honan

name

1. (alt-of, alternative, dated)Alternative form of Henan, in its various senses.

   “THe fifth Province of Honan, hath receiv'd its Name from the Situation of the place, for Honan ſignifies The South ſide of a River ; for it lies on the South Shore of the Yellow River, which flowing from Eaſt to Weſt, ſeparates it from the Province of Xanſi and Peking, though to the Eaſt, toward the ſide of Peking it hath ſome Towns.”

   “The Province of Honan, by the Chineſes thought to lie in the middle of the World, becauſe it lies in the midſt of China ; it is divided into nine Territories or Countries, having one hundred and eight Cities.”

   “Ju is an imperial ware of the Sung Dynasty, that takes its name from the district in Honan where it was first developed; the kiln site has not yet been firmly identified. The ware is generally believed to have been made for the Northern Sung court only from A.D. 1107 to 1127, the latter date coinciding with the enforced withdrawal of the court to Hang-chou in the south, as the result of the Chin Tartar invasion from the north.”

2. A surname from Irish.