# Bai (surname)

Bái is the pinyin of the surname 白, meaning the colour white.

## Origin
### Han Chinese origins

* a surname used by descendants of Bai Fu (白阜), a minister of the legendary Emperor Yan.
* a surname used by descendants of Baigong Sheng [zh], the son of a crown prince and grandson of King Ping of the State of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period.
* a surname used by the descendants of a prince named Bai [zh], son of Duke Wu of the state of Qin.
* a surname used by descendants of Baiyi Bing [zh], a general under Duke Mu of Qin.
* a surname used by residents of the Tang dynasty province Baizhou (白州).

### Other ethnic origins

* a surname used by the Mongols, a translation of the surname Chagan (Mongolian: ᠴᠠᠭᠠᠨ, romanized: Chaɣan, lit. 'white'), possibly derived from Bayads, Borjigits, or Borjigins.
* a surname used by the Manchus of Nara, Gūwalgiya, Irgen Gioro and Bayara Gioro (a branch of Aisin Gioro).
* during the ancient Tang dynasty in modern-day Yunnan, 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 (or Qiuci). Kucha was an ancient country located in current Xinjiang province of China.

## Alternate spellings

* Mandarin: Bái, Pai
* Taiwan: Pai
* Cantonese (Hong Kong and Macao): Baak$^6$, Pak
* Min Nan (Hokkien (Fujian)/Teochew): Pe̍h, Pe̍k, Peh
* Vietnamese: Bạch
* Korean: Paik, Baik, Baek, Baeg (백), based on the same Chinese letter 白
* Japanese: 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 (白曉燕, 1980–1997), Taiwanese teenage idol and victim of a fatal kidnapping
* Pai Hsien-yung (白先勇, 1937-), Chinese Muslim writer
* Bai Jie (白洁, 1972-), Chinese female footballer
* Bai Jing (白静, 1983–2012), Chinese actress
* Bai Juyi (白居易, 772–846), Tang dynasty poet
* Pai Kun-Hong (白昆弘, 1970-), Taiwanese baseball player
* Bai Ling (白灵, 1966-), Chinese-born American actress
* Bai Qi (白起, died 257 BC), Qin general of the Warring States period
* Bai Renfu (白仁甫, 1226–1306), Yuan dynasty playwright
* Bai Shouyi (白寿彝, 1909–2000) (Arabic name: Djamal al-Din Bai Shouyi) Chinese Muslim historian
* Bai Shuxiang (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 (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 (白敬亭, 1993) Chinese Actor
* Peh Thian Hui (白添辉), Singaporean convicted rapist
* Fan Bai, researcher and engineer

### 柏 Bǎi

* 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 Bài

* Pai Tzu-li, (拜自立) Chinese Muslim General of the Republic of China

### As part of a stagename/pseudonym

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

### Korean

* Helen Pai, American television writer, director, and producer