Frequency: (402)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
Chinese 钱: from a word meaning ‘money’. In the early part of the Zhou dynasty (1122-256 bc) lived Peng Fu, a grandson of Peng Zu, the venerable man who represents longevity in Chinese culture. He himself was a great-grandson of the legendary emperor Zhuan Xu. Peng Fu became the chief financial official in an area of central China, now part of Jiangsu province. Qian, the Chinese character for ‘money’, was part of his title in this role, and was adopted by his descendants as their surname.
GIVEN NAMES: Chinese 73%. Ming (5), Yi (5), Bin (4), Gang (4), Wei (4), Fang (3), Feng (3), Jin (3), Yuan (3), Jian (2), Liang (2), Lihua (2) Chong, Hu, Min, Pao.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
