桂氏图腾释义

【释义】桂，“树也”。生长在江南的一种树名。有木桂、菌桂多类。单称桂，多指木桂。

【起源】出自姬姓。周王胄的后裔姬季桢曾任秦国的博士。秦始皇焚书坑儒时，姬季桢被杀害了。姬季桢的弟弟姬季眭为避株连，就按自己的名字“眭”，将姬季桢的四个儿子改姓避祸。长子奕，改为桂奕，居住在幽州守坟墓；老二昋突，迁居济南朱虚；老三炅奖，居住于齐国历山；老四炔奘，移居河南阳城。于是有了桂、昋、炅、炔四个同音的姓。五代的时，四姓为避战乱，南渡到广信、上饶及河南汝州。

得姓始祖：桂奕

始 祖 地：甘肃天水

郡望堂号：天水、燕郡、幽州；民祀堂

当今排序/人口：第219位/约44万

宋朝百家姓排序：第200位开外

现存家谱：25部 

Interpretation of the Gui (桂) Surname Totem

【Meaning】

Gui (桂) refers to a type of tree, specifically the Cinnamon or Osmanthus tree common in the regions south of the Yangtze River. There are many varieties, such as Mugui (Wood Osmanthus) and Jungui (Cinnamon cassia). When used alone, "Gui" typically refers to the Sweet Osmanthus (Mugui).

【Origins】

1. From the Ji (姬) Surname: The lineage consists of descendants of the Zhou royal house. Ji Jizhen, a descendant of the Zhou kings, served as a Boshi (Academician/Scholar) in the State of Qin.

2. The Escape from Persecution: During the "Burning of Books and Burying of Scholars" by Qin Shi Huang, Ji Jizhen was executed. To avoid being implicated and executed by association, his brother, Ji Jigui, changed the surnames of Jizhen's four sons based on the phonetic sound of his own name, "Gui" (眭).

3. Four Sons, Four Surnames:

   • The eldest, Yi, changed his name to Gui Yi (桂奕) and stayed in Youzhou to guard the ancestral tombs.

   • The second, Tu, moved to Zhuxu in Jinan.

   • The third, Jiang, resided at Mount Li in the State of Qi.

   • The fourth, Zhuang, migrated to Yangcheng, Henan.
     This created four phonetically identical surnames: Gui (桂), Gui (昋), Gui (炅), and Gui (炔). During the Five Dynasties period, to escape the chaos of war, these four clans migrated south to Guangxin, Shangrao, and Ruzhou in Henan.

Historical & Demographic Profile

Category

Details

Founding Ancestor

Gui Yi (Eldest son of Ji Jizhen)

Ancestral Homeland

Tianshui, Gansu Province

Prefectural Mansions (Junwang)

Tianshui, Yanjun, Youzhou

Hall Name (Tanghao)

Minsi Hall (Hall of People's Sacrifice)

Modern Ranking / Population

Ranked 219th / Approx. 440,000 people

Song Dynasty Ranking

Beyond the top 200 in the Hundred Family Surnames

Extant Genealogies

25 volumes currently preserved