- This article is about the Chinese surname 譚, which is pronounced as "Tán" in Mandarin Chinese.Is "Taam" in Cantonese Phonetic, '譚" in English is "Tam" in Canton and Hong Kong. For another Chinese surname 陳 that is pronounced as "Tân" in Min Nan Chinese, see Chen (surname) .
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Tan (simplified Chinese: 谭; traditional Chinese: 譚) is a Chinese surname. In a 2006 study of the 100 most common Chinese surnames, Tan was found to be the 67th most common. [1]
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Origin
Two origins have been suggested for the Tan surname: [2]
- The surname came from the ancient State of Tan which was located in the western part of what is now Shandong Province. During the Spring and Autumn Period, this state was conquered by the neighbouring State of Qi. The court changed their surname to Tan in remembrance of their defeated homeland, and later prospered in Hunan Province.
- The surname came from the less common surname 談, another with the same pronunciation in Mandarin and Cantonese. In order to avoid the revenge of their enemies, the clan leaders changed it to 譚.
A study by geneticist Yuan Yida has found that people with either of the two Tan surnames are especially concentrated in Hunan Province which would tend to support these accounts. This does not mean that they are the most common surnames in that province. [1]
Romanisation and pronunciation
Tán is the Chinese character's pinyin romanisation in Mandarin. It is pronounced and romanised differently in different languages and dialects. [3]
- In Cantonese, it is romanised as Taam4 in Jyutping and Tàahm in Cantonese Yale. It can also be romanised as Tam.
- In Taishanese, it may be romanised as Tom, Thom, Hom, Ham, or Hum.
- In Min Nan, it is romanised as Thâm in POJ.
- In Vietnamese, it is spelt as Đàm.
- In Singapore, It is sometime spelt as Tham.
Prominent people
- Alan Tam (譚詠麟)
- Amy Tan (譚恩美)
- Tan Dun (譚盾)
- Tam Kung (譚公)
- Patrick Tam Kar Ming (譚家明)
- Patrick Tam Yiu Man (譚耀文)
- Roman Tam (譚百先, stage name: 羅文)
- Tan Sitong (譚嗣同)
- Steven Tan
- Jason Tan
Fictional people
Clan villages
See also
- List of common Chinese surnames
- Chinese surname
- Chinese given name
- Generation name
- Chinese clan
- Chinese compound surname
- Vietnamese name
External links
References
- ^ a b China Renews Top 100 Surnames, Li Still the Biggest , People's Daily Online (English), 11 January 2006
- ^ In Search of Your Asian Roots: Genealogical Research on Chinese Surnames by Sheau-yueh J Chao, published by Clearfield Co, Baltimore 2000.
- ^ A Practical English-Chinese Pronouncing Dictionary: English, Chinese Characters, Romanized Mandarin and Cantonese by Janey Chen, Tuttle Publishing, Hong Kong 1992.
ct:Tam(Cantonese)
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