We identified pathogenic and likely pathogenic variants in 15 of 63 (23.8%) families in the known epilepsy genes including SCN1A, CDKL5, STXBP1, CHD2, SCN3A, SCN9A, TSC2, MBD5, POLG and EFHC1. More importantly, we identified likely pathogenic variants in several novel candidate genes such as GABRE, MYH1, and CLCN6. Our results support the application of custom-designed NGS panel in epilepsy clinic and indicate that genetic susceptibility for epilepsy is highly conserved between Chinese and Caucasian population. Here, STXBP1 is linked to epilepsy.