Hu ( 胡) 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

Classical Chinese Classical Chinese, also known as Literary Chinese (古文 ''gǔwén'' "ancient text", or 文言 ''wényán'' "text speak", meaning "literary language/speech"; modern vernacular: 文言文 ''wényánwén'' "text speak text", meaning "literar ...

, ''hú'' 胡 meant: "

dewlap A dewlap is a longitudinal flap of skin or similar flesh that hangs beneath the lower jaw or neck of many vertebrates. More loosely, it can be various similar structures in the neck area, such as those caused by a double chin or the submandibul ...

; wattle" and was a

variant Chinese character Variant Chinese characters (; Kanji: ; Hepburn: ''itaiji''; ; Revised Romanization: ''icheja'') are Chinese characters that are homophones and synonyms. Most variants are allographs in most circumstances, such as casual handwriting. Some context ...

for "how; why; what" (''he'' 何), "long-lasting; far-reaching" (''xia'' 遐), "part of a

dagger-axe The dagger-axe () is a type of pole weapon that was in use from the Erlitou culture until the Han dynasty in China. It consists of a dagger-shaped blade, mounted by its tang to a perpendicular wooden shaft. The earliest dagger-axe blades were ...

", ''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 (r. 1046-043 BCE)

enfeoffed In the Middle Ages, especially under the European feudal system, feoffment or enfeoffment was the deed by which a person was given land in exchange for a pledge of service. This mechanism was later used to avoid restrictions on the passage of ti ...

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 Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

Province). His

posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments ...

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 Luohe (; postal: Loho) is a prefecture-level city in central Henan province, China. It is surrounded by the cities of Xuchang, Zhoukou, Zhumadian and Pingdingshan on its north, east, south and west respectively. Its population was 2,367,490 inha ...

(

Province) or another near

Fuyang () is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Anhui province, China. It borders Bozhou to the northeast, Huainan to the southeast, Lu'an to the south, and the province of Henan on all other sides. Its population was 8,200,264 inhabitants at the ...

(

Anhui Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze River ...

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 The change of Xianbei family names to Han names was part of a larger sinicization campaign.Book of Wei volume 113Branner, David Prager. 006(2006). John Benjamins Publishing. The Chinese Rime Tables: Linguistic Philosophy And Historical-comparative. ...

, Hegu/Gegu 紇骨 was changed to Hu 胡. Fourth, Hu could derive from the clan name of the ancient

Tiele people The Tiele (, Mongolian ''*Tegreg'' " eople of theCarts"), also transliterated as Dili (), Chile (), Zhile (), Tele (), also named Gaoche or Gaoju (, "High Carts"), were a tribal confederation of Turkic ethnic origins living to the north of Chi ...

within the Xiongnu confederation. Non-Chinese peoples and ethnic minorities in China sometimes took the Chinese

exonym An endonym (from Greek: , 'inner' + , 'name'; also known as autonym) is a common, ''native'' name for a geographical place, group of people, individual person, language or dialect, meaning that it is used inside that particular place, group, ...

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 20 ...

(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 The Five Barbarians, or Wu Hu (), is a Chinese historical exonym for five ancient non- Han peoples who immigrated to northern China in the Eastern Han dynasty, and then overthrew the Western Jin dynasty and established their own kingdoms in th ...

") "five nomadic tribes involved in the

Wu Hu uprising The Upheaval of the Five Barbarians also translated as the Rebellion, the Revolt, or the Invasion of the Five Barbarians () is a Chinese expression which refers to a series of rebellions and invasions between 304 and 316 by non- Han peoples, comm ...

" (304-316 CE) against the Jin Dynasty. Hu ( Foochow Romanized: Hù; POJ: Hô or Ô) was also one of the eight surnames of the first Han Chinese clans who first moved out the Central Plains into

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...

province (八姓入閩; Foochow Romanized: Báik Sáng Ĭk Mìng) during this conflict. The Hồ 胡 clan which founded the

Hồ dynasty The Hồ dynasty (Vietnamese: , chữ Nôm: 茹胡； Sino-Vietnamese: ''Hồ triều, chữ Hán:'' 胡朝) was a short-lived Vietnamese dynasty consisting of the reigns of two monarchs, Hồ Quý Ly (胡季犛) in 1400–01 and his second ...

in Vietnam originated in

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...

province of China. The Hu family of

Xidi Xidi () is a village in Xidi Town (), Yi County, Huangshan City of the historical Huizhou region of Anhui province, China. Xidi and the nearby town of Hongcun are known for their exceptional preservation of rural Anhui architecture and city ...

are descended from Hu Shiliang, from Wuyuan, who was a descendant of Hu Changyi, a son of

Emperor Zhaozong of Tang Emperor Zhaozong of Tang (March 31, 867 – September 22, 904), né Li Jie, name later changed to Li Min and again to Li Ye, was the penultimate emperor of the Tang dynasty of China. He reigned from 888 to 904 (although he was briefly deposed ...

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 The Hui people ( zh, c=, p=Huízú, w=Hui2-tsu2, Xiao'erjing: , dng, Хуэйзў, ) are an East Asian ethnoreligious group predominantly composed of Chinese-speaking adherents of Islam. They are distributed throughout China, mainly in the n ...

minority.

Notable people

Hu Angang Hu Angang () is an economics professor at Tsinghua University. Hu Angang was born on 27 April 1953. He is a professor in the School of Public Policy & Management at Tsinghua University as well as Director of the Center for China Study at Tsing ...

, Tsinghua University professor * Hu Bin, Chinese freestyle swimmer *

Aw Boon Haw Aw Boon-Haw (; 1882 in Rangoon, British Raj – 1954 in Hawaii), OBE, was a Chinese entrepreneur and philanthropist best known as founder of Tiger Balm. He was a son of Hakka herbalist Aw Chu-Kin, with his ancestral home in Yongding C ...

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 I ...

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 o ...

, 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 Brother ...

, Singaporean millionaire and philanthropist * Chih-Wei Hu, 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, CEO of the

China State Shipbuilding Corporation The China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) is a Chinese shipbuilding conglomerate. Description CSSC is one of the top 10 defence groups in China. It consists of various shipyards, equipment manufacturers, research institutes and shipbu ...

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 The Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party, formally known as the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and known as the Central Bureau before 1927, is the decision-making body of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). ...

Hu Dahai Hu Dahai (; died 1362), courtesy name Tongfu (), was a Chinese Muslim and military general who lived in the 14th century. He is best known for helping Zhu Yuanzhang (the Hongwu Emperor) establish the Ming dynasty in China. Life Hu Dahai was b ...

, 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 胡登辉, former Chinese international footballer *

Hu Die Hu Die (; 1907 or 1908 – April 23, 1989), also known by her English name Butterfly Wu, was a Chinese actress during the 1920s and 1930s. Like many artistes and writers, she was persecuted during the Cultural Revolution. Biography Early ...

, 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 Hu Feng (, November 2, 1902 – June 8, 1985) was a Chinese Marxist writer, poet and literary theorist. He was a prominent member of the League of Left-Wing Writers. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Hu Feng became a memb ...

胡风, Chinese writer and theorist of arts and literature * Hu Fo, Taiwanese political scientist and activist * Frank Hu, Harvard University professor of medicine and public health *

Hu Ge Hu Ge (, born 20 September 1982), also known as Hugh Hu, is a Chinese actor and singer. While studying at the Shanghai Theater Academy, he was invited to play the leading role Li Xiaoyao in the 2005 television series '' Chinese Paladin'', an ...

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, Chinese academician and scientist *

Hu Hanmin Hu Hanmin (; born in Panyu, Guangdong, Qing dynasty, China, 9 December 1879 – Kwangtung, Republic of China, 12 May 1936) was a Chinese philosopher and politician who was one of the early conservative right factional leaders in the Kuomintang ...

, influential

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...

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 Noethe ...

(born 1928), Chinese mathematician *

Jayley Woo Jayley Woo is a Singaporean actress. She was a full-time MediaCorp artiste from 2012 to 2018 but continues to work on an ad hoc basis. Career Woo was a blogger alongside her older twin sister, Hayley Woo, under the stage name Jay On The Hay. ...

and her twin sister

Hayley Woo Hayley Woo (born 27 December 1991) is a Singaporean actress. She was managed by JTeam JM Artiste Network from 2013 to 2017. She has an identical twin sister, Jayley Woo, who is also an actress. Career Woo and her sister joined The New Paper ...

(born 27 December 1991), Singaporean actresses *

Jason Hu Jason Hu (; born 15 May 1948) is a Taiwanese politician. He was the mayor of Taichung as provincial city in 2001-2010 and as special municipality in 2010–2014. He is a member of the Kuomintang (KMT), and has been the Vice Chairman of the p ...

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, American engineer * Hu Jimin (1919–1998), Chinese nuclear and plasma physicist and educator * Hu Jintao 胡锦涛, former

General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party The general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party () is the head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Since 1989, the CCP general secretary has been the paramount leader ...

and the paramount leader of China *

Hu Jinqiu Hu Jinqiu (, born September 24, 1997) is a Chinese professional basketball player who plays for the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association. He represented China's national basketball team at the 2016 FIBA Asia Challenge i ...

(born 1997), Chinese basketball player * Julia Hu (born 1985), American entrepreneur *

Hu Jun Hu Jun (born March 18, 1968) is a Chinese actor best known for playing dramatic roles in various films and television series. He has acted in a number of Hong Kong films. Biography Hu Jun was born on March 18, 1968, to Wang Yiman (), a drama ac ...

(born 1968), Chinese actor *

Kelly Hu Kelly Ann Hu (born February 13, 1968 ) is an American actress, voice artist, former fashion model and beauty queen who was Miss Teen USA 1985 and Miss Hawaii USA 1993. Hu starred as Dr. Rae Chang on the American television soap opera '' Sunset ...

胡凯丽, American actress * Oh Laye Koh 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 Hu Lien (; 1907–1977) was a Chinese Nationalist general who participated in the Northern Expedition, anti-communist Encirclement Campaigns, Second Sino-Japanese War and Chinese Civil War. Whampoa Military Academy He graduated alongside Lin ...

胡璉, Chinese Nationalist general *

Myolie Wu Myolie Wu Hang-yee (born 6 November 1979) is a Hong Kong actress and singer. She is previously managed by Hong Kong TVB television station and Neway Star. In 2011, she won Best Actress for her role in '' Curse of the Royal Harem'', Most Favou ...

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 Nan Hu is a Chinese physician-scientist, molecular geneticist, and cancer epidemiologist who researches gastrointestinal cancers. She is a staff scientist in the metabolic epidemiology branch at the National Cancer Institute. Life Hu received ...

, Chinese physician-scientist, molecular geneticist, and cancer epidemiologist *

Hu Ning Hu Ning (; 1916–1997) was a Chinese physicist and writer. Biography Hu was born in Suqian, Jiangsu, China on 11 February 1916. From 1928 to 1934, Hu studied at the Zhenjiang High School () in Zhenjiang, and Suzhou High School in Suzhou. In 1 ...

(1916–1997), Chinese theoretical physicist and educator * Hu Peizhao, Chinese economist and a professor at Xiamen University *

Hu Ping Hu Ping (胡萍) (1910-?) was a Chinese actress, screenwriter and filmmaker from Hunan, China, born in Changsha. She started acting in Shanghai, in the theater industry and was a household name in Shanghai in the 1930s. She joined the Friends Fil ...

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. H ...

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 Richard Hu Tsu Tau ( zh, s=胡赐道, p=Hú Cìdào; born 30 October 1926) is a Singaporean retired politician who served as Minister for Finance between 1985 and 2001. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he was the Member of ...

胡赐道, former Finance Minister of

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

* S. Jack Hu, University of Georgia administrator and professor of engineering *

Hu Sheng Hu Sheng (11 January 1918 – 5 November 2000), was a Chinese Marxist theorist and historian. He was President of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences from 1985 to 1998, and also served as Vice-Chairman of the seventh and eighth National Commi ...

, Chinese Marxist theorist and historian *

Hu Shih Hu Shih (; 17 December 1891 – 24 February 1962), also known as Hu Suh in early references, was a Chinese diplomat, essayist, literary scholar, philosopher, and politician. Hu is widely recognized today as a key contributor to Chinese libera ...

胡适, Chinese writer and scholar * Hu Songshan 虎嵩山, Chinese Hui Muslim Imam of the Yihewani sect * Ting-Ting Hu (born 1979), English-born Taiwanese actress * Hu Weide 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, Taiwanese-American chemical engineer * Wen-mei Hwu 胡文美, American computer engineer * Yuen Pau Woo 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 胡也频, Chinese writer, poet, and playwright, prominent Chinese socialist * Yi Hu, American engineer * Yinling Hu, Chinese molecular biologist * Hu Yitian 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, Chinese general in the National Revolutionary Army * Hu Zongxian 胡宗憲, Chinese general during the Ming dynasty * Ho Chi Minh, Hồ Chí Minh: 20th century Vietnam communist leader * Hồ Dynasty of Vietnam 胡朝: :*Hồ Quý Ly 胡季犛 :*Hồ Hán Thương 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