Shi
A Chinese surname, most commonly written 石 or 施, with several unrelated origins and modern forms.
The #3,551 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 30,706 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Shi is a Chinese surname written with different characters, especially 石 and 施, each with its own origin story. 石 literally means “stone,” while 施 can mean “to bestow” or “to spread,” but as surnames they are inherited family names rather than descriptive nicknames. Because several Chinese clans independently used the same Romanized form, Shi is not one single surname in origin.
History
In modern English-language records, Shi is usually a pinyin rendering of a Chinese surname, and many unrelated Chinese lineages share it. The same spelling can represent different characters and different ancestral traditions, so family history needs the original Chinese character to identify the true line. In the United States the name is relatively uncommon but clearly established through immigration and later family lines.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same Roman spelling Shi can hide several different Chinese surnames, so two people with this surname may not be related at all.
From the historical record
“SHIEL \ (Scand.) Dweller at a Hut or Shed SHI ELL J [Scand. skiul {ski or skj as'shi), O.N. sk(0l, sk^li, a shed, ^elter^ Shield 156 Shinkins”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)