See the whole storyOrigin of my surname

The surname Chen originated from Chen Hu Gong (surname Gui, given name Man), a descendant of Emperor Shun (Yao Chonghua), and the surname was derived from his ancestor's fiefdom. King Wu of Zhou married his eldest daughter, Tai Ji, to Gui Man, who was then enfeoffed as a marquis and established the State of Chen. Gui Man held the title of "Three Respected Officials" (at the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty, descendants of the previous three dynasties were enfeoffed with the titles of marquis, known as the Three Respected Officials), allowing him to offer sacrifices to Emperor Shun. The initial capital of the State of Chen was Zhuye (present-day Huxiang Town, Zhecheng County, Henan Province), and he was historically known as Chen Hu Gong. Later, the capital was moved to Wanqiu (present-day Huaiyang County, Henan Province). At its peak, the State of Chen comprised fourteen towns, roughly distributed in eastern Henan and parts of Anhui Province. From the time Duke Hu of Chen was enfeoffed until King Hui of Chu killed Duke Min of Chen in 479 BC, the State of Chen lasted for 568 years and 25 generations. After the fall of the State of Chen, a branch of the Chen family had a son named Chen Wan who served as an official in the State of Qi. His descendants replaced the State of Qi, ruled by the Jiang family, in 386 BC, an event known as "the Chen (Tian) family replacing Qi." The descendants of the State of Chen adopted Chen as their surname, taking the name of the fiefdom of their ancestor, Duke Hu of Chen.

Originating from the surname Gui, they are descendants of the royal family of the State of Chen during the Spring and Autumn Period. After Gui Man's death, some of his descendants adopted the name of the state as their surname, which became the Chen clan. Besides the main lineage of Chen Wan, during the period of internal strife and eventual fall of the Chen state, three other branches of the Chen royal family fled to other places and adopted the name of the state as their surname, Chen: one branch was Chen Liu, the son of Duke Ai of Chen, who fled to Chenliu County; another branch was Chen Yan, the eldest son of Duke Min of Chen, who fled to Yangwu Hudu Township or Yingchuan; and the third branch migrated to Gushi, originating from Chen Lian, a descendant of Chen Wen, the second son of Duke Min of Chen. Because Chen Lian's descendants had no children, they adopted Chen Shi of Yingchuan as their legitimate son, thus merging into the Yingchuan Chen clan.

The Chen surname, belonging to ethnic minorities, and the Chen clan of the Korean ethnic group all originated from China. There were over 130 ancestral homes in China, but fewer than 10 still exist today. These mainly include: Jiangling Chen, Guangdong Chen, Nanhai Chen, Dechang Chen, Luozhou Chen, Liyang Chen, Lizhou Chen, Linbo Chen, Liangshan Chen, Sanzhi Chen, Shenguang Chen, Fuzhou Chen, and Yangzhou Chen. The ancestors of all these Chen clans migrated from China. Except for those from Liangshan and Guangdong, all are branches of the Liyang ancestral home. The Chen clan of Liyang are descendants of Chen You, a general from the Song Dynasty who traveled east to China; the Chen clan of Liangshan are descendants of Chen Pucai, a general during the reign of Emperor Taizu of Ming; and at the end of the Ming Dynasty, descendants of Chen Lin, a general who aided the east, were added, forming the Guangdong Chen clan. The Chen clans in Korea and the Korean ethnic group in China are actually all descendants of Han Chinese who were assimilated.

Originating from bestowed surnames and surname changes, this type of surname is derived from imperial bestowal. During the Sui Dynasty, a general named Chen Yonggui was originally a non-Han (non-Han) from the Longyou region (generally referring to the area west of the Longshan Mountains, encompassing present-day Gansu's Longshan and Liupan Mountains and east of the Yellow River). His surname was Bai. Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, greatly favored him, elevating him to the rank of Pillar of State (a second-rank official), and making him the governor of Lanzhou and Lizhou. He was enfeoffed as the Duke of Chen of Beijun. Chen Yonggui then adopted the character "Chen" from his title as his surname. After the Ming Dynasty unified the country, Zhu Yuanzhang, in order to win over the Mongol nobles who had surrendered to the Ming, often bestowed upon them Han surnames and given names. For example, he gave Qiaqia the name Chen Shouzhong and Haha the name Chen Yuan. During the reign of Emperor Chengzu of Ming, the Lê Dynasty of Annam was destroyed. Most of its kings, Lê Quý Ly Hồng Lức, migrated to China. His son changed his name to Trần Thương and rose to the position of Minister of Works.