Xue ([ɕɥé]) is the pinyin romanization of the Chinese surname 薛 (Xuē). It is romanized as Hsüeh in Wade-Giles. In Hong Kong and Macau it is usually romanized through its Cantonese pronunciation Sit. In Korean, it corresponds to Seol (설), in Japanese to Setsu and in Vietnamese to Tiết. According to the 2010 Chinese Census, it is the 76th most common surname in China, a sharp decline from 48th in 1982. In a study by geneticist Yuan Yida on the distribution of Chinese surnames, people who carry the name Xue are dispersed throughout the country and is most heavily concentrated in Shaanxi.
The surname traces back to the State of Xue in what is modern day Shandong. Yu the Great, founding emperor of the Xia dynasty, bestowed upon his minister Xi Zhong the title Marquis of Xue in gratitude for his invention of the Chinese chariot; Xi Zhong's descendants subsequently bore Xue as their clan name.
Sinicized descendants of various non-Han Chinese peoples also adopted Xue as their surname, including the Göktürk Syr-Tardush tribe, the Xianbei Chigan clan and several Manchu clans such as Sakda Hala, Sue Hala, Sunit Hala etc.
In the classical novel Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Xueqin, the Xue family is one of the four noble families of Jinling. The socially graceful debutante Xue Baochai, a literary embodiment of ideal traditional Chinese femininity, is one of the principal characters in the novel.
Academics and science
Xue Juzheng, Song Dynasty historian and scholarXue Muqiao, Chinese economistXue Fei, former China Central Television news anchorXue Ji, Tang dynasty calligrapherXue Jiayan (Nancy Sit), Hong Kong actressXue Jiye, Chinese painter and sculptorXue Jinghua, the prima ballerina of the ballet Red Detachment of WomenXue Kaiqi (Fiona Sit), Hong Kong actress/singerXue Tao, Tang dynasty poetXue Xiaolu, Chinese director and screenwriterXue Xinran, British-Chinese broadcaster, journalist and authorXue Yongjun, Chinese artistXue Zhiqian (Jacky Xue), Chinese actorFrancis Hsueh and Steven Hahn, film-making duoXue Bing, Chinese sprint canoerXue Changrui, Chinese pole vaulter, Asian Champion 2013Xue Chen, Chinese professional beach volleyball playerXue Haifeng, archer who competed in the 2004 and 2008 Summer OlympicsXue Juan, Chinese javelin throwerXue Ming, Chinese volleyball playerXue Ya'nan, Chinese footballerXue Yuyang, Chinese basketball playerXue Manzi (Charles Xue), Chinese American entrepreneur, son of Xue ZizhengShaolan Hsueh, entrepreneur born in Taiwan who developed a new method to teach Chinese characters.Government, politics, law and military
Xue Daoheng, official in Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms periodXue E, Tang Dynasty general, grandson of Xue RenguiXue Feng, American geologist held in China on espionage chargesXue Fucheng, Qing Dynasty diplomatXue Hanqin, judge at International Court of JusticeXue Ji, Tang Dynasty chancellor, great-grandson of Xue DaohengXue Ju, founding emperor of a short-lived state of Qin at the end of the Sui DynastyXue Li, Han Dynasty generalXue Ping, Tang Dynasty general, son of Xue SongXue Qi (Schive Chi), Taiwanese economist and politicianXue Ne, early Tang Dynasty general, son of Xue Rengui,Xue Rengao, emperor of the short-lived state of Qin before surrendering to the founder of the Tang Dynasty Li ShiminXue Rengui, early Tang Dynasty general, most known for his campaigns against the Korean kingdom Goguryeo, the Tujue Turkish Khaganate, and the Tibetan Tufan empireXue Song, Tang Dynasty general, grandson of Xue RenguiXue Wanche, early Tang Dynasty generalXue Wenjie, Min officialXue Xu, Eastern Wu official, son of Xue ZongXue Yiju, Tang Dynasty and Later Liang Dynasty chancellorXue Ying, Eastern Wu official, son of Xue ZongXue Yuanchao, Tang Dynasty chancellorXue Yue, Chinese Guomindang Army general during the Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil WarXue Zizheng, former Deputy Head of the United Front Work DepartmentXue Zong, Minister of State of Eastern Wu during the Three KingdomsHsueh Hsiang-chuan (1944-), politician in TaiwanHsueh Ling (1954-), member of the Democratic Progressive Party, in TaiwanXue Baochai, one of the protagonists of the classic Chinese novel Dream of the Red Chamber
