Liu

Liu
Liu surname in regular script
Pronunciation	Liú (Pinyin) Lâu (Pe̍h-ōe-jī)
Language(s)	Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese
Origin
Language(s)	Old Chinese
Derivation	Surname of the Han Dynasty's ruling family
Other names
Variant(s)	Liu (Mandarin) Liew, Lieu (Hakka) Lau, Lao, Lowe(Cantonese, Hokkien, Teochew) Lưu (Vietnamese) Yoo (Korean)
See also	Yoo (Korean name)

劉(Lao, Lau, Low, Lauv, Liew, Liu, Loo, Lowe, Liou or Yu) is a common Chinese family name. The Liu as transcribed in English can represent several different surnames written in different Chinese characters:

• 劉 / 刘, pinyin: Liú. A very common surname, as it was the family name of Han Dynasty emperors.
• 柳 pinyin: Liǔ in mandarin, Lau : Cantonese
• 留 pinyin: Liú in mandarin, Lau : Cantonese
• 六 pinyin: Liù in mandarin, Lyuk : Cantonese
• 廖 Cantonese pinyin: Liu 6, Mandarin : Liao, Wu

In Cantonese transliteration, 刘/劉 (Liú) is Lau, Lao is also transliteration of 刘/劉 in Min Nan and Taiwanese Minnan Chinese language, whilst Liu is a different surname, 廖, pinyin: Liào, (Liêu in Vietnamese).

In Teochew, 刘/劉 is usually romanized as Lau, Low or Lao; 柳 is written as Lew; and 廖 is romanized as Leow or Liau.

In Hakka, 刘/劉 is most commonly transliterated as Liew while 廖 is written as Liau or Liaw. The other variants of the romanised surname Liu, i.e. 柳, 留 and 六, are uncommon among speakers of Hakka.

In Vietnamese, the name can either take the form Liễu (in northern regions), corresponding to 柳 in Chinese, or Lưu (in central or southern regions), corresponding to 刘/劉 or 留 in Chinese. The family name 六 is Lục in Vietnamese. A few having Vietnamese-Chinese descent use the family name Lao while Indonesian-Chinese descent Latinise it according to Dutch pronunciation as Lauw.

Origin of Liu

劉 or 刘 (Liu, Lao, Lau, Low, Lowe, Lauv, Ryu, Yu, Yoo)

• from Qi (祁) clan of Emperor Yao
• from King Wen of Zhou of Zhou Dynasty
• from Liu Bang who founded the Han Dynasty
• from Xiang Chan of post Chu (state) who was granted the imperial family name of Liu.
• from Liu Yuan of Han Zhao
• from Dugu (獨孤) family of Northern Wei
• from Liu Zhiyuan of Later Han Dynasty

留 (Liu, Lau, Low, Lauv, Yu)

• from Emperor Yao
• from Zheng (state) in Zhou Dynasty
• from Liu (劉) family of Liu Song Dynasty
• from Miao (people)
• from ethnic groups in China

柳 (Liu, Lew, Lao, Ryu, Yu)

• from Lu (state) of Zhou Dynasty
• from post Chu (state)
• from Miao (people)
• from ethnic groups in China

廖 (Liao, Liu, Leow, Liau, Yu)

• from Zhou Dynasty
• from Zhu Rong
• from Miao (people)
• from ethnic groups in China

Prominent people with the family name 刘 / 劉 (Liú, Lao or Lau)

Historical

• The following dynasties were controlled by Liu ruling families:
  • the Han Dynasty, founded by Liu Bang
  • the Shu Kingdom in the Period of the Three Kingdoms, founded by Liu Bei (161 - 223)
  • the Xiongnu Han Zhao and the Tiefu Xia kingdoms in the Period of the Sixteen Kingdoms
  • the Liu Song Dynasty of the Southern Dynasties period, founded by Liu Yu
  • the Southern Han of the Period of the Five Dynasties and the Ten Kingdoms, founded by Liu Yan
  • the Later Han Dynasty of the Period of the Five Dynasties and the Ten Kingdoms, founded by Liu Zhiyuan
  • the Northern Han kingdom following the Later Han, founded by Liu Chong.
• Liu Ji, military strategist, statesman and prophet
• Liu Bin-Di, Chinese Muslim intelligence officer
• Liu Shifu, Chinese revolutionary and anarchist

Contemporary

• Anthony Liu, figure skater
• Evelyn Lau, writer
• Cecilia Liu, Chinese actress
• John Liu, New York City Comptroller
• Sidney Lau, Hong Kong linguist
• Liu Fang, Chinese Pipa and Guzheng player
• Laurin Liu (born 1990), Canadian politician
• Lucy Liu (born 1968), American actress
• Prudence Liew, singer and actress
• René Liu, singer and actress
• Rex Liu, British-Canadian classical bassoonist
• Will Liu, Taiwanese singer
• Henry Lau, Chinese-Canadian singer, member of Super Junior-M
• Yang Liu, classical violinist
• Alicia Liu, Taiwanese model
• Liu Bocheng, PRC military commander
• Liu Chia-Liang (Lau Kar-Leung), actor, choreographer and director
• Liu Dalin, sexologist
• Amber Liu, Chinese-American member of f(x)
• Andy Lau, actor, singer
• Andrew Lau, filmmaker and actor
• Liu Binyan, dissident
• Liu Boming (astronaut)
• Liu Chao-shiuan, Kuomintang politician
• Liu Chengjun (general)
• Liu Fuzhi, PRC politician
• Liu Guoliang, table tennis player
• Liu Heng, writer
• Liu Huan, singer
• Liu Huaqing (1916–2011), PRC politician
• Liu Hui, mathematician
• Liu Jing (politician)
• Liu Kang (artist)
• Liu Qi (Chinese politician), Beijing Olympics organizer
• Liu Qi-Chao, jazz musician
• Liu Shaoqi, PRC politician
• Liu Shilan, a Woman Grandmaster (WGM) in chess
• Liu Sola, singer, composer, and writer
• Liu Tianhua, composer and musician
• Liu Wei (artist)
• Liu Wen, fashion model
• Liu Wenhui, warlord
• Liu Wenjing, one of the advisors of Tang Gaozu
• Liu Xiang, Olympic winner and World Record holder
• Liu Xiang (warlord)
• Liu Xiaobo, PRC dissident and Nobel Peace Prize laureate
• Liu Xiaoqing, actress
• Liu Yalou, general
• Liu Yang, astronaut, first female Chinese taikonaut ^[1]
• Liu Yifei, singer/actress
• Tats Lau, Hong Kong actor and musician
• Lau Wan Kit, Hong Kong comic artist
• Liu Wenhui, warlord and PRC politician
• Liu Ye, Chinese actor
• Liu Yunpeng, Chinese high jumper
• Liu Zhijun, PRC politician
• Alan Lowe, Canadian architect & politician, former mayor of Victoria, BC, Canada

Prominent people with family name 柳 (Liǔ)

• Liu Gongquan, a poet and calligrapher
• Liu Zongyuan, a poet during Tang Dynasty
• Liu Yizheng, modern historian

Liu-Imperial Surname of China(刘）

References

External links

• Chinese surname history: Liu

See also

• All pages beginning with "Liu"