See the whole storyOrigin of my surname

The surname Bai originates from the Ying clan, specifically from Prince Bai, son of Duke Wu of Qin. It is a surname derived from an ancestor's name. According to the *Map of Chinese Surnames*, the Bai surname originated from the Ying clan. After Duke Wu of Qin died, his half-brother, Duke De, ascended the throne. Prince Bai, Duke Wu's son, did not inherit the throne but was enfeoffed in Pingyang. Pingyang was near Yong (present-day Fengxiang, Shaanxi), the capital of Qin, and was where Duke Wu had resided, located in what is now the Qishan and Jinxian areas of Shaanxi. After Prince Bai's death, his descendants adopted Bai as their surname, becoming the Bai clan.

The surname Bai originates from the Mi surname. The Han Chinese Bai surname originates from the descendants of Bai Gongsheng, a descendant of Emperor Zhuanxu, and is a surname derived from the name of a fiefdom. According to records such as the *Yuanhe Xingzuan* and *Shanglong Lu*, Lu Zhong, a descendant of Emperor Zhuanxu, married a daughter of the Guifang clan and had six sons. The sixth son, Ji Lian, was given the surname Mi. Ji Lian's descendant, Xiong Yi, established a vassal state in the Jingshan area, called the State of Jing, with its capital at Danyang. In 740 BC, Xiong Tong, the ruler of the State of Jing, declared himself king, calling himself King Wu. His son moved the capital to Ying in 689 BC and changed the state's name to Chu. During the reign of King Ping of Chu, the Jin army attacked the state of Zheng. Crown Prince Jian was killed for acting as an inside agent, and his son Xiong Sheng fled to the state of Wu, seeking refuge with Wu Zixu. After King Hui, the grandson of King Ping of Chu, ascended the throne, his prime minister Zixi summoned Xiong Sheng back to Chu. Xiong Sheng was enfeoffed in Baiyi (southeast of Baoxin, Xixian County, Henan Province) and became known as Bai Gong Sheng. Bai Gong Sheng harbored resentment because his father had died in Zheng and wanted to attack the state. Zixi agreed to help him but never sent troops. In the eighth year of King Hui's reign, the state of Jin attacked Zheng, and Zixi sent troops to rescue Zheng. Bai Gong Sheng was enraged and launched a coup, killing Zixi, imprisoning King Hui, and attempting to reform the government to win popular support. However, he ultimately failed and committed suicide. After Bai Gongsheng died, his descendants took the name of his fiefdom as their surname, becoming the Bai clan. This branch is the Bai clan of Henan. Some people also take Bai Gong or Bai Hou as their surname.

The surname Bai originated from Bai Fu, the water management official of Emperor Yan, and is derived from the name of an ancestor. According to records in *Xing Shi Xun Yuan* and *Yuan Ming Bao*, in ancient times, Emperor Yan had a minister named Bai Fu, who was skilled in water conservancy and made contributions to dredging waterways. His descendants adopted Bai as their surname, becoming the Bai clan.

The surname Bai originated from Baizhou, an administrative region during the Tang Dynasty, and is derived from a place name. According to the *Examination of Surnames*, Baizhou was an administrative region established during the Tang Dynasty (present-day Bobai County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region). Local people adopted the place name as their surname, becoming the Bai clan.