Chinese surname · rank 401
岩
岩 is read as yán.
yán
Simplified 岩 · Traditional 巖
cliff; rock; crag; mountain-like rock formation
Earth
Time: Modern surname-dictionary attestation, 20th-21st century CE; older origin not securely identified
Place: Modern rare-surname references mention Guangxi, Fujian, Zhejiang, Hunan, Shanxi, Yunnan Dai areas such as Menglian and Xishuangbanna, and Han / Korean group contexts; older origin place is not securely identified
Origin note
Yan/岩 is kept as a source-checked rare surname with unclear deeper origin, not forced into an invented ancient lineage. The available surname references record it among several ethnic groups and note that in Dai naming practice Yan / Ai can be a rank-style element for an eldest son that later appears as a surname under Han-style naming conventions. The ordinary cliff / rock meaning is useful for character reading, but it is not used as proof of surname origin.
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