Bái is the

pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally writte ...

of the surname 白, meaning the colour white. Another surname, 柏, meaning the tree cypress. This one is the 37th name on the ''

Hundred Family Surnames The ''Hundred Family Surnames'' (), commonly known as ''Bai Jia Xing'', also translated as ''Hundreds of Chinese Surnames'', is a classic Chinese text composed of common Chinese surnames. An unknown author compiled the book during the Song dy ...

'' poem. Since 柏 is a character with two readings, it is often mistakenly read as "Bó". In modern Chinese, the proper way to pronounce it as a surname is "Bǎi". Bai and other variants were ranked 79th within the

list of common Chinese surnames These are lists of the most common Chinese surnames in China (People's Republic of China), Taiwan (Republic of China), and the Chinese diaspora overseas as provided by authoritative government or academic sources. Chinese names also form the bas ...

in 2006, down from 70th in 1990.

Origin

* a surname used by descendants of Bai Fu, a minister of the legendary Emperor Yan. * a surname used by descendants of Bai Gongsheng, the son of a crown prince of the State of Chu during the Spring and Autumn Period. * a surname used by the descendants of a prince named Bai, son of Duke Wu of the state of Qin. * a surname used by descendants of

Duke Mu of Qin Duke Mu of Qin (died 621BC), born Renhao, was a duke of Qin (659–621BC) in the western reaches of the Zhou Kingdom during the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history. Sometimes considered one of China's Five Hegemons, he greatly expanded ...

. * a surname used by the

Mongol The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member ...

s, possibly derived from Borjigin. * a surname used by the

Manchus The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized ethnic minority in China and the people from whom Manchuria derives its name. The Later Jin (1616–1636) and ...

Irgen Gioro Irgen Gioro (; ) is a Manchu clan and family name, which was officially categorized as a "notable clan", and member of the eight great houses of the Manchu nobility in Qing dynasty. Sibe and Nanai people also has Irgen Gioro as their family na ...

and Bayara Gioro * during the ancient

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...

in modern-day

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the C ...

, the Bai people used the surname Bai after their tribe name * a surname used by the ancient Donghu people. * a surname used by the ancient people of

Kucha Kucha, or Kuche (also: ''Kuçar'', ''Kuchar''; ug, كۇچار, Кучар; zh, t= 龜茲, p=Qiūcí, zh, t= 庫車, p=Kùchē; sa, कूचीन, translit=Kūcīna), was an ancient Buddhist kingdom located on the branch of the Silk Road ...

(or Qiuci). Kucha was an ancient country located in current Xinjiang province of China.

Alternate spellings

* Mandarin: Bái, Pai *

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

: Pai *

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...

(

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

and

Macao Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a po ...

): Baak6, Pak *

Min Nan Southern Min (), Minnan ( Mandarin pronunciation: ) or Banlam (), is a group of linguistically similar and historically related Sinitic languages that form a branch of Min Chinese spoken in Fujian (especially the Minnan region), most of Taiwan ...

(

Hokkien The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages ...

(

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its cap ...

)/ Teochew): Pe̍h, Pe̍k, Peh *

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...

: Bạch *

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

: Paik, Baik, Baek, Baeg (백) based on the same Chinese letter 白 *

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

: Bekku, Haku, Hyaku, Byaku

Notable people

* Bai An (白安, 1991-), Taiwanese singer, Manchus * Bai Chongxi (白崇禧, 1893–1966), Chinese Muslim general of the Republic of China * Bai Chong'en, 白重恩 Chinese economist *

Pai Hsiao-yen Pai Hsiao-yen (; 23 June 1980 – 20 April 1997) was the only daughter of popular Taiwanese TV host and actress Pai Bing-bing and Japanese author Ikki Kajiwara. Abduction, murder, and island-wide manhunt Abduction Pai Hsiao-yen disappeared af ...

(白曉燕, 1980–1997), Taiwanese teenage idol and victim of a fatal kidnapping *

Pai Hsien-yung Kenneth Hsien-yung Pai (; born July 11, 1937) is a Chinese writer from Taiwan who has been described as a "melancholy pioneer". He was born in Guilin, Guangxi at the cusp of the Second Sino-Japanese War. Pai's father was the Kuomintang (KMT) ge ...

(白先勇, 1937-), Chinese Muslim writer * Bai Jie (白洁, 1972-), Chinese female footballer *

Bai Jing Bai Jing () (4 June 1983 – 28 February 2012) was a Chinese actress. She was best known for her role in the 2010 film '' Kung Fu Wing Chun'' in which she played the Chinese folk heroine Yim Wing-chun. Background Bai Jing graduated from Centr ...

(白静, 1983–2012), Chinese actress * Bai Juyi (白居易, 772–846), Tang Dynasty poet *

Pai Kun-Hong Pai Kun-hong (; born 6 January 1970other sources report his date of birth: ''February 6, 1970'') is a Taiwanese baseball player who competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992 ...

(白昆弘, 1970-), Taiwanese baseball player *

Bai Ling Bai Ling (, born October 10, 1966) is a Chinese-American actress known for her work in the films '' The Crow'', ''Nixon'', ''Red Corner'', '' Crank: High Voltage'', ''Dumplings'', ''Wild Wild West'', ''Anna and the King'', ''Southland Tales'', an ...

(白灵, 1966-), Chinese-born American actress *

Bai Qi Bai Qi (; – 257 BC), also known as Gongsun Qi (), was a Chinese military general of the Qin state during the Warring States period. Born in Mei (present-day Mei County, Shaanxi), Bai Qi served as the commander of the Qin army for more than 3 ...

(白起, died 257 BC), Qin general of the Warring States Period * Bai Renfu (白仁甫, 1226–1306), Yuan Dynasty playwright *

Bai Shouyi Bai Shouyi (; February 1909 – March 21, 2000), also known as Djamal al-Din Bai Shouyi, was a Chinese ethnologist, historian, social activist, and writer who revolutionized recent Chinese historiography and pioneered in relying heavily on scie ...

(白寿彝, 1909–2000) (Arabic name: Djamal al-Din Bai Shouyi) Chinese Muslim historian *

Bai Shuxiang Bai Shuxiang (; born 1939) is a Chinese dancer and former prima ballerina, known for her role in the early development of professional ballet in China. After training at the Beijing Dance School as a teenager, Bai was appointed principal dance ...

(白淑湘, born 1939), Chinese ballet dancer * Lou Pai (白露龍, 1947-), Chinese-American businessman and former Enron executive * Bai Wenqi (白文奇, born 1955), Lieutenant general of the PLA Air Force *

Bai Chunli Bai Chunli (; born September 26, 1953) is a Chinese physical chemist, nanotechnology scientist, and academic administrator. He is a professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Chemistry and former president of the Chinese Acade ...

(白春礼, born 1953), Manchus, Chinese physical chemist and nanoscientist, President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences * Peter Pek, chief executive of the World Branding Forum * Bai Yansong (白岩松, 1968), Chinese host * Rose Pak (白蘭; 1947–2016) Chinese-born political activist in San Francisco, California * Michelle Bai (白冰, 1986) is a Chinese actress and singer *

Bai Jingting Bai Jingting (, born October 15, 1993) is a Chinese actor. He made his acting debut in the web series ''Back in Time'' (2014). He has since earned recognition for his roles in the television series ''The Whirlwind Girl'' (2016) and '' Rush to ...

(白敬亭, 1993) Chinese Actor

柏

* Bai Jiajun (柏佳骏; 1991) is a Chinese football player * Bai Wenwei (柏文蔚; 1876–1947), KMT General, Governor of Anhui Province, Advisor to Presidential Palace, Chairman Anhui Provincial Government, KMT Central Party Committee, and Central Executive Committee * Bai Xiaolei (柏小磊; 1985-) is a Chinese football player born in Dalian * Bai Yan (柏衍; 1989-) is a Chinese male tennis player born in Nanjing, Jiangsu * Penname: Bo Yang (柏楊; 1920 – 2008), was a Taiwanese poet, essayist and historian, real name Guo Dingsheng (郭定生)

拜

Pai Tzu-li Pai Tzu-li () was a Chinese Muslim general of the 36th Division (National Revolutionary Army), who served under Generals Ma Zhongying and Ma Hushan. He was the secretary to Ma Zhongying and his age was estimated to be about 40. He was then Chi ...

, (拜自立) Chinese Muslim General of the Republic of China

As part of a stagename/pseudonym

Bai Guang Bai Guang (27 June 1921 – 27 August 1999), also credited as Pai Kwong, Bai Kwong and Bai Kwang, was a Chinese actress and singer. By the 1940s, she became one of the Seven great singing stars. Biography Bai Guang was born Shi Yongfen () in 192 ...

(白光 stagename) (1921–1999), birth name Shi Yongfen (史永芬) movie star and singer

Korean

Helen Pai Helen Pai is an American television writer, director, and producer. Pai works at Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions, founded by close friend Amy Sherman-Palladino, and is co-producer of the television series ''Gilmore Girls'' and ''Bunheads''. ...

, American television writer, director, and producer

Origin

Alternate spellings

Notable people

柏

拜

As part of a stagename/pseudonym

Korean

See also