GGood Chinese Name

Chinese surname · rank 103

阎

阎 is read as yán.

Pinyin

yán

Script forms

Simplified 阎 · Traditional 閻

Basic meaning

village gate; lane

Five element

Earth

Origin

Time: Zhou-period Yan place/gate-town traditions; Zhou-period tradition, 1046-256 BCE

Place: Yan place traditions in the central plains

Origin note

Yan surname traditions usually connect 阎 with place-name layers. The page keeps 阎 separate from the modern written form 闫 while noting the related surname usage.

Historical figures

阎立本 (Yan Liben)

c. 601-673 CE · Tang painter and official

A major Tang court painter and official.

阎锡山 (Yan Xishan)

1883-1960 CE · political and military figure

A Shanxi military and political leader in the Republican era.

Sources checked