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[Surname] Re: Meaning of Surname Nguyen
Origin of Ruan*, Yuen*, Nguyen* (Vietnamese) Famous People in History
Descendents of Ben Tao were rewarded the Ruan kingdom (south east of Jing Chuan in Gansu Province). The Ruan kingdom was eliminated by Zhou Wen Wang during the Shang Dynasty and its people began to bear the last name of Ruan. Another origin of Ruan came from the Shi (stone, rock) family who changed their name to Ruan.
In Vietnamese, the surname Ruan is known as Nguyen, which is the most popular family name. Although not all Vietnamese who bear this family name can trace their roots back to their Chinese ancestors, Nguyen is clearly a Chinese name. Many Vietnamese with this surname claim their ancestor to be a man called Ruan Cho, who was a governor of ChiaoChih (North Vietnam) during the Chen Dynasty (~600 A.D.). (Ruan means a musical instrument)

Hometown: Chen Liu town in Kaifeng Province

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