Bai Jia Xing compound surname #3
上官
上官 is read as Shàngguān. It is one of the 60 compound surnames in the expanded Bai Jia Xing sequence.
Shàngguān
Simplified and traditional 上官
place-name surname from Shangguan, with an official/courtly sound
Metal
Time: Spring and Autumn to Warring States, 770-221 BCE
Place: Shangguan placename; later Shanggui / Tianshui, Gansu
Origin
上官 is usually explained as a Chu-origin placename surname. A Chu royal descendant or official was connected with Shangguan, and descendants used the place name; later traditions also connect the clan with Shanggui and Tianshui in present-day Gansu.
Name meaning
The surname sounds aristocratic and administrative because 官 means office or official. Shangguan Wan'er gives it a refined Tang court and poetry association.
Historical figures
上官婉儿 Shangguan Wan'er
Shangguan Wan'er was a Tang court poet and political figure.
上官婉儿
Shangguan Wan'er was a Tang court poet and political figure, giving Shangguan a refined literary and courtly association.