Explore the Family Name Qin
The meaning of Qin
Chinese: 1. Mandarin form of the surname 秦: (i) from Qin (秦), the name of a state (located in present-day Gansu province) originally granted to Fei Zi by King Xiao of Zhou (died 886 BC). The state of Qin eventually unified all of China under one rule for the first time in history. In 221 BC, Ying Zheng (259–210 BC), known as ‘Qin Shi Huang’, established the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC), and became the first Emperor. During his reign, he built the Great Wall, and regularized the writing of Chinese characters and units of measures. After the Qin dynasty was overthrown in 206 BC, people kept 秦, the name of the state, as their surname. (ii) from the placename Qin (秦), the name of a fief (located in Fanxian in Henan province) granted to nobles of the state of Lu (located mainly in present-day Shandong province), who were descendants of Bo Qin, a grandson of King Wen of Zhou (1152–1056 BC). 2. Mandarin form of the surname 琴, denoting a type of ancient Chinese musical instrument: (i) from the first element of Qin Lao (琴牢), personal name of an official who lived in the state of Wey during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC) and was reputed as a student of Confucius (551–479 BC). (ii) possibly borne by descendants of the ancient musicians who played musical instruments for public entertainment. 3. Mandarin form of the surname 覃: surname that originated among minority ethnic groups in ancient southern China. The character 覃 also has another Mandarin pronunciation, Tan, which has a different origin; see Tan 2. 4. Mandarin form of the surname 欽, a surname from the Wu Huan ethnic group in northern China during the Han dynasty (206 BC–220 AD). 5. Mandarin form of the surname 勤, meaning ‘diligent’ in Chinese: from the first element of the personal name Qin Cheng (勤成), an official in the state of Lu during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). Some characteristic forenames: Chinese Wei, Jian, Weiping, Chuan, Feng, Hong, Ning, Tao, Zhong, Bailin, Bin, Dong.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Qin in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname "Qin" saw a significant rise between the years 2000 and 2010. The rank of this surname jumped from 20,382 in 2000 to 11,759 in 2010, reflecting an increase of 42.31%. In terms of raw counts, the number of individuals bearing the surname Qin more than doubled from 1,212 to 2,664 during the same period. This represents an astounding growth rate of almost 120%. The proportion per 100,000 also increased by 100%, from 0.45 to 0.9.
2000 | 2010 | Change | |
---|---|---|---|
Rank | #20,382 | #11,759 | 42.31% |
Count | 1,212 | 2,664 | 119.8% |
Proportion per 100k | 0.45 | 0.9 | 100% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Qin
In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that the majority of individuals with the Qin surname identified as Asian/Pacific Islander in both 2000 and 2010. However, there was a slight decrease in this group from 98.02% to 97.94%. Those identifying with two or more races saw a positive change of 17.24%, increasing from 0.58% to 0.68%. The percentage of Whites with the surname decreased slightly from 0.99% to 0.98%. Interestingly, the Hispanic community saw new additions to the Qin surname, going from zero in 2000 to 0.26% in 2010. There were no Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native individuals recorded with the Qin surname in either census year.
2000 | 2010 | Change | |
---|---|---|---|
Asian/Pacific Islander | 98.02% | 97.94% | -0.08% |
White | 0.99% | 0.98% | -1.01% |
Two or More Races | 0.58% | 0.68% | 17.24% |
Hispanic | 0% | 0.26% | 0% |
Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Qin 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 Qin is Chinese, which comprises 89.7% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Manchurian & Mongolian (3.3%) and Chinese Dai (2.7%). Additional ancestries include Korean, Vietnamese, Eastern European, Central Asian, and Anatolian.
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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
---|---|
Chinese | 89.7% |
Manchurian & Mongolian | 3.3% |
Chinese Dai | 2.7% |
Other | 4.4% |
![Qin](/_next/static/media/cn.419b4442.webp)
Possible origins of the surname Qin
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 Qin have recent ancestry locations all within China.
RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
---|---|
Shandong, China | 25.40% |
Fujian, China | 25.40% |
Guangdong, China | 25.40% |
Zhejiang, China | 25.40% |
Hunan, China | 25.40% |
What Qin 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 Qin 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-F46 and O-M268, which are predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Shih, Lim, Qiu, Lam, Wei, Cai, Cui, Lin, Woo, Gao.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Qin surname are: A4, D4, M7b. These most commonly trace back to individuals of East Asian & Indigenous American and European ancestry.
![qin](/_next/static/media/Map_paternal_O_orange.8d615d73.webp)
![Paternal Haplo Image](/_next/static/media/china_guangxi_guilin.6f30b607.webp)
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 builders of the Terracotta Army
Qin Shi Huang, who unified warring states to become the First Emperor of China and founded the Qin Dynasty, ruled the Chinese state of Qin from 247 BC to 210 BC. In addition to his political feats, his reign is known for the massive construction projects, including his mausoleum in the Shaanxi province of central China, which began construction in 246 BC. To aid him in the afterlife, 8,000 perfectly life-like soldiers were crafted out of molds and clay and placed at guard over his tomb: his own Terracotta Army.An estimated 700,000 workers were involved in the mausoleum construction alone, and in 2003, hundreds of skeletal remains were unearthed near the mausoleum. Curious about the ethnic origins of these men, a group of Chinese scientists decided to examine their maternal haplogroups. They found that some of these workers belonged to haplogroup A, and that the group had come from a variety of places across East Asia.
![Maternal Haplo Image](/_next/static/media/terracotta.4a83ad84.webp)
What do people with the surname Qin 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
![Qin](/_next/static/media/icecream_prefer_chocolate-orange.296b9262.webp)
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Qin" Surname 50.0%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
![Qin](/_next/static/media/cheek_dimples-orange.80d2da12.webp)
Cheek Dimples
Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.
"Qin" Surname 37.5%
23andMe Users 37.6%
Habits
![Qin](/_next/static/media/wb_sugary_drink_freqdf_1x_per_day_or_more-orange.6c3f9b49.webp)
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Qin" Surname 20.7%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Qin?
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 Qin are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition