Last name origin & meaning: Japanese: meaning ‘source’, ‘origin’. With the Fujiwara and
Taira, this is one of the three most prominent clans in
Japanese history. It is listed in the Shinsen shōjiroku. The name
itself is not common today, as most of the descendant families have
taken other surnames, usually from their places of residence. In 814,
the Emperor Saga created the surname for those of his children who
were to become commoners. Later emperors did likewise, so the various
branches of the clan were distinguished by the names of their
parent-emperors. The Minamoto are also commonly called Genji,
from the Sino-Japanese pronunciation of minamoto plus the word
for clan.
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