Chinese surname · rank 217
谈
谈 is read as tán.
tán
Simplified 谈 · Traditional 談
talk; conversation
Earth
Time: Zhou/Spring and Autumn state-name layers, including Lu Zhuang Gong tenth-year Tanzi-state tradition, later Warring States Tanguo destruction layer, and later avoidance/adoption layers; Spring and Autumn tradition, 770-476 BCE
Place: Song/Tan state tradition, eastern Jinan Longshan Tanzi-state layer, southwestern Tancheng Shandong Tanguo layer, and later Liang/Guangping commandery associations
Origin note
Tan is a layered surname whose source-backed accounts center on state names and closely related Tan/Tan/ variants. One major line is Zi-surname: after Wei Ziqi was enfeoffed in Song, a later Tan state is said to have continued for thirty-six generations down to Tan Jun; after it was destroyed by Chu, descendants used the state name Tan as their surname. A second line is tied to the Si-surname Tan near present Longshan in eastern Jinan; after Lu Zhuang Gong tenth year records say it was destroyed by Qi, a branch came to use Tan. A third line comes from the Ji-surname/-related near present Tancheng in Shandong, whose descendants could use or the written/phonetic variant after the state was extinguished by Yue. Jiapu also notes a later Ji Tan avoidance layer, in which descendants changed because of the taboo around Xiang Yu's personal name Ji, and a Qing Manchu layer. The page keeps these as separate traditions rather than merging , , and into one undifferentiated origin.
Historical figures
Historical figures to enrich
This surname page is ready for a fame-ranked figure list. Later passes can add generals, poets, rulers, artists, scholars and modern public figures with source links.