Irgen Gioro

The origin of Irgen Gioro does not have a decisive conclusion. A shared anecdote across Gioro clan stated that the ancestors of Irgen Gioro were allegedly the captive emperors Huizong and Qinzong and later assimilated by the Jurchens.^[11][12] The Manchu emperors had also bestowed their family name to the founding ministers or generals who rendered outstanding service to the empire.^[13] In order to differentiate from Aisin Gioro the Manchu imperial family,^[14] Irgen was added as a prefixed clan name with the implication of "regular tribesmen" or "non-imperial clansmen".^[15][16]

At the early period of Manchu Empire, Irgen Gioro were recorded as 340 households.^[17] They mainly distributed in Muki, Yehe, Giyamuhu, Hingkan, Sarhū, Hunehe, Yarhū, Girin Ula, Sunggari Ula, Akūli, Fe Ala, Hada, and various other areas across Manchuria.^[18] The whole clan had many famous hereditary noblemen in the empire, prime examples are Viscounts Asan and Arjin of Muki; Viscount Turusi and Baron Fiyangū of Yehe.^[19] Among these noble Irgen Gioro families, Muki family (also known as Muki Gioro)^[20] was particularly considered as the most politically influential one because of their important contribution to the Manchu Empire's founding.^[21] Irgen Gioro also earned numerous titles of minor nobility and 40 hereditary peers as nirui janggin ^[22] in Banner Armies.^[23]

There were few instance of name change of the clan (e.g. The Manchu clan of Bayara, Donggo, Laibu, Monggero, and Siburu came from the Irgen Gioro who settled in these places.) at the early Qing Dynasty because of migration.^[24] Due to the adoption of Chinese culture during the mid to late Qing dynasty, most of Irgen Gioro chose Zhao (Chinese: 趙；Manchu: ᠵᠣᡠ, Möllendorff: Joo)^[25], the first surname in the famous Hundred Family Surnames, as their Sino family name. It was according to the Mandarin homophone of Gioro and the anecdotal House of Zhao origin.^[26][27][28] Other utilization of Sino family names, such as Tong, Gu, Yi, Sa (薩), Gong, Zhao (兆), Cao, Bao, Zhe (哲), Xi, Yu, Ge, Ma, Gao, Hu, Bai, and Chen, are also reported.^[29]

Due to the variety of its origins, C-TYT61432,^[30]C-M504,^[31] and O-CTS723^[31] have been reported as Irgen Gioro's Y-chromosome DNA haplogroups in modern research samples, which are not closely associated with the most likely candidate haplogroup of the House of Zhao (Q-MF10603).^[32] In fact, the current Irgen Gioro samples, for example C-F3830, an upper-clade of C-TYT61432, is typically Northeast Asia originated and considered as a haplogroup which made important genetic contributions to modern Mongolic- and Manchu-Tungusic speaking populations by molecular anthropologists.^[33]

• Gioro clan
• Manchu people
• Manchu name
• List of Manchu clans