The lu Surname
lu Name Meaning and History
- Chinese
: from the name of the ancient state of Lu,
in present-day Henan province. This is one of the oldest Chinese
surnames, going back well over 4000 years to an adviser of the
founding emperor of the Xia dynasty, Yu (2205–2198 bc). The
adviser was enfeoffed with the state of Lu, and the family held it
throughout the Xia, Shang, and Western Zhou dynasties, eventually
adopting the name of the state, Lu, as their surname. - Chinese
: from area called Lu, in present-day Shandong
province. During the Warring States period (403–221 bc), a
descendant of previous dukes of the state of Qi became the high
counselor of that state, and was granted the area of Lu. His descendants later adopted the place name Lu as their surname. - Chinese
: from the name of the city of Lu in the state
of Qi. During the Zhou dynasty (1122–221 bc). The youngest
son of a duke of Qi was granted the city of Lu, and his descendants
adopted the place name Lu as their surname. - Chinese
: from the name of a different state of Lu, a large area
covering parts of present-day Anhui, Jiangsu, and Shandong
provinces. This was granted to Zhou Gong, Duke of Zhou, a famous
figure in Chinese history, as he was revered by Confucius as the
prototypical good adviser. The fourth son of Wen Wang, Zhou Gong was
the younger brother and chief adviser of Wu Wang, the founder of the
Zhou dynasty. After Wu Wang died in 1116 bc, his 13-year old
son succeeded him, but actual power was held by Zhou Gong, acting as
regent. Zhou Gong’s descendants later adopted the name of the state as
their surname. - Chinese
: from the name of the
Lushui river. The characters for the river name contained a written
component meaning ‘water’; this component was dropped, leaving only
the current character for Lu, which means ‘street’. - Chinese
: from the name of an area known as Wulu ‘Five
Deer’, which was granted to a senior adviser of the state of Wei.
His descendants adopted Lu as their surname.
Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4
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The lu name in History
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