The Lu Family#

Surname: Lu, pronounced as “lù”.

Regions where the Lu surname is found**#

• Daming County, Hebei Province
• Xiangcheng County, Henan Province
• Kaifeng, Henan Province
• Luoyang City, Henan Province

Origin of the Lu surname**#

The Lu surname ranks 151st among the most common surnames in China, with a relatively large population, accounting for approximately 0.07% of the total Han population in the country.

Origins of the Lu surname: There are seven theories regarding the origin of the Lu surname:

1. From the Ji surname: Descendants of the Yellow Emperor. According to the “Stele of Lu Gong, Governor of Taiyuan during the Tang Dynasty” and the “New Book of Tang: Genealogy of Prime Ministers”, the grandson of the Yellow Emperor, Di Ku, was granted the fief of “Lu Zhong” for his contributions. His descendants adopted this place name as their surname.
2. From the Jiang surname: Descendants of the Yan Emperor. According to the “Yuanhe Xing Zuan”, the Yellow Emperor granted a fief to one of the sons of the Yan Emperor in the Lü area (around present-day Changzhi, Shanxi Province). During the Spring and Autumn period, a descendant named Lü Ziyin adopted this fief as his surname, later simplifying it to “Lu” by removing the three water characters.
3. From the Lu surname: Descendants of Lu Zhong (also a descendant of the Yellow Emperor). According to the “Kunxue Jiwén” and “Xing Kao”, Lu Zhong, a grandson of the Yellow Emperor, had a son named Qiu Yan (also known as Hui Zi) who was granted the fief of Lu. His descendants took this name as their surname.
4. Derived from a county name: The name “Lu” originally meant a river; later it became the name of a county (located about eight miles east of present-day Tongxian, Beijing). Residents of this county adopted the county name as their surname.
5. From the Kui surname: Descendants of the Yan Emperor. The Yellow Emperor granted a fief to a descendant of the Yan Emperor in the Lü area (around present-day Lucheng, Shanxi Province). During the Spring and Autumn period, these people were known as the Lü clan. After their state was conquered by the Jin dynasty, their descendants adopted the state name as their surname.
6. From other ethnic groups: According to the “Wei Shu: Official Genealogies”, the Lu Zhen clan of the Northern Wei dynasty changed their surname to Lu. This surname is also found among the Manchu, Dong, and Jingpo ethnic groups today.
7. From the Southern Song royal family: In 1126 (the first year of the Jingkang era), when the Jin army besieged Bianjing, Emperor Gaozong of Song, Zhao Gou, pretended to be mute and used “Lu” as his surname. His descendants split into the Zhao and Lu clans.

Ancestor of the surname:
Xuan Yuan. A son of the Yellow Emperor named Xuan Xiao, Xuan Xiao had a son named Di Ku, who in turn had a son named Xuan Yuan. During the reign of Emperor Yao of Tang, Xuan Yuan was granted the title of Marquis of Lu Zhong for his services. His descendants adopted “Lu” as their surname, and Xuan Yuan is revered as the ancestor of the Lu surname.

Migration and distribution: The Lu surname has a complex history. During the Han dynasty, it was already well-established in many regions. For example, people with the surname Lu lived in Julu Dongli (southwest of present-day Pingxiang, Hebei), Yuyang (present-day Miyun, Beijing), Shu Jun (present-day Chengdu, Sichuan), Chenliu (present-day Kaifeng, Henan), and Taiyuan (present-day Shanxi). During the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Lu surname continued to thrive, with five major branches emerging in Henan: Xiangcheng, Chenliu, Henan, Neihuang, and Yingchuan. The Lu surname also became prevalent in Hebei, Beijing, Henan, and Shanxi, and even spread to Sichuan. In the Song dynasty, the Lu surname flourished in these regions, with many notable individuals emerging. Social upheaval led to many Lu people migrating south to Jiangnan, where a new branch, the Dongyang branch, formed in present-day Jinhua, Zhejiang. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the Lu surname continued to grow, with significant presence in regions such as Hebei, Shanxi, Anhui, and Henan. Many Lu people moved to other parts of China for various reasons, and by the Qing dynasty, the surname was spread throughout the country.

Notable individuals with the Lu surname:

• Lu Gao: A painter from Bingzhou (present-day Taiyuan, Shanxi) who was skilled in painting camels. His works were highly regarded during the Song dynasty.
• Lu Shuyuan: A woman from Danyang Jiankang (present-day Nanjing, Jiangsu) who was selected to enter the imperial harem during the Southern Song dynasty. She gave birth to Liu Jun (Emperor Xiaowu), who later honored her as Empress Dowager.
• Lu Jingchun: A scholar from Linqing during the Tang dynasty who devoted himself to learning and did not leave his home for three years after his parents' death. He became a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) and later compiled books on surnames and etiquette.

The Lu surname remains one of the most common surnames in China, with a population of about 0.07% of the total Han population.