The Luo Clan#

Surname: Luo, pronounced as “luò”

Distribution of the Luo Clan#

Northern Henan, Suzhou, Jiangsu

Origin of the Luo Clan#

The Luo Clan ranks 132nd among the most common surnames in China, with a relatively large population, accounting for approximately 0.1% of the Han Chinese population nationwide.

Origins of the Surname “Luo”:

1. Derived from the Jiang surname: According to “Xing Pu” and “Yuan He Xing Zuan,” a descendant of Jiang Taigong was named Luo, and his descendants adopted his name as their surname.
2. Derived from the Ying surname: As recorded in “Shi Ji,” a great-grandson of E Lai Ge was named Da Luo, and his descendants also took his name.
3. Descendants of Wang Sun Luo, a minister of the State of Zheng during the Spring and Autumn period:
4. **According to “Shi Ji · Dong Yue Lie Zhuan,” the King of Yue by the East Sea, Yao, had the surname Zou (which can also be written as Luo). Some claim that the Luo surname originated from a descendant of Xia Yu named Shao Kang.
5. Surnames changed from other ethnic groups: For example, according to “Wei Shu · Guan Shi Zhi,” the Ta Luo Ba surname of the Northern Wei Dynasty was later changed to Luo; during the Tang Dynasty, people from the Tuyuhun tribe also adopted the Luo surname; the ancestor of Luo Yuan Guang was from the Parthian region and was adopted by Luo Fengxian, adopting the Luo surname; during the Jin Dynasty, the Manchu Saka Da and Du Ding surnames were changed to Luo; today, the Luo surname can also be found among the Manchu, Buyi, and Tujia ethnic groups.

Ancestor of the Surname:
Jiang Taigong, whose given name was Shang and courtesy name was Ziya. He is also known as Lü Shang or Lü Wang, and was titled Taigong Wang. A renowned military strategist and statesman at the end of the Shang Dynasty and the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty, he helped King Wen of Zhou overthrow King Zhou of Shang and was one of the founding heroes of the Zhou Dynasty. After King Cheng of Zhou ascended the throne, Jiang Taigong was enfeoffed in Qi and established his capital in Yingqiu (present-day Zibo, Shandong), granting him the authority to conquer the five marquises and nine dukes. A descendant of Jiang Taigong named Luo adopted his name as their surname. Due to Jiang Taigong’s extraordinary achievements and wisdom, his descendants honored him as the ancestor of the Luo surname.

Spread and Migration of the Luo Clan:
The Luo Clan originated in the state of Qi, which is now in Shandong. Yingqiu, the capital of Qi, was the earliest center of the clan’s expansion. Over time, as times changed, the Luo Clan migrated to the south of the Yangtze River. Some theories suggest that the Luo Clan in the south descended from Jiang Taigong or King Goujian of Yue, who traced his lineage back to Shao Kang, a descendant of Xia Yu. The Luo Clan was not recorded in historical records before the Qin and Han dynasties. During the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties, there were Luo individuals in Shaanxi (north) and Zhejiang (south). The chaos of the Yongjia Rebellion and the invasion by the Five Barbarians led to widespread displacement; many people sought a peaceful place to settle down. The Luo Clan, along with other noble families, migrated south to Zhejiang, where they mixed with the existing Luo population in Kuaiji. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the Luo Clan thrived in Luoyang and Neihuang, Shandong, and gradually spread to other regions. In the Song and Yuan dynasties, they became a prominent surname in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and later migrated to Fujian and Guangdong. During the Ming Dynasty, the Luo Clan from Shanxi was relocated to various places, including Zhejiang, Henan, and Beijing. In the Qing Dynasty, Manchu people with Saka Da surnames adopted the Luo surname. Today, the Luo Clan is widely distributed across China, with a high concentration in Guangdong, Guizhou, and Beijing, accounting for about 60% of the Han Chinese Luo population nationwide.

Notable Figures with the Luo Surname:
Luo Binwang: A literary figure from Yiwu, Wuzhou (now in Zhejiang), who served as an imperial censor during the Tang Dynasty. He was imprisoned for a certain reason but was later released and appointed as the magistrate of Linhai. When Xu Jingye raised an army against Empress Wu Zetian, Luo Binwang wrote an influential proclamation that greatly impressed Wu Zetian. After Xu’s defeat, Luo Binwang’s fate is unknown. His poetry is known for its length and emotional depth, and he is considered one of the Four Great Poets of the Early Tang Dynasty. His works are collected in “Luo Lin Hai Quan Ji.”