Ying was one of the "Eight Great Xings of High Antiquity" (上古八大姓), along with Jī (姬), Yáo (姚), Sì (姒), Yún (妘), Gui (媯) and Rèn (妊), though some sources quote Jí (姞) as the last one instead of Rèn.
Of these xings, only Jiang and Yao have survived in their original form to modern days as frequently occurring surnames, while Ji can still be seen occasionally.
Boyi (伯益) was in charge of flood control and got the surname Yíng (嬴), which means 'bountiful,' in the early Xia dynasty.
Feilian (蜚廉) of the Yíng (皋) family was the General and feudal lord under King Zhou of Shang.
It merged into the territory of the Xiongnu, after the fall of the Qin dynasty; although citizens of the Yíng family remained in Longxi of Gansu.