Abstract:
In the West Zhou Dynasty and the Spring and Autumn Period, the surname was used exclusively by the noble class, and the common people did not use a family name (surname). During the Warring States Period, Qi State still adhered to the old rules that commoners didn’t have surnames; regardless of the nobles and commoners, Chu State generally used “surname+name” system. The law of Chu State stipulated that, in any litigation, the place of residence, name, and clan to which the parties belong must be clearly stated. The Qin nobles, officials, and common people were usually named by their names, and the Qin Law required the persons involved to be clear about their names, the cause of the case and their hometown. In the early Western Han Dynasty, the distinction between noble and inferior names gradually disappeared, and common people gradually started to use surnames. The names of the common people were usually written as a specific Chinese character based on the oral pronunciation of the common people’s names during the registration, service, litigation, or other situations when the common people were required to be responsible, so it was a simple word or several simple words for convenience. The twocharacter or multicharacter names formed by compound words were generally composed of limited or descriptive morphemes and subject morphemes, and had specific connotations and meanings. Surname and name were combined compound words composed of two equal terms. The surname had the function of explaining and limiting the first name. The literalization and universalization of the names of the common people should be originated from the disintegration of the ancient blood and geographical groups caused by the wars, migrations and campaigns since the Warring States Period, as well as the continuous efforts of the state power to directly control the common people: compilation of household registration literalized the common people names, while leaving the country and the service promoted the normalization of the common people names.
