Numerical names were commonly adopted by people in ancient times. In Song and Yuan dynasties, for instance, numerical names were used as official names by the general public. These numerical names gave rise to a new structure in southern China, i.e. numbers that had been used as counting units were adopted to indicate seniority. This is a unique phenomenon in southern China where such usage was fairly common. Subsequently, though, numerical names gradually became less common in Ming and Qing dynasties. By contrast, numerical names were far less common in northern China in Song and Yuan dynasties. The numbers in numerical names were used as general numbers but very rarely as counting units indicating seniority. This north-south divide is the result of clan consciousness in the southern society. Specifically, familial structures in northern China were mostly of smaller scale due to warfare and underdeveloped tenancy system. Given this relatively weaker clan consciousness, clan organizations were therefore not prevalently formed and these factors were reflected in the different naming structure characteristics than the south. A further reason of the general public using numerical names may be attributed to their relatively lower degree of cultural emersion and fewer demands for participating in social activities.
numerical names, familial succession order, seniority, southern China, northern China
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