Explore the Family Name Chi
The meaning of Chi
1. Chinese: Mandarin and Cantonese form of the surname 池, meaning ‘moat’ in ancient Chinese: (i) acquired as a surname by people who lived beside a moat. (ii) from Chi (池), said to be the name of an ancient state (of unknown location and period). (iii) from the personal name Chi (池), personal name of a son of an official in the state of Qin during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). 2. Chinese: Mandarin and Cantonese form of the surname 遲, meaning ‘late’ in Chinese: (i) borne by descendants of Chi Ren (遲任), a person who lived during the Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BC). (ii) shortened form of the Chinese compound surname Yu-Chi (尉遲), originally the name of a tribe from the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China. (iii) from the second element of the personal name Zi Chi (子遲), style name of Fan Xu, a student of Confucius (551–479 BC). 3. Chinese: alternative Mandarin form of the surname 植, see Zhi 1. 4. Chinese: alternative Mandarin and Cantonese form of the surnames 支 and 智, see Zhi 2 and 3. 5. Chinese: alternative Mandarin form of the surnames 紀, 季, 冀, 姬, 籍,嵇, 吉, 計, 薊, 暨 and 汲, see Ji 1–11. 6. Chinese: alternative Mandarin form of the surnames 齊, 祁, 戚, 漆, 亓, 蕲 and 啓, see Qi 1–7. 7. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surnames 奚 and 郗, see Xi 1 and 5. 8. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 錢, based on its Teochew, Hokkien or Taiwanese pronunciation, see Qian. 9. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 徐, based on its Hokkien or Taiwanese pronunciation, see Xu 1. 10. Korean: written 지, in Chinese characters 池, meaning ‘moat’, and 智, meaning ‘wisdom’. The two Chinese characters for the Chi surname are borne by different groups. (i) The smaller of the two groups has only one clan associated with it, the majority of whose members live in Kangwŏn and Ch’ungch’ŏn North Provinces of South Korea and North Korea’s P’yŏngan North Province. (ii) The other group also has one clan but a much larger population. Unlike many clans in Korea, the larger Chi family did not remain congregated in and around its clan seat but dispersed fairly evenly around the peninsula. Compare Chee 5 and Jee 1. 11. Amerindian (Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize): Mayan name, from chi’ ‘mouth’, also ‘shore, bank’, or from a homonymous name of a fruit-bearing shrub or small tree (Malpighia glabra). Some characteristic forenames: Chinese Young, Dong, Yun, Cheng, Jae, Yong, Cheng Chung, Chi, Chun, Duk, Fang, Feng. Korean Chung, Chong, Jae Hong, Moon, Myong, Pong, Shen, Yoo, Byung, Chang, Chol, Chong Hun. Southeast Asian Phi, Hung, Ly, Tu, Denh, Do Van, Duong, Hao, Kieu, Mui, Nga, Phat.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Chi in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname 'Chi' has seen a notable rise in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 5561st in terms of commonality but jumped to 4843rd position by 2010, indicating a positive change of 12.91%. This means that the usage of this surname increased significantly in this decade. The count of individuals with this surname also grew by 26.82% during this period, rising from 5735 in 2000 to 7273 in 2010. Additionally, the proportion of people named Chi per 100k in population went up by 15.96%, standing at 2.47 in 2010 compared to 2.13 in 2000.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,561 | #4,843 | 12.91% |
| Count | 5,735 | 7,273 | 26.82% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.13 | 2.47 | 15.96% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Chi
Analyzing the ethnic identity associated with the surname 'Chi', the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that the majority of individuals with this surname identify as Asian/Pacific Islander. However, this group saw a slight decline from 87.62% in 2000 to 84.11% in 2010. On the other hand, those identifying as having two or more races saw an increase of 40.10% in the same period. Similarly, the percentage of White and Hispanic individuals with the 'Chi' surname increased by 34.84% and 17.26% respectively. Notably, there were no individuals identified as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native holding this surname in 2010, where previously in 2000, they represented 0.94% and 0.24% respectively of the people with the 'Chi' surname.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 87.62% | 84.11% | -4.01% |
| Hispanic | 7.01% | 8.22% | 17.26% |
| White | 2.21% | 2.98% | 34.84% |
| Two or More Races | 1.97% | 2.76% | 40.1% |
| Black | 0.94% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.24% | 0% | 0% |
Chi ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Chi is Chinese, which comprises 61.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Korean (16.8%) and Vietnamese (3.4%). Additional ancestries include British & Irish, French & German, Chinese Dai, Manchurian & Mongolian, and Spanish & Portuguese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Chinese | 61.9% |
| Korean | 16.8% |
| Vietnamese | 3.4% |
| Other | 17.9% |
Possible origins of the surname Chi
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Chi have recent ancestry locations in China and Taiwan.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Guangdong, China | 40.80% |
| Zhejiang, China | 40.80% |
| Shandong, China | 39.60% |
| Jiangsu, China | 39.10% |
| Shanghai, China | 38.50% |
What Chi haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Chi is O-F8, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F8 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include O-F1204 and O-CTS2498, which are predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Chao, Chang, Chow, Chun, Liang, He, Du, Ji, Fu, Xue.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Chi surname are: N9a, D4a, D4. These most commonly trace back to individuals of East Asian & Indigenous American and European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Han Chinese
Haplogroup O-Page23 has been found in several populations of the Han Chinese ethnic group. The ancestors of the Han, called the Huaxia, lived in the upriver basin of the Yellow River 5,000-6,000 years ago. As agricultural technology improved, the Huaxia spread east and south, and became the Han Chinese. Over the last 2,000 years, there have been three major migrations of the Han southward. The first of these migrations occurred during the Jin Dynasty from 317 to 420 CE, when nearly one million people moved south. A second migration occurred during the Tang Dynasty, after the An-Shi Rebellion, between 755 and 762 CE. The last migration occurred during the Southern Song Dynasty, from 1127 to 1297 CE, when nearly 5 million people migrated southward. The Pinghua, a branch of Han in which haplogroup O2a2b1a1 is particularly common, may be descendants of indigenous minority groups that adopted Han culture during one such major migration event.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to the Han
Members of haplogroup D are found in both northern and southern Han Chinese populations at low to moderate frequencies. The Han people, who all share the same language and similar cultural practices, are the largest ethnic group in the world, with about 1.2 billion people. Historical evidence shows that Han people are descendants of the ancient Huaxia tribes that come from northern China, and Han language and culture only expanded into southern China in the last 2,000 years. The spread of Han people and culture from northern to southern China was likely driven by warfare and famine in the north.
What do people with the surname Chi have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Chi" Surname 22.2%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Chi" Surname 35.7%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Chi" Surname 14.9%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Chi" Surname 7.0%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Chi?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Chi are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition