There were thousands of clan names in use among both commoners and the aristocracy. This is a short list of clan names attested for commoners in the resources I used.
Although name endings like no Ason, no Omi, and no Muraji are the sign of an aristocratic clan name, the people who bore these names were not all aristocrats. The expansive nature of Japanese clans meant that while an aristocratic clan would be run by a family related by blood, it could also include servants and hangers-on, who would pass on their clan membership to their descendants regardless of their descendants’ relationship to the main family.
The name ending no Kimi is a marker of aristocracy that was obsolete after 684 CE. Although I haven’t found an explanation for the persistence of no Kimi after 684, the likeliest explanation is that clans that weren’t given aristocratic status in the new system kept their obsolete titles as proof of their former status.
Updated August 29, 2024.
| Modern Reading | Nara-Period Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| Ahenoisobe | Apenoisobe |
| Anahobe | Anapobe |
| Ayabito | Ayabito |
| Heki no Kimi, Hioki no Kimi | Peki no Kimi, Pioki no Kimi |
| Hekibe, Hiokibe | Pekibe, Piokibe |
| Hozumibe | Pozumibe |
| Idewa | Idewa |
| Ioi | Ioi |
| Iokibe | Iokibe |
| Iokibe no Kimi | Iokibe no Kimi |
| Izumobe | Izumobe |
| Kanimibe | Kanimibe |
| Kasukabe | Kasukabe |
| Katari no Omi | Katari no Omi |
| Kataribe | Kataribe |
| Katsube | Katube |
| Katsunobe | Katunobe |
| Ki no Ason | Ki no Ason |
| Kibibe | Kibibe |
| Koso no Ason | Koso no Ason |
| Kurusu no Kimi | Kurusu no Kimi |
| Minobe | Minobe |
| Mononobe | Mononobe |
| Mutobe | Mutobe |
| Nakatomibe | Nakatomibe |
| Oharida no Taima no Ason | Oparida no Taima no Ason |
| Osada | Osada |
| Owari no Muraji | Owari no Muraji |
| Shitoribe | Sitoribe |
| Takumi no Kimi | Takumi no Kimi |
| Toneri | Toneri |
| Toneribe | Toneribe |
| Torikaibe | Torikaibe |
| Tsushima no Muraji | Tusima no Muraji |
| Uehara no Obito | Uepara no Obito |
| Urabe | Urabe |
| Yamabe | Yamabe |
| Yamashiro | Yamasiro |
| Yatabe no Kimi | Yatabe no Kimi |
| Yazume no Sukune | Yazume no Sukune |
Sources
Tagomoro Hiroshi. “Women’s names in Ancient ‘Izumo-no-kuni’ | 古代出雲国の女性名について.” Published on 3-31-2015 in 島大言語文化 : 島根大学法文学部紀要言語文化学科編.
Takeuchi Rizō, “Documents of Local Administration in the Nara Period: The Household Registers and the Tax Registers“, Forewords, translation and notes by Maria Chiara Migliore, in Nino Forte, ed., Tang China and Beyond. Kyoto, Italian School of East Asian Studies, pp. 125-161.
“Chapter 1: Primitive and ancient shrine gates | 第一章 原始・古代の神門” Local History Shinmon Editorial Committee, eds., Local History: Shinmon | 郷土誌 神門. Izumo: Local History Shinmon Publishing Committee, 1997. Accessed on August 28, 2024.
“Kurusuta Village’s Family Register and Minobe Maime-san | 栗栖太里戸籍と三野部麻衣売さん.” History of Minenobe Series, No. 12 | 見延の歴史シリーズ No.12. Accessed on August 28, 2024.