Ren (surname)

Rén is the Mandarin pinyin romanisation of the Chinese surname written 任 in Chinese script. It is romanised as Jen in Wade–Giles, and Yam or Yum in Cantonese. It is listed 58th in the Song dynasty classic text Hundred Family Surnames.[1] As of 2008, it is the 59th most common surname in China, shared by 4.2 million people.[2] In 2019 it was the 49th most common surname in Mainland China.[3]

Rén (任)
PronunciationRén (Mandarin)
Cantonese: Jyutping: jam4, Middle Chinese: /ȵiɪmH/

Old Chinese:

(Baxter–Sagart): /*n[ə]m-s/

(Zhengzhang): /*njɯms/
Language(s)Chinese
Origin
Language(s)Old Chinese
Other names
Variant form(s)Yam, Yum, Jen (Mandarin Wade Giles)
Derivative(s)Im (Korean surname)

The character 任 is typically pronounced (pinyin: rèn; Jyutping: jam6), but as a surname is pronounced "rén," as well as in Ren County in Hebei.

Ancient Surname

Rèn (妊) is a variant of the surname and one of the Eight Great Surnames of Chinese Antiquity. Unlike 任 it is a very rare surname

The Zuo Zhuan states that the surname Ren is a descendant of Fuxi's surname Fēng.

Some consider the two surnames to be related

Notable people
Self portrait of Ren Xiong
  • Ren Guang (任光; died 29 AD), Eastern Han dynasty general, one of the Yuntai 28 generals
  • Ren Shang (died 118), Eastern Han Protector General of the Western Regions
  • Ren Jun (died 204), Eastern Han dynasty military officer
  • Ren Yaxiang (died 662), Tang dynasty general and chancellor
  • Ren Zhigu (fl. 692), chancellor of Empress Wu Zetian
  • Ren Huan (died 927), Later Tang general and chancellor
  • Ren Renfa (1254–1327), Yuan dynasty artist and irrigation expert
  • Ren Xiong (1823–1857), painter of the Shanghai School
  • Ren Xun (1835–1893), painter, brother of Ren Xiong
  • Ren Bonian (1840–1896), painter of the Shanghai School, nephew of Ren Xiong and Ren Xun
  • Ren Zhu (died 1867), Nien Rebellion leader
  • Ren Fuchen (1884–1918), Soviet Red Army commander
  • Ren Guang (1900–1941), composer
  • Ren Bishi (1904–1950), early Communist leader
  • Chih-Kung Jen (Ren Zhigong; 1906–1995), Chinese-American physicist
  • Yam Kim-fai (任劍輝, 1913–1989), opera actress
  • Ren Mei'e (1913–2008), geologist
  • Ren Zhongyi (1914–2005), Communist Party Chief of Liaoning and Guangdong province
  • Ren Xinmin (1915–2017), aerospace engineer
  • Ren Jiyu (1916–2009), philosopher, scholar
  • Ren Rong (1917–2017), general and Communist Party Chief of Tibet Autonomous Region
  • Ren Rongrong (任溶溶; 1923–2022), children's literature writer and translator
  • Ren Jianxin (born 1925), former President of the Supreme People's Court of China
  • Ren Zhengfei (born 1944), founder, chairman and CEO of Huawei
  • Ren Wanding (born 1944), founder of Chinese Human Rights League
  • Yum Sin-ling (Ren Shanning; born 1948), Hong Kong politician
  • Joseph Yam (任志剛, born 1948), Hong Kong statistician
  • Ren Zhiqiang (born 1951), Chinese property tycoon and critic of the government
  • Gish Jen (Ren Bilian; born 1955), American writer
  • Simon Yam (Ren Dahua; born 1955), Hong Kong actor
  • Ren Runhou (1957–2014), former Vice Governor of Shanxi province
  • Ren Jianxin (born 1959), founder and president of ChemChina
  • Ren Yexiang (born 1961), actress
  • Vivian Wing-Wah Yam (Ren Yonghua; born 1963), Hong Kong chemist
  • Ren Xuefeng (1965–2019), Party Chief of Guangzhou and Deputy Party Chief of Guangdong and Chongqing
  • Richie Jen (Ren Xianqi; born 1966), Taiwanese singer and actor
  • Yam Kai-bong (任啟邦, born 1978), Hong Kong politician
  • Edward Yum (Ren Liangxian; born 1979), Hong Kong politician, son of Yum Sin-ling
  • Alex Yam (任梓铭, born 1981), Singaporean politician
  • Selina Jen (Ren Jiaxuan; born 1981), Taiwanese singer, member of S.H.E
  • Ren Hui (born 1983), female speed skater, Olympic medalist
  • Ren Han (born 1984), artist
  • Ren Yongshun (born 1985), football player
  • Ren Cancan (born 1986), world champion female boxer
  • Ren Ye (born 1986), female field hockey player, Olympic medalist
  • Ren Hang (1987–2017), photographer
  • Ren Suxi (born 1988), Chinese actress and singer
  • Ren Hang (born 1989), football player
  • Ren Xin (born 1989), football player
  • Ren Jialun (born 1989), Chinese actor and singer
  • Ren Junfei (born 1990), basketball player
  • Ren Hao (任豪) (born 1995), Chinese singer, member of R1SE
  • Ren Ziwei (born 1997), speed skater

References
  1. "百家姓" [Hundred Family Surnames] (in Chinese). Guoxue. Retrieved 2014-09-16.
  2. 中国最新300大姓排名（2008） [300 most common surnames in China (2008)] (in Chinese). Taiwan.cn. 2009-01-06. Retrieved 2014-09-18.
  3. "新京报 - 好新闻，无止境".
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