock named Lin Kai. Some of Lin Kai's descendants adopted his name as their surname.

The surname Lin originated from Lin Heng, an official during the Western Zhou Dynasty, and thus belongs to the category of surnames derived from official titles. Lin Heng, also known as Linren, was an official title established in the mid-Western Zhou Dynasty. His main responsibilities included managing forests, planting trees, and maintaining and watering them. Some descendants of those who held the position of Lin Heng adopted their ancestor's official title as their surname, thus becoming the Lin clan.

Originating from ethnic minorities adopting surnames: 1. Xianbei people adopting the surname Lin: During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, after Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty moved the capital from Pingcheng to Luoyang, he implemented a series of Sinicization reforms, ordering the Xianbei people to adopt Han surnames. The Qiu Lin clan of Daibei (present-day Daixian County, Shanxi Province) changed their surname to Lin. 2. Gaoshan people adopting the surname Lin: The Gaoshan people of Taiwan are a branch of the ancient Baiyue people from mainland China who migrated to Taiwan. They have lived in densely forested areas for generations, hence some adopted Lin as their Han surname. 3. Manchu people adopting the surname Lin: The Manchu Busa clan, whose Manchu name is Busa Hala, lived in Walka (now extending south to the Changbai Mountains and north of the Tumen River, north to the Uzhala region in the lower reaches of the Heilongjiang River, and east to the southern part of the Russian coastal region). Later, most of them adopted the Han surname Lin.