Language(s) Chinese | Language(s) Old Chinese | |
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Pronunciation Lù (Mandarin)
Luk (Cantonese) | ||
Lu (Chinese: 鹿; pinyin: Lù) is a Chinese surname. It is also spelled Luk according to the Cantonese pronunciation. Lu 鹿 is a relatively uncommon name that is not listed in the Song dynasty classic text Hundred Family Surnames.
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Origin
According to the second-century Eastern Han text Fengsu Tongyi, Lu 鹿 originated from Ji 姬, the royal surname of the Zhou dynasty. After the Zhou conquered the Shang dynasty in 11th century BC, Kang Shu, a son of King Wen of Zhou and younger brother of King Wu of Zhou, was enfeoffed at the capital region of Shang, establishing the State of Wey. A descendant of Kang Shu was enfeoffed at Wulu (五鹿, northeast of modern Puyang, Henan), and this branch of the Wey royal house adopted Wulu as their surname, later shortened to Lu 鹿. Kang Shu is generally revered as the founding ancestor of the Lu 鹿 surname.
Xianbei adoption
During the Xianbei Northern Wei dynasty, Emperor Xiaowen (reigned 467–499 AD) implemented a drastic policy of sinicization, ordering his own people to adopt Chinese surnames. The Aluhuan (阿鹿桓) clan of Xianbei adopted Lu 鹿 as their surname.