Chinese Names and Genealogical Records for Jiapu

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The genealogies have long been used by historians, archaeologists, sociologists, ethnologists, and demographers in their investigation of past human behavior on social and historical evidences relating to a lineage organization or a clan. Chinese genealogical records, also called pudie 譜牒, zongpu 宗譜, zupu 族譜, jiapu 家譜, zipu 支譜, or jiacheng 家乗, has been used for thousands of years to record the genealogical history of a family, including a family’s origin, its collateral lines, names and ages of the members, records of marriages, births and deaths, merits and deeds, and brief biographical information of the male family members. This paper examines the history of Chinese names and the genealogical records for jiapu. It details the significance of Chinese names and introduces the types of Chinese names and their meanings, followed by the historical development of surnames, clan names, and generation names.

The paper proceeds with the introduction of types and functions of Chinese genealogical records for jiapu, followed by the information on how to trace your roots and conduct a typical Chinese-American genealogical research. Finally, the paper analyzes the current documentation, preservation, and research status of Chinese genealogies and summarizes with focus on the importance of Chinese genealogical studies in the Asian studies field.

Table of Contents

1) History of Chinese Names and Genealogical Records
2) The Significance of Chinese Names
3) Types of Chinese Names and their Meanings
4) From Surnames to Clan Names
5) Generation Names
6) Contents of Genealogical Records for jiapu
7) How to Conduct a Typical Chinese-American Genealogical Research
8) Documentation, Preservation, and Research
9) Summary

Author Bio

Presented By:

Sheau-yueh (Janey) Chao is a librarian and Head of Cataloging at Baruch College, CUNY. Prof. Chao graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, with a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science, and earned her second Master’s in Computer Science from the New York Institute of Technology.

Professor Chao has published extensively in the areas of Asian studies, Chinese genealogy, library services to the multicultural populations, and Overseas Chinese studies with numerous articles and books. She has published three books, including her recent one on Chinese genealogies with the title: In Search of Your Asian Roots: Genealogical Research on Chinese Surnames, published in 2000 by the Clearfield Company. She was an invited speaker in American Library Association’s Annual Program in 2001 on the topic of Chinese genealogical research to international librarians and scholars around the world. She has also presented papers in both the First and Second International Conference of Institutes and Libraries for Overseas Chinese Studies held in Ohio and Hong Kong. In Spring 2004, she was invited to speak at Chinese American Librarians Association’s Annual Meeting held in Queens Borough Public Library in Flushing, New York on the topic of Research and Documentation on Chinese Genealogical Research.

Presently, Prof. Chao has been concentrating on her research studies in Shanghai Library which was supported by the PSC-CUNY Award research grant, and is now writing the book called: Chinese Genealogical Research: An Annotated Guide to Chinese Surnames. The recent work is a continuation from her previous one published in 2000 that will document and index extensively all the existing and available Chinese genealogical resources for international readership in mind. The book will be written in bilingual format of English and Chinese and to be expected for publication in the Fall of 2006. Her recent paper, entitled: Sources on Overseas Chinese Studies: Genealogical Records will be delivered at the Third International Conference of Institutes & Libraries for Chinese Overseas Studies, August 2005, in Singapore.