Genealogy News · Source Analysis · Published on 2026-10-07

Anhui Shui Surname Generation Names: Clues to Branches and Verification Paths

Existing records document Shui surname generation names in Wuhu and Fuyang, Anhui. However, generation names can only serve as clues for locating relatives and identifying branches; they cannot, on their own, prove a shared lineage. By consulting online genealogies, local gazetteers, and family memories together, it is possible to further verify migration locations, the founding ancestor of a branch, and the continuity of the lineage.

The available generation-name records for the Shui surname in Anhui currently include two geographically identified sets: the Wuhu branch has “其承世厚从心恒存性道自克永昌宗,” while the Fuyang branch has “玉九维新贺光.” These characters are generally used in family naming and in arranging generations, and they can provide useful indications when tracing one’s roots. However, identical or similar generation names do not necessarily mean that family members originated from the same branch. The same surname may also have developed separate genealogical traditions in different regions, with differences arising from revisions, amendments, or copying by hand.

The Wuhu generation-name sequence is relatively complete, containing consecutive characters such as “其、承、世、厚,” followed later by “从心恒存性道自克永昌宗.” If older family members can still recall some of these characters, they can first be compared with names actually used in the family, followed by checks of ancestral villages, ancestral halls, burial sites, and marriage and kinship relationships. The Fuyang set currently contains relatively few characters—only “玉九维新贺光”—and is better treated as a partial generational sequence or surviving clue; it cannot be used to reconstruct a complete lineage. Which branch and generation it belongs to still needs to be corroborated by the original genealogy, preface to the genealogy, lineage tables, or local literature.

The formation and migration of the Shui surname in different regions may involve a variety of historical backgrounds. The origins of the Anhui branches, the time of their initial migration, and their relationship with Shui lineages in other provinces cannot be determined solely from the surname, hall name, or oral traditions. During the search, the generation names can be used as an entry point, followed by checks of old family genealogies, tomb inscriptions, ancestral-house records, contracts, and sacrificial registers, and then comparison with the people, place names, and generational relationships recorded in online genealogies. Local gazetteers may sometimes supplement information on village changes, population migration, and ancestral-hall property, while family memoirs can help preserve migration routes, branch divisions, and memories of more recent relatives. Oral accounts should nevertheless be cross-checked against physical evidence or documentary sources wherever possible.

It is especially important to distinguish that the hall names and ancestral-origin information such as “武陵堂,” Wuling, Guzang, and Henei found in An surname materials belong to An surname genealogical records and cannot be directly applied to the Shui surname in Anhui. Surname databases, online genealogies, and local gazetteer databases can help establish the scope of a search, but they cannot replace the authentication of a specific genealogical volume. To determine whether the Shui surnames in Wuhu and Fuyang share a common ancestry, it would be necessary to find, at minimum, generations that correspond continuously, clearly identified places of departure and arrival, and genealogical prefaces or burial records that corroborate one another. At present, the two sets of generation names are better treated as a starting point for further ancestral research, rather than directly presented as evidence of a single unified lineage or a confirmed ancestral relationship.

Record your family’s stories on ZongMai Genealogy →