Northern Wei ordered Xianbei family names that were two-to-three syllables to be shortened to one-to-two syllables, converting them to Han names. Later historians, including Wei Shou, the author of the official history of Northern Wei, Book of Wei, found shortened Han-style names to be easier to write about, and therefore used post-496 family names even where pre-496 events involving Northern Wei were described. Later, after the division of Northern Wei into two in 534, the paramount general of Western Wei, Yuwen Tai, tried to reverse these name changes and restore Xianbei names.
Northern Wei mandated that Xianbei family names with two or three syllables be shortened to one or two syllables, converting them into Han-style names. Later historians, including Wei Shou, who authored the official history of Northern Wei, Book of Wei, found these shorter Han-style names more convenient for writing about and thus continued using post-496 family names even when recounting pre-496 events involving Northern Wei. After the division of Northern Wei into two in 534, Yuwen Tai sought to revert these name changes by reinstating Xianbei names.