This form represents at least ten different Chinese family names,
as well as a Korean one.Chinese : variant of
Zhu 1.Chinese : from the name of an
adminstrative position during the Spring and Autumn period (722–481
bc). At this time, many dukes of the Zhou dynasty, including
the duke of the state of Song, established a high administrative
position which may be roughly translated as ‘Chu master’. The
descendants of a Song Chu master took this title as their surname.
Additionally, there was an area named Chu during the Zhou dynasty
(1122–221 bc) which lent its name to the people who lived
there.Chinese : variant of Zhu 2.Chinese : variant of Qu 1.Chinese
: from the name of the state of Chu, one of the most
powerful states of the Warring States period (403–221 bc),
adopted as a surname by its ruling class.Chinese
: variant of Ju.Chinese :
variant of Qu 2.Chinese : variant of
Qu 3.Chinese : variant of Zhu 3.Chinese : variant of Zhu 4.Korean: there are two Chinese characters for the Chu surname in
use in Korea. One character has only one clan associated with it (the
Shinan Chu clan), and while some records indicate that the other has
as many as 25, only four can be documented; all of these descended
from a common ancestor, Chu Hwang, who was naturalized in 907. The
Shinan Chu clan is descended from a man named Chu Cham, a direct
descendant of the Chinese philosopher Chu-tze. Chu Cham migrated from
China to Korea some time in the early 13th century. Chu is a fairly
common surname and is found throughout the peninsula.
Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4
55,994
Historical Documents & Family Trees with Chu
The information for this chart came from the U.S. Immigration Collection at Ancestry.com.
You can find out where the majority of the Chu families were living before
they immigrated to the U.S and learn where to focus your search for foreign records.
Immigration records can tell you an ancestor's name, ship name, port of departure,
port of arrival, and destination.
Click on a circle in the chart to view Chu birth and death records
An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your ancestors lived in harsh conditions.
A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in
your family.
The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates,
death dates, addresses and more.
Did the Chus fight for the North or the South? Or not at all? Military
records can tell you a lot about your ancestors including birthplace, occupation,
and even physical descriptions.