Our answer
No. 43 in China 叶 · 葉
Yè, ‘leaf’, but named after the ancient town of Ye in Henan; Yip or Ip in Hong Kong, Yap in South-east Asia, Yeh in Taiwan
The short answer
Ye (叶, traditional 葉, Yè) is a Chinese surname; the character means ‘leaf’, but the name comes from the ancient town of Ye in today’s Henan. It was the 43rd most common surname in China in 2019. Abroad it is often spelled Yip or Ip (Cantonese), Yap (Hokkien and Hakka) or Yeh (Taiwan).
| In Chinese | 叶 (simplified) / 葉 (traditional) |
|---|---|
| Pinyin | Yè, with the fourth (falling) tone |
| Rank in China (2019) | No. 43 (Ministry of Public Security list of the 100 most common surnames) |
| Other spellings | Yip, Ip (Cantonese); Yap, Yeap (Hokkien, Hakka); Yeh (Taiwan); Diệp (Vietnamese) |
| Meaning of the character | ‘Leaf’; as a surname, from the ancient town of Ye, now Ye County, Henan |
| Most people in | Guangdong (Fuxi Institution figures, 2013) |
| Population | About 6.32 million people, 0.48% of the population (Fuxi Institution, 2013) |
Origins of the Ye surname
In modern Chinese 叶 means ‘leaf’, but the surname comes from a place name, not from the word. Ye was a city of the state of Chu in the Spring and Autumn period; today it is Ye County in Henan.
The founding ancestor is traditionally Shen Zhuliang (沈诸梁), who was given Ye as his fief after his father died at the Battle of Boju in 506 BC. In 478 BC he put down a rebellion and restored King Hui of Chu, who made him prime minister and Duke of Ye (叶公). Confucius visited him at Ye in 489 BC, and their conversations are recorded in the *Analects*. His descendants later took Ye as their family name.
The Duke is also remembered in the idiom 叶公好龙 (yè gōng hào lóng), ‘Lord Ye loves dragons’, from a story in Liu Xiang’s *New Prefaces*: it describes someone who claims to love something that in fact they fear. In the *Hundred Family Surnames*, 叶 is 257th.[3][4][5]
How Ye is spelled around the world
Few Chinese surnames have as many spellings as Ye. Most come from the southern dialects, which kept the final -p that Mandarin lost.[1][3]
| Spelling | Where you see it | Language or system |
|---|---|---|
| Ye | Mainland China | Mandarin, Hanyu Pinyin |
| Yeh | Taiwan and older Western usage | Mandarin, Wade–Giles |
| Yip | Hong Kong, as in the director Wilson Yip | Cantonese |
| Ip | Hong Kong and Macau, as in the Wing Chun master Ip Man | Cantonese |
| Yap | Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines | Hokkien, Teochew and Hakka |
| Yeap | Malaysia | Cantonese |
| Jap, Ijap, Jip | Indonesia | Indonesian spellings |
| Eap | Cambodia | Local spelling |
| Diệp | Vietnam | Vietnamese |
Where the Ye surname is most common
In the Ministry of Public Security’s 2019 list, 叶 ranked 43rd, just after 杜 Du. The Fuxi Institution’s 2013 figures put it slightly higher, at 41st, with about 6.32 million people, or 0.48% of the population, and Guangdong the province with the most people named Ye.
The surname is also prominent among Chinese communities overseas. In a 2020 list of Chinese Filipino surnames, Yap (葉) ranked ninth, with 37,703 people, and the Hakka leader Yap Ah Loy (叶亚来), often called the father of Kuala Lumpur, bore the name.[1][2][3][9]
Famous people named Ye
| Name | Chinese | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Shen Zhuliang, Duke of Ye (c. 529–after 478 BC) | 沈诸梁 (叶公) | Chu statesman, regarded as the founding ancestor of the surname |
| Yap Ah Loy (1837–1885) | 叶亚来 | Kapitan China of Kuala Lumpur, often called the father of the city |
| Ip Man (1893–1972) | 叶问 | Wing Chun grandmaster and teacher of Bruce Lee, subject of the *Ip Man* films |
| Ye Shengtao (1894–1988) | 叶圣陶 | Writer and educator, author of the children’s story *The Scarecrow* (1923) |
| Wilson Yip (born 1964) | 叶伟信 | Hong Kong director of *SPL: Sha Po Lang* and the *Ip Man* films |
Questions readers ask
What does the Ye surname mean?
The character 叶 (葉) means ‘leaf’, but the surname comes from a place: the ancient town of Ye, now Ye County in Henan, the fief of the Duke of Ye in the 5th century BC.
Is Ye a Chinese last name?
Yes. 叶 Ye was the 43rd most common surname in China in the Ministry of Public Security’s 2019 list of the top 100.
How common is the Ye surname in China?
Fuxi Institution figures for 2013 put it at about 6.32 million people, 0.48% of the population, with the most in Guangdong.
How do you pronounce Ye?
Roughly like ‘yeh’, with the fourth tone, which falls sharply. It does not rhyme with English ‘yay’ or ‘yee’.
Is Yip the same as Ye?
Yes. Yip and Ip are the Cantonese spellings of 叶 used in Hong Kong and Macau, as in the Wing Chun master Ip Man. Yap, Yeap and Yeh are the same surname too.
Where does the Ye surname come from?
From Shen Zhuliang, a statesman of the state of Chu who was made Duke of Ye in the early 5th century BC. His descendants took the name of his fief, Ye, as their surname.
What does ‘Lord Ye loves dragons’ mean?
The idiom 叶公好龙 describes someone who claims to love something but actually fears it. It comes from a story about the Duke of Ye in Liu Xiang’s *New Prefaces*.
Sources
- Wikipedia, List of common Chinese surnames (Ministry of Public Security 2019 ranking and romanisations; Fuxi Institution 2013 figures; 2020 Chinese Filipino surnames) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- The Paper (澎湃新闻), 公安部发布最新百家姓 (Ministry of Public Security 2019 surname report, 20 January 2020) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Ye (surname) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Behind the Name, Ye · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Shen Zhuliang · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Ip Man · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Ye Shengtao · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Wilson Yip · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Yap Ah Loy · accessed 1 Nov 2026
Update log. 1 November 2026 — reviewed. Next review due 1 February 2027. Suggest a correction