![]() Chinese character for surname Cen | |
Pronunciation | [tsʰə̌n] (Mandarin) [sɐ̏m] (Cantonese) [gîm] (Hokkien) |
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Language(s) | Chinese |
Origin | |
Language(s) | Old Chinese |
Word/name | China |
Meaning | Steep hill, mountain |
Other names | |
Variant form(s) | Ts'en, Tsen, Sam, Shum, Sham, Sum, Sang, Gim, Khim, Chim |
Cen is the Mandarin pinyin romanization of the Chinese surname written 岑 in Chinese character. It is romanized Ts'en in Wade–Giles, and variously as Sam, Sum, Sham, Shum in Cantonese, Gim, Khim, Chim in Taiwanese Hokkien and Chen in other pinyin forms. Cen is listed 67th in the Song dynasty classic text Hundred Family Surnames.[1] As of 2008, it is the 235th most common surname in China, shared by 340,000 people.[2] Cen is considered a rare surname. A person with a rare surname like Cen may be able to trace his or her origins to a single ancestral area.[3]