Hu (

胡 Hu ( 胡) is a Chinese surname. In 2006, it was the 15th most common surname in China. In 2013, it was the 13th most common in China, with 13.7 million Chinese sharing this surname. In 2019, Hu was the fifteenth most common surname in Mainland Chin ...

) is a

Chinese surname Chinese surnames are used by Han Chinese and Sinicized ethnic groups in China, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, and among overseas Chinese communities around the world such as Singapore and Malaysia. Written Chinese names begin with surnames, unlike the ...

. In 2006, it was the 15th most common

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. In 2013, it was the 13th most common in China, with 13.7 million Chinese sharing this surname. In 2019, Hu was the fifteenth most common surname in Mainland China. Some other, less common surnames pronounced Hu include 瓠, 護, 戶, 扈, 虎, 呼, 忽, 斛 and 壶. In Cantonese, “胡” is also pronounced as "Wu" or "Woo" or "Ow".

Meaning

In Classical Chinese, ''hú'' 胡 meant: " dewlap;

wattle Wattle or wattles may refer to: Plants *''Acacia sensu lato'', polyphyletic genus of plants commonly known as wattle, especially in Australia and South Africa **''Acacia'', large genus of shrubs and trees, native to Australasia **Black wattle, c ...

" and was a variant Chinese character for "how; why; what" (''he'' 何), "long-lasting; far-reaching" (''xia'' 遐), "part of a dagger-axe", ''hu-'' in "butterfly" (''hudie'' 蝴蝶), or possibly "Northern Barbarians".

History

According to tradition, the Hu (胡) surname has several historical origins. First, Hu could derive from the family of

Duke Hu of Chen Duke Hu of Chen (; fl. 11th century BC) was the founding monarch of the ancient Chinese state of Chen (陳國), established in modern eastern Henan Province soon after his father-in-law, King Wu of Zhou, founded the Zhou dynasty in 1046/45 BC. ...

King Wu of Zhou King Wu of Zhou () was the first king of the Zhou dynasty of ancient China. The chronology of his reign is disputed but is generally thought to have begun around 1046 BC and ended three years later in 1043 BC. King Wu's ancestral name was ...

(r. 1046-043 BCE) enfeoffed his son-in-law Gui Man 媯滿 (supposedly a descendant of the legendary sage king

Emperor Shun Emperor Shun () was a legendary leader of ancient China, regarded by some sources as one of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors being the last of the Five Emperors. Tradition holds that he lived sometime between 2294 and 2184 BC. Tradition a ...

) with the state of Chen (in modern Henan Province). His posthumous name was Duke Hu, and some of his descendants adopted Hu as their surname. Second, Hu could derive from two Zhou vassal states named Hu 胡, one located near Luohe ( Henan Province) or another near Fuyang ( Anhui Province). Third, Hu could derive from non-Chinese people adopting it as their surname. For example, in the 496 Change of Xianbei names to Han names, Hegu/Gegu 紇骨 was changed to Hu 胡. Fourth, Hu could derive from the clan name of the ancient Tiele people within the Xiongnu confederation. Non-Chinese peoples and

ethnic minorities in China Ethnic minorities in China are the non-Han Chinese, Han population in the People's Republic of China (PRC). The PRC officially recognizes 55 minority group, ethnic minority groups within China in addition to the Han majority. As of 2010, th ...

sometimes took the Chinese exonym for their ethnic group as their surname. The best example is Hu 胡, which was anciently used to refer to "barbarian" groups on the northern and western frontiers of China. ''Hu'' (胡) was used for various northern and western peoples of non-Chinese stock. It was commonly used for people of Persian, Sogdian, Turkic,

Xianbi The Xianbei (; ) were a Proto-Mongolic ancient nomadic people that once resided in the eastern Eurasian steppes in what is today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Northeastern China. They originated from the Donghu people who splintered into the ...

, Indian and Kushan origin and, occasionally, for the

Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 209 ...

(probably because of their connections with the Tonghu or Eastern Hu – a separate tribe conquered by the Xiongnu). Two historically significant Hu names are this '' Donghu'' 東胡 (literally "Eastern Barbarians") "ancient Mongolian nomadic group" and the '' Wu Hu'' 五胡 (" Five Barbarians") "five nomadic tribes involved in the Wu Hu uprising" (304-316 CE) against the Jin Dynasty. Hu (

Foochow Romanized Foochow Romanized, also known as Bàng-uâ-cê (BUC for short; ) or Hók-ciŭ-uâ Lò̤-mā-cê (), is a Latin alphabet for the Fuzhou dialect of Eastern Min adopted in the middle of the 19th century by Western missionaries. It had varied at dif ...

: Hù; POJ: Hô or Ô) was also one of the eight surnames of the first Han Chinese clans who first moved out the

Central Plain Central Plain or Central Plains may refer to: Regions * Zhongyuan, a plain in Northern China in the lower reaches of the Yellow River which was the cradle of Chinese civilisation ** Central Plains Economic Zone * Central Plain (Wisconsin), one ...

s into Fujian province (八姓入閩;

: Báik Sáng Ĭk Mìng) during this conflict. The Hồ 胡 clan which founded the Hồ dynasty in Vietnam originated in Zhejiang province of China. The Hu family of Xidi are descended from Hu Shiliang, from Wuyuan, who was a descendant of Hu Changyi, a son of Emperor Zhaozong of Tang who was adopted by the Wuyuan Hu family. The surname 虎 (Hǔ), which means "Tiger", is rare in China to the point where many people are not aware that it is used as a surname. Some believe it comes from the name of a 4,300-year-old chancellor, while others believe it originates among the Hui Muslim minority.

Notable people

* Hu Angang, Tsinghua University professor *

Hu Bin Hu Bin (born 1973) was a Chinese swimmer specialising in the freestyle sprint events. He is best known for winning the silver medal at the inaugural 1993 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) The 1st Short Course Swimming World Championsh ...

, Chinese freestyle swimmer * Aw Boon Haw 胡文虎, Burmese Chinese entrepreneur and philanthropist, founder of Tiger Balm *

Aw Boon Par Aw Boon Par (; 1888 in British Raj Burma – 1944) was an entrepreneur and philanthropist best known for introducing Tiger Balm. He was a son of Hakka herbalist Aw Chu-Kin.Beverland, Michael (2009) ''Building Brand Authenticity: 7 Habits of Ic ...

胡文豹, Burmese Chinese entrepreneur and philanthropist *

Hu Chen-pu Hu Chen-pu (; born 14 August 1948) is a Taiwanese politician and retired general officer. He was the 1st Commander of the Republic of China Army, 11th Minister of the Veterans Affairs Commission (VAC) of the Executive Yuan and 1st Commander of th ...

, Minister of Veterans Affairs Commission of the ROC (2007–2008) *

Aw Cheng Chye Dato Aw Cheng Chye S.P.M.J., B.B.M., O.St.J (1 January 1924 – 22 August 1971) was a Singaporean millionaire and son of the late Aw Boon Par. Aw Cheng Chye himself was the chairman of Haw Par Brothers (Private) Limited and Haw Par Brothers ...

, Singaporean millionaire and philanthropist *

Chih-Wei Hu Chih-Wei Hu (; born November 4, 1993) is a Taiwanese professional baseball pitcher for the Uni-President Lions of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays. Career Minneso ...

, MLB pitcher *

Chin-lung Hu Chin-Lung Hu (born February 2, 1984, Chinese 胡金龍 ''Hú Jīnlóng'') is a Taiwanese professional baseball shortstop for the Fubon Guardians of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). He previously played in Major League Baseball ( ...

(born 1984), MLB player *

Hu Chuanzhi Hu Chuanzhi (; December 1929 – 29 September 2018) was a Chinese shipbuilding executive and politician. He served as CEO of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation, the state-owned shipbuilding conglomerate, and as Vice Chairman of the Shanghai ...

, CEO of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation *

Hu Chunhua Hu Chunhua (; born 1 April 1963) is a Chinese politician, a former member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and a Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China in Premier Li Keqiang's Cabinet. He worked in Tibet for much of ...

胡春华, member of the 18th and 19th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party * Hu Dahai, 14th century Hui Muslim general *

David Hu David L. Hu (born circa 1979) is an American mathematician, roboticist, and biologist who is currently an associate professor at the engineering department of Georgia Tech. His research centers on animal behavior and movement, and is noted for its ...

, American mathematician, roboticist, and biologist *

Hu Denghui Hu Denghui (; 1941–1969) was a Chinese footballer. Club career In 1962, Hu graduated from Beijing Sport University. Hu played youth football for both Beijing and Bayi before making the step-up to Bayi's senior team. International career In ...

胡登辉, former Chinese international footballer * Hu Die, actress, "Movie Queen" of the 1930s *

Evelyn Hu Evelyn L. Hu () is the Tarr-Coyne Professor of Applied Physics and of Electrical Engineering at Harvard University. Hu has made major contributions to nanotechnology by designing and creating complex nanostructures. Her work has focused on nanos ...

, Harvard University professor of applied physics and engineering *

Evelyn Hu-DeHart Evelyn Hu-DeHart () is a Professor of History and a Professor of American Studies at Brown University. Biography Hu-DeHart was born in Chongqing, China in 1947. Her family fled to Hong Kong in 1949 and then to the United States in 1959. She re ...

, Brown University professor of history and American studies * Hu Feng 胡风, Chinese writer and theorist of arts and literature *

Hu Fo Hu Fo or Hu Fu (; 14 May 1932 – 10 September 2018) was a Chinese political scientist in Taiwan, legal scholar, and political activist. He was a prominent advocate for political freedom and democracy during the martial law era, but was also adam ...

, Taiwanese political scientist and activist *

Frank Hu Frank B. Hu (; born 1966) is a Chinese American nutrition and diabetes researcher. He is Chair of the Department of Nutrition and the Fredrick J. Stare Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and P ...

, Harvard University professor of medicine and public health * Hu Ge 胡歌, actor *

Hu Haichang Hu Haichang (; April 25, 1928 – February 21, 2011) was a Chinese mechanical and aerospace engineer. He was in charge of the early phase development for the Dong Fang Hong I, China's first artificial satellite. Hu was an academician of the Chine ...

(born 1928), Chinese mechanical and aerospace engineer *

Hu Haiyan Hu Haiyan (; born 1956) is president of Beijing Institute of Technology. He is a fellow of the Chinese Academy of Science and a leading scientist in mechanics. Biography He graduated with PhD from the Nanjing Aeronautics and Astronautics Universi ...

, Chinese academician and scientist * Hu Hanmin, influential Kuomintang politician *

Hu Hesheng Hu Hesheng (; born 20 June 1928) is a Chinese mathematician. She served as vice-president of Chinese Mathematical Society, president of the Shanghai Mathematical Society, and is an academician of Chinese Academy of Science. She held the Noether ...

(born 1928), Chinese mathematician * Jayley Woo and her twin sister Hayley Woo (born 27 December 1991), Singaporean actresses * Jason Hu 胡志强,

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

politician * Hu Jia 胡佳, pro-democracy activist in the People's Republic of China *

Jianying Hu Jianying Hu is a Chinese-American computer scientist at the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NY, USA, known for her work in data mining, machine learning, artificial intelligence and health informatics. She is an IBM Fell ...

, American engineer *

Hu Jimin Hu Jimin (traditional Chinese: 胡濟民; simplified Chinese: 胡济民; 1919–1998) was a Chinese nuclear physicist, plasma physicist and educator. Life and career Hu was born on 26 January 1919 in Rugao, Nantong, Jiangsu Province. In 193 ...

(1919–1998), Chinese nuclear and plasma physicist and educator *

Hu Jintao Hu Jintao (born 21 December 1942) is a Chinese politician who served as the 16–17th general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 2002 to 2012, the 6th president of the People's Republic of China (PRC) from 2003 to 2013, an ...

胡锦涛, former General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and the

paramount leader Paramount leader () is an informal term for the most important political figure in the People's Republic of China (PRC). The paramount leader typically controls the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Liberation Army (PLA), often hol ...

of China * Hu Jinqiu (born 1997), Chinese basketball player *

Julia Hu Julia Hu (born March 24, 1985) is an American entrepreneur and the co-founder and chief executive officer of the digital health company Lark Health. Hu was named one of the “Top 10 Women in Tech to Watch” by Forbes and was a winner of Inc. Maga ...

(born 1985), American entrepreneur * Hu Jun (born 1968), Chinese actor * Kelly Hu 胡凯丽, American actress *

Oh Laye Koh Liang Shan Shan ( – 2 October 1989; ) was a 17-year-old Malaysian schoolgirl who was reported missing in Singapore on 2 October 1989. Liang was found dead nearly two weeks later at Yishun Industrial Park, where her highly decomposed body was d ...

胡立国, Singaporean bus driver and convicted killer *

Hu Lanqi Hu Lanqi (; 1901 – 13 December 1994), also spelled Hu Lanxi, was a Chinese writer and military leader. She joined the National Revolutionary Army in 1927 and the Chinese branch of the Communist Party of Germany in 1930. She was imprisoned b ...

胡兰畦, one of the first women generals of the Republic of China and later Communist revolutionary * Hu Lien 胡璉, Chinese Nationalist general * Myolie Wu 胡杏兒, Hong Kong singer and actress *

Hu Nai-yuan Hu Nai-yuan (, born 1961 at Tainan, Taiwan) is a Taiwanese violinist. He was the first prize winner in the 1985 Queen Elisabeth Music Competition. Life and career Hu Nai-yuan started to study the violin at the age of 5. By the age of 8, he per ...

, Taiwanese violinist * Nan Hu, Chinese physician-scientist, molecular geneticist, and cancer epidemiologist * Hu Ning (1916–1997), Chinese theoretical physicist and educator *

Hu Peizhao Hu Peizhao (; 1937 – 26 April 2019) was a Chinese economist and a professor at Xiamen University. He served as Director of the Institute of Economic Research and Dean of the College of Economics at the university, and as an economic advisor to t ...

, Chinese economist and a professor at Xiamen University * Hu Ping Chinese actress *

Hu Qiaomu Hu Qiaomu (4 June 191228 September 1992) was a Chinese sociologist, Marxist philosopher and politician. Hu Qiaomu is a controversial figure for opposing the reform and opening up era of economic reform that followed the death of Mao Zedong. He w ...

胡乔木, People's Republic of China politician *

Hu Qili Hu Qili (; born 6 October 1929) is a former high-ranking politician of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He was a member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee and a member of its Secretariat between 1987 and 1989. In 1989, he was purged becaus ...

胡启立, member of the 13th Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party * Richard Hu 胡赐道, former Finance Minister of Singapore *

S. Jack Hu Shixin Jack Hu (; born November 1963) is the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at the University of Georgia. He is also the UGA Foundation Distinguished Professor in the School of Environmental, Civil, Agricultural, and Mechani ...

, University of Georgia administrator and professor of engineering * Hu Sheng, Chinese Marxist theorist and historian * Hu Shih 胡适, Chinese writer and scholar *

Hu Songshan Hu Songshan (1880–1955), a Hui, was born in 1880, in Tongxin County, Ningxia, China. His Muslim name in Arabic was Sa'd al-Din ( ar, سعد الدين '; ). Although he was born Sufi and turned Wahhabi, he changed his views and turned his ...

虎嵩山, Chinese Hui Muslim Imam of the Yihewani sect *

Ting-Ting Hu Hu Ting-ting or Judy Hu (; born 11 September 1979) is an England-born Taiwanese actress. Biography She was born in Oxford and moved to Taiwan at the age of 6, and later with her parents moved to the United States for high school and college. S ...

(born 1979), English-born Taiwanese actress *

Hu Weide Hu Weide () (1863 – 24 November 1933) was a Chinese politician and diplomat during the Qing dynasty and the Republic of China. Biography Though related by marriage to the Qing dynasty, he accepted the creation of the Republic and served in i ...

胡惟德, politician and diplomat of the Qing dynasty and the Republic of China * Hailan Hu, Chinese neuroscientist * Wei-Shau Hu, American geneticist *

Wei-Shou Hu Wei-Shou Hu is a Taiwanese-American chemical engineer. He earned his B.S. in Agricultural Chemistry from National Taiwan University in 1974 and his Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology under the guidan ...

, Taiwanese-American chemical engineer * Wen-mei Hwu 胡文美, American computer engineer *

Yuen Pau Woo Yuen Pau Woo (born March 2, 1963) is a Canadian politician and academic who has served as a senator from British Columbia (BC) since 2016. He was previously facilitator of the Independent Senators Group (ISG), taking on the role from September 201 ...

胡元豹, Canadian senator and facilitator of the Independent Senators Group * Hu Xiansu (1894–1968) Chinese botanist * Gordon Ying Sheung Wu 胡應湘, chairman of the board of Hopewell Holdings Ltd. * Hu Yaobang 胡耀邦, former Chairman and General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party *

Hu Yepin Hu Yepin (; 4 May 1903 – 7 February 1931) was a Chinese writer, poet, and playwright. A prominent member of the League of Left-Wing Writers, he was one of the Five Martyrs of the Left League executed in February 1931 by the Kuomintang governmen ...

胡也频, Chinese writer, poet, and playwright, prominent Chinese socialist * Yi Hu, American engineer * Yinling Hu, Chinese molecular biologist *

Hu Yitian Hu Yitian (; born 26 December 1993) is a Chinese actor. He made his acting debut in the television drama '' A Rush to Dead Summer'' (2017), and subsequently starred in the 2017 hit web series ''A Love So Beautiful'' which brought him wider recog ...

胡一天, Chinese actor * Yuenyong Opakul, Thai singer, musician, songwriter and entrepreneur * Hu Zaobin 胡藻斌, early 20th-century Chinese painter, famous for painting tigers *

Hu Zongnan Hu Zongnan (; 16 May 1896 – 14 February 1962), courtesy name Shoushan (壽山), was a Chinese general in the National Revolutionary Army and then the Republic of China Army. Together with Chen Cheng and Tang Enbo, Hu, a native of Z ...

, Chinese general in the National Revolutionary Army * Hu Zongxian 胡宗憲, Chinese general during the Ming dynasty * Hồ Chí Minh: 20th century Vietnam communist leader * Hồ Dynasty of Vietnam 胡朝: :* Hồ Quý Ly 胡季犛 :*

Hồ Hán Thương Hồ Hán Thương ( vi-hantu, 胡漢蒼, ?–1407?) was the second and final emperor of the short-lived Hồ dynasty of Đại Ngu (now Viet Nam). Hán Thương, his father Hồ Quý Ly, and his son Nhe, were captured by the Ming The Mi ...

胡漢蒼

References

External links

The Hu Peoples
Silk Road Seattle Virtual Art Exhibit.

ChinaKnowledge.
胡
Chinese Text Project
Surname HU (胡)
Chinese Culture Forum {{DEFAULTSORT:Hu (Surname) Chinese-language surnames Chen (state) Individual Chinese surnames

Meaning

History

Notable people

See also

References

External links