Chengtian Prefecture, Taipei Prefecture, Zhuluoshan, Changhua, Hsinchu, Lin Pi Pu, Dajiala, Baijie, Luerhmen, Anping, Keelung, Tamsui

Did you know that 1 in every 9 people in Taiwan is surnamed Chen?

This is not a joke. According to the 1956 census, the top 100 surnames in Taiwan account for approximately 97% of the total population.

97% means that almost anyone you meet on the street in Taiwan likely has one of these 100 surnames.

And the top five—Chen, Lin, Huang, Zhang, and Li—together make up 36% of Taiwan’s population.

Chen alone accounts for 11.3%. Roughly 1 in every 9 Taiwanese is named Chen.

There’s an old saying in Fujian: “Chen and Lin rule half the land.” It seems this proverb crossed the strait along with the people.

Crossing the Sea

The history of Han surnames in Taiwan is a history of sea crossings.

In 1661, Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong) led an army of 25,000 to expel the Dutch from Taiwan. Among them were the Chens, the Lins, the Huangs—they didn’t come empty-handed. They brought their surnames.

Koxinga implemented a “soldier-farmer” policy. Generals and soldiers were assigned to different regions for land reclamation. Villages began to appear, many named after the surnames of their founders.

A general named Lin Ji (also known as Lin Pi) crossed the sea in 1661. He was ordered to reclaim the Shishalian area. He and his men were all killed in conflicts with indigenous people.

The place where he died was named “Lin Pi Pu”—today’s Zhushan, Nantou.

One man’s surname became a city’s name.

Braving the Seas

In 1683, the Qing Dynasty unified Taiwan. The court initially banned migration across the strait.

But the ban couldn’t stop Fujian and Guangdong refugees from “braving the seas.”

In 1691, Wang Shijie from Tongan, Fujian, led over 180 kinsmen to reclaim Zhuqianpu (modern Hsinchu), establishing 39 villages.

In 1709, Chen Laizhang formed a reclamation syndicate to develop Dajiala (modern Taipei).

These syndicates were themselves a history of surnames. “Chen” in Chen Laizhang, “Wang” in Wang Shijie—behind every surname was a story of survival.

In 1760, the Qing government lifted migration restrictions, allowing families to enter Taiwan.

Taiwan’s surname structure shifted from a bachelor society to a settled clan society.

Reclaiming the Land

In 1726, Chen Xingji reclaimed land in Fangyuan, Changhua.

In 1750, Lin Chengzu moved north to reclaim the Baijie area (modern Banqiao), building irrigation systems for over 1,000 hectares.

After 1736, various branches of the Huang clan reclaimed land in Miaoli and Hsinchu on a large scale.

Every wave of immigrants brought their clan system to the new land. Ancestral halls replaced hometown graves as the center of bloodline cohesion.

Interestingly, Taiwan developed a unique phenomenon—double surnames.

Take the “Zhang-Jian” clan. An ancestor named Jian was raised by a Zhang family, so descendants combined both surnames to show gratitude.

Or the “Fan-Jiang” clan. Fan Wenzhi, grateful to his stepfather Jiang Tongying, had all five of his sons carry the combined surname “Fan-Jiang.”

Statistics show Taiwan has 194 clearly defined double surnames and 682 more awaiting verification.

What are double surnames if not the self-repair of broken bloodlines in an immigrant society?

The Secret of the Top 100

A 1926 survey by the Japanese Governor-General’s Office revealed another fascinating fact: among Taiwan’s Han population, 83.1% were of Fujian origin, and 15.6% were of Guangdong (Hakka) origin.

The Fujianese arrived earlier and occupied the fertile western plains. The Hakka arrived later and settled in the hilly areas.

Where your ancestors came from determined your surname, your location, and your livelihood.

This isn’t blood determinism. It’s the underlying logic of migration history.

From 1661 to 1895, over more than two centuries, the bloodlines of the Top 100 Surnames took root, grew, and intertwined in Taiwan.

Today, the Chen and Lin clans continue to hold significant influence in Taiwan. Despite the Japanese imperialization movement after 1895 and the political shifts after 1945, surnames—the most basic symbol of Chinese identity—have never changed.

Those who crossed the sea brought more than tools and seeds. They brought their surnames.

A surname is a family history. A hundred surnames is the history of Taiwan.

Bloodlines don’t lie.