Lu (surname 卢)

For other Chinese surnames also romanized as "Lu", see Lu (surname).
Lu (卢/盧)
Pronunciation Lú (Mandarin)
Lo (Cantonese)
Language(s) Chinese
Origin
Language(s) Old Chinese
Word/Name City of Lu, State of Qi
Other names
Derivative(s) Lư/Lô (Vietnamese)
Roh/Noh/Ro/No (Korean)

Lú is the pinyin romanization of the Chinese surname written 卢 in simplified character and 盧 in traditional character. It is also spelled Lo according to the Cantonese pronunciation. Lu 卢 is the 52nd most common surname in China,[1] shared by 5.6 million people, or 0.475% of the Chinese population as of 2002.[2] It is especially common in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, and Hebei provinces.[2] Lu 卢 is listed 167th in the Song Dynasty classic text Hundred Family Surnames.[3]

Origins

According to the Tang Dynasty genealogy text Yuanhe Xing Zuan, the surname Lu 卢 originated in the State of Qi during the Spring and Autumn period, and descended from Gao Xi (高傒). Gao Xi was the grandson of Prince Gao, who was a son of Duke Wen of Qi (reigned 815–804 BC) and a descendant of Lü Shang, the founder of Qi. When the Qi ruler Wuzhi was murdered in 685 BC, Gao Xi, then prime minister of Qi, helped to install Prince Xiaobai on the throne, to be known as Duke Huan of Qi, one of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn period.[4][5][6] In gratitude, Duke Huan enfeoffed Gao Xi at the city of Lu 卢 (in modern Changqing District, Shandong province), and many of Gao's descendants adopted Lu 卢 as their surname. This is the main origin of the surname, and Gao Xi is regarded as the founding ancestor of the Lu 卢 surname.[4][6]

According to the Song Dynasty encyclopedia Tongzhi (通志), there was a second source of the Lu 卢 surname from the State of Qi. A branch of Duke Huan of Qi's descendants had the surname Lupu (卢蒲), which was later shortened to Lu.[4][5]

A separate source of Lu was the minor state of Luzi 庐子 or Lu 庐 (in modern Anhui province) during the Spring and Autumn period. The descendants of Jili (戢黎), a nobleman of Lu, adopted the name of their state as their surname. Lu 庐 was later simplified to Lu 卢.[4][5]

Later adoption

During the Xianbei Northern Wei dynasty, Emperor Xiaowen (reigned 467–499 AD) implemented a drastic policy of sinicization, ordering his own people to adopt Chinese surnames. The Tufulu (吐伏卢) and Molu (莫卢) clans of Xianbei adopted Lu as their surname. The Xianbei people have since completely assimilated into the Han Chinese.[4][5]

According to the Book of Sui, Zhangchou Taiyi (章仇太翼), a native of Hejian Commandery (in modern Cangzhou, Hebei) was a famous scholar of the time. Emperor Yang of Sui granted him the surname Lu 卢. Zhangchou subsequently became known as Lu Taiyi, and was the ancestor of the prosperous Hejian Lu clan.[4]

Fanyang Lu clan

In the fourth century BC, the throne of the Qi state was usurped by the Tian clan. Many aristocratic clans that descended from the old ruling house of Jiang, including Lu, fled the state and dispersed all over China.[4] During the Qin Dynasty, the erudite Lu Ao (卢敖) settled in Fanyang Commandery (modern Beijing). The Fanyang Lu clan later became exceedingly prosperous. During the Jin Dynasty (265–420), the Fanyang Lu, together with the Cui clan of Boling, Wang of Taiyuan, Zheng of Xingyang, and the Li clan of Zhao, were considered the five most prominent clans in China (海内五大望族).[6] During the Tang Dynasty, eight chancellors were surnamed Lu 卢, including several from Fanyang.[5]

Notable people

References

  1. ↑ 最新版百家姓排行榜出炉：王姓成中国第一大姓 [Latest surname ranking: Wang is the number one surname in China]. Xinhua News Agency (in Chinese). 2013-04-15. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
  2. 1 2 Yuan, Yida; Zhang, Cheng (2002). 中国姓氏: 群体遗传和人口分布 [Chinese surnames: group genetics and distribution of population] (in Chinese). East China Normal University Press. p. 87. ISBN 9787561727690.
  3. ↑ "百家姓" [Hundred Family Surnames] (in Chinese). Guoxue. Retrieved 2014-02-05.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 卢姓起源 [Origin of the Lu surname] (in Chinese). Government of Henan. 2012-12-11. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 卢 [Lu] (in Chinese). Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, Government of Henan. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
  6. 1 2 3 卢姓起源,名人及家谱 [Origin and famous people of the Lu surname] (in Chinese). Shangdu. 2008-07-17. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
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