Word/Name Lushi state | ||
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Pronunciation Lù (Mandarin)Lo (Cantonese) | ||
Lu (Chinese: 路; pinyin: Lù) is a Chinese surname. It is also spelled Lo according to the Cantonese pronunciation. Lu 路 is listed 138th in the Song Dynasty classic text Hundred Family Surnames. Lu 路 is the 116th most common surname in China, with a total population of 2.35 million.
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Demographics and distribution
As of 2013, Lu 路 is the 116th most common surname in China, shared by 2.35 million people, or 0.18% of the Chinese population. It is distributed widely across China, but the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Anhui, and Henan have especially high concentrations of the surname; the four provinces account for 70% of the total population with the surname.
Origins
According to the ninth-century Tang Dynasty text Yuanhe Xing Zuan, the Lu 路 surname originated from the Red Di state of Lushi (潞氏 or 路氏), also called Lu, which was named after the river Lu (present-day Zhuozhang River, a tributary of the Zhang River). In 594 BC Lushi was conquered by Duke Jing, the ruler of the State of Jin, a major power of the Spring and Autumn period. The people of Lu/Lushi subsequently adopted Lu 路 as their surname.
Another origin of Lu 路 is the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046–771 BC) government office of luzheng (路正), which was responsible for the management of roads and transportation (Lu 路 means road in Chinese). Some descendants of people who held the office adopted Lu as their surname.
A third, legendary origin of Lu 路 is from Xuanyuan (玄元), a son of Emperor Zhi and grandson of Emperor Ku. He was enfeoffed as Marquis of Luzhong (路中侯) by Emperor Yao, and his descendants adopted Lu (from Luzhong) as their surname.
Later 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 Moluzhen (没路真) tribe of Xianbei adopted Lu 路 as their surname.
Some of the Dong people, an ethnic minority group of China, have also adopted Lu 路 as their surname.