Lu (surname 路)

Lù (路)
Pronunciation Lù (Mandarin)
Lo (Cantonese)
Language(s) Chinese
Origin
Language(s) Old Chinese
Word/Name Lushi state
Meaning "road"

Lu (Chinese: 路; pinyin: Lù) is a Chinese surname. It is also spelled Lo according to the Cantonese pronunciation. Lu 路 is listed 138th in the Song Dynasty classic text Hundred Family Surnames.[1] Lu 路 is the 116th most common surname in China, with a total population of 2.35 million.[2]

Demographics and distribution

As of 2013, Lu 路 is the 116th most common surname in China, shared by 2.35 million people, or 0.18% of the Chinese population. It is distributed widely across China, but the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Anhui, and Henan have especially high concentrations of the surname; the four provinces account for 70% of the total population with the surname.[2]

Origins

According to the ninth-century Tang Dynasty text Yuanhe Xing Zuan, the Lu 路 surname originated from the Red Di state of Lushi (潞氏 or 路氏), also called Lu, which was named after the river Lu (present-day Zhuozhang River, a tributary of the Zhang River). In 594 BC Lushi was conquered by Duke Jing, the ruler of the State of Jin, a major power of the Spring and Autumn period. The people of Lu/Lushi subsequently adopted Lu 路 as their surname.[2][3][4]

Another origin of Lu 路 is the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046–771 BC) government office of luzheng (路正), which was responsible for the management of roads and transportation (Lu 路 means road in Chinese). Some descendants of people who held the office adopted Lu as their surname.[2]

A third, legendary origin of Lu 路 is from Xuanyuan (玄元), a son of Emperor Zhi and grandson of Emperor Ku. He was enfeoffed as Marquis of Luzhong (路中侯) by Emperor Yao, and his descendants adopted Lu (from Luzhong) as their surname.[4]

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 Moluzhen (没路真) tribe of Xianbei adopted Lu 路 as their surname.[2]

Some of the Dong people, an ethnic minority group of China, have also adopted Lu 路 as their surname.[2]

Notable people

References

  1. ↑ "百家姓" [Hundred Family Surnames] (in Chinese). Guoxue. Retrieved 2014-02-05.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 伏波将军路博德和路姓 [General Lu Bode and the Lu surname] (in Chinese). Jieyang Daily. 2013-09-02. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
  3. ↑ 路姓起源 [Origin of the Lu surname] (in Chinese). Government of Henan. 2012-03-06. Retrieved 2014-02-05.
  4. 1 2 路姓起源,名人及家谱 [Origin and famous people of the Lu surname] (in Chinese). Shangdu. 2008-07-17. Retrieved 2014-02-05.
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