The Su Clan#

Surname: Su, pronounced as “sū”

Distribution of the Su Clan#

• He Nei County, Henan Province
• ? Xi Fufeng County
• ? Xi Wugong County

Origin of the Su Clan#

The origin of the “Su” surname can be traced back to the following:

1. The “Su” surname originated from the “Ji” surname. It took the name of a former state as its own. According to the “Yuanhe Xing Zuan,” during the reign of King Wu of Zhou, a official named Fen Sheng was granted the state of Su and later moved to Wen, where he was known as Su Fen Sheng. When the state of Su was conquered by the Di tribe during the Spring and Autumn period, his descendants adopted the name of the state as their surname.
2. The Su surname also resulted from the transformation of a Xianbei ethnic clan’s surname. According to the “Wei Shu·Guan Shi Zhi,” during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, a Xianbei clan with the surname “Balaole” moved to Luoyang with Emperor Xiaowen of Wei and later adopted the Han surname “Su.”

Ancestral Founder of the Clan The founding ancestor of the Su clan is Kunwu, whose given name was Fan and courtesy name was Yan. He was a descendant of Zhuanxu and the eldest son of Lu Zhong. Lu Zhong married a woman from the Gui Fang tribe and had six sons, each of whom was granted a fiefdom. Fan was initially granted the fiefdom of Kunwu (located in present-day Xuchang, Henan Province, later moved to present-day Puyang, Henan Province), and later his son was granted the fiefdom of Su. The state of Su was conquered by King Jie of Xia during the Xia dynasty. During the early Zhou dynasty, Fen Sheng, a descendant of Kunwu, was granted the fiefdom of Su due to his contributions. Later, Fen Sheng moved the capital to Wen (southwest of present-day Wen County, Henan Province). When the state of Su was conquered by the Di tribe during the Spring and Autumn period, his descendants adopted the name of the state as their surname and honored Kunwu as their ancestor.

Migration and Distribution The Su clan originated in Wen County, Henan Province. After the Western Zhou dynasty was conquered by the Quanrong tribe and the Zhou emperor moved the capital to Luoyang (known as the Eastern Zhou dynasty), Su clan members who held official positions migrated to Luoyang and became a prominent family there. During the Spring and Autumn period, some Su clan members served under King Zhuang of Chu, leading to the establishment of Su clans in the regions around the Two Lakes (Hubei and Hunan). During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, Su Jian was granted the title of Marquis of Pingling (located in present-day Xianyang, Shaanxi Province) for his contributions in fighting against the Xiongnu. This branch of the Su clan later split into the Fufeng Su, Wugong Su, and Lantian Su clans. At the end of the Han dynasty, due to regional strife, a branch of the Su clan moved from He Nei to Meishan, Sichuan. During the long period of chaos in the north, many Su clan members migrated south to various parts of Jiangnan. The 12th-generation descendant of Su Jian, Su Ze, served as the prime minister of Cao Wei in Dongping (present-day Shandong Province). During the Sui dynasty, Su Wei, an eighth-generation descendant of Su Ze, was appointed as the governor of Guangzhou (present-day Guangshan, Henan Province) for his loyal advice to Emperor Yang of Sui, establishing the Guangzhou-Gushi Su clan. In the early Tang dynasty, Chen Yuan Guang established the city of Zhangzhou in Fujian, and Su clan members also settled there. By the end of the Tang dynasty, Su Wei’s fifth-generation descendant, Su Yi, followed Wang Chao and Wang Shenzhi to Fujian. After Su Yi’s death, he was posthumously honored with the title of General and Marquis of Wu'an and was buried in Tong'an, becoming the ancestor of the Tong'an Su clan in Lushan Hall.

Other Clans Derived from the Su Clan

• Fufeng Su: Originated from a branch that moved from He Nei to Sichuan during the Northern and Southern Dynasties.
• Wugong Su: Originated from a branch that moved from Wen to Sichuan during the same period.
• Lantian Su: Originated from a branch that moved from Wen to Sichuan during the same period.

Notable Figures with the Su Surname

• Su Xun: A prose writer of the Northern Song dynasty, known as one of the “Three Sus” along with his sons Su Shi and Su Zhe. His prose was vigorous and well-written.
• Su Shi: A poet, lyricist, essayist, calligrapher, and painter of the Northern Song dynasty. His poems and essays are highly regarded.
• Su Zhe: A prose writer of the Northern Song dynasty, known for his strategic essays. His achievements in prose, as described by Su Shi, were profound and enduring.
• Su Bu Qing: A famous mathematician from Zhejiang Province.

Hall Names of the Su Clan The main hall names of the Su clan include:

• Lushan Hall: Established during the Northern Song dynasty when Su Song created the world’s first astronomical clock and weather observatory, 600 years before European clockmakers.
• Other hall names include: Zhongxiao Hall, Wugong Hall, Fufeng Hall, Lantian Hall, Luoyang Hall, Baiyu Hall, Luyang Hall, and Meishan Hall.

The Su clan is widely distributed across China, with the largest population in Guangdong Province, accounting for 20% of the total Han Chinese Su clan population. It is the 41st most common surname in China, with a population of about 0