The Zuo Family Name#

Surname: Zuo, Pronunciation: zuǒ

Distribution of the Zuo Family Name#

Jiyang Commandery: During the reign of Emperor Hui of the Jin Dynasty, a portion of Chenliu Commandery was established as Jiyang Commandery. This commandery was abolished after the Jin Dynasty moved south; its former territory is located to the east of present-day Lankao County in Henan Province and to the south of Dongming County in Shandong Province.

Origin of the Zuo Family Name#

The Zuo family name ranks 142nd among Chinese surnames in popularity, with a considerable population, accounting for approximately 0.086% of the total Han population in China.

Origins of the Surname “Zuo”:

1. The surname originated from an official title. For example, during the Zhou Dynasty, there was an official named Zuo Shi. During the reign of King Mu of Zhou, there was Zuo Shi Rongfu, and during the Spring and Autumn period, King Ling of Chu had an official named Zuo Shi Yixiang; both of them were descendants of the Zuo clan.
2. According to “Xing Kao” and “Lü Lan,” there was an ancient state named Zuo, and people from this state adopted the surname Zuo. One theory suggests that Zuo Che was the founder of the Zuo clan.
3. The surname also originated from the Jiang family, as descendants of the noble families of the State of Qi during the Spring and Autumn period. According to “Guang Yun,” the noble families of Qi were divided into the Zuo and You branches; the descendants of the Zuo branch adopted the surname Zuo.
4. The surname could also stem from an official position. During the Spring and Autumn period, many states had officials named Zuo Shi, and their descendants adopted this surname.
5. Some families adopted the Zuo surname after changing from other surnames. For example, during the Ming and Qing dynasties, there were people with the Zuo surname in the Tengyue Ting area of Yongchang Prefecture (now Tengchong) and Menghua Prefecture (now Weishan) in Yunnan, who were of the Yi ethnic group; the Manchu Banners had the surname Hasihu, which was later changed to Zuo; the Yugur people with the surname Chuo Luos also adopted the Chinese surname Zuo; and descendants of Jews who settled in China during the Northern Song Dynasty (mainly in present-day Kaifeng, Henan Province) also have the Zuo surname. Many Yi people in present-day Weishan, Yunnan Province, also bear this surname.

Ancestor of the Surname: Zuo Che, an official from the time of the Yellow Emperor. It is said that he helped the Yellow Emperor cast three cauldrons on the southern slope of Jing Mountain. Unfortunately, the Yellow Emperor passed away on the day the cauldrons were completed. Zuo Che, overcome with grief, used the Yellow Emperor’s clothes and staff for rituals to comfort his spirit. Zuo Che’s actions were highly respected by people, and he is considered the ancestor of the Zuo family.

Migration and Distribution: During the Western Zhou Dynasty, there were officials named Zuo Ru and Zuo Yanfu who served as high-ranking officials in the Zhou court. During the Spring and Autumn period, there were Zuo Ren Ying, Zuo Qiuming, and Zuo Shizhan in the state of Lu; in the state of Yan, there was Zuo Botao. This shows that the Zuo family name was already present in the capitals of Western Zhou (present-day Xi’an, Shaanxi Province), as well as in Lu (southwest of present-day Shandong Province), Jin (area around present-day Shanxi Province), and Yan (northern part of present-day Hebei Province). In the Western Han Dynasty, there were four individuals named Zuo Xian (as recorded in the “Great Dictionary of Chinese Historical Names,” although this may be an error); one of them was Zuo Xian from Langya (around present-day Linyi, Shandong Province), who served as a governor. Another Zuo Xian was granted the title of Marquis of Guannei, and his descendants remained in Chang’an (present-day Xi’an, Shaanxi Province). Additionally, because the wife of the King of Huainan also had the Zuo surname, there were people named Zuo Wu and Zuo Xiu who served the King of Huainan. During this period, the Zuo family name had already settled in the southern part of present-day Anhui Province.

The Zuo family name became more widespread during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Notable individuals from this period include Zuo Sheng and Zuo Xiong, who were from Niyang in Nan Commandery (present-day Zhenping, Henan Province); Zuo Yuan from Chenliu (present-day Kaifeng, Henan Province); Zuo Bo from Donglai (present-day Yexian, Shandong Province); and Zuo Ci from Lujiang (now part of Anhui Province). Two other notable families were related to the princess of Qinghe State (now part of Hebei Province) and the Qianwei family from Jianwei (now part of Sichuan Province). These families made the Zuo surname one of the most prominent in the north during that time. The Zuo family name also spread to other regions, including southern Anhui, Sichuan, and Jiangsu.

Notable People with the Surname Zuo:

• Zuo Qiuming: A person from the state of Lu during the Spring and Autumn period. Although he was blind, he served as the historian of Lu and wrote commentaries on the “Spring and Autumn Annals,” known as the “Zuo Zhuan” (also called “Guoyu”). Scholars believed that Zuo Qiuming shared the same moral principles as the sages, and thus his commentaries on the “Spring and Autumn Annals” are highly respected.
• **Zuo Z