Lóu is the

pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...

romanization of the

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 ...

written in

simplified character Simplified Chinese characters are standardized Chinese characters used in mainland China, Malaysia and Singapore, as prescribed by the ''Table of General Standard Chinese Characters''. Along with traditional Chinese characters, they are one o ...

and in

traditional character Traditional Chinese characters are one type of standard Chinese character sets of the contemporary written Chinese. The traditional characters had taken shapes since the clerical change and mostly remained in the same structure they took at ...

. It is the 269th most common surname in China, shared by approximately 220,000 people. Lou 楼 is not listed in the

Song Dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

classic text ''

Hundred Family Surnames The ''Hundred Family Surnames'' (), commonly known as ''Bai Jia Xing'', also translated as ''Hundreds of Chinese Surnames'', is a classic Chinese text composed of common Chinese surnames. An unknown author compiled the book during the Song dyn ...

''.

Demographics

As of 2008, there are approximately 220,000 people surnamed Lou 楼, or 0.018% of the total Chinese population, making it the 269th most common surname in China. Distribution of the surname is highly uneven; the coastal province of

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 ...

in eastern China has the highest concentration of the surname, followed by

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

Guangxi Guangxi (; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the People's Republic ...

, and

Jiangxi Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north int ...

. As early as the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

(960–1279), when there were approximately 70,000 people surnamed Lou 楼, Zhejiang already had a high concentration of the surname. After the

Mongol The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member of ...

invasion of China and the short-lived

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth ...

, by the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

the Lou-surnamed population declined to 32,000, still highly concentrated in Zhejiang.

Origins

According to tradition, there are two main sources of the Lou 楼 surname: 1. From the State of Qǐ (杞) during the

Zhou Dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ; Old Chinese ( B&S): *''tiw'') was a royal dynasty of China that followed the Shang dynasty. Having lasted 789 years, the Zhou dynasty was the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history. The military control of China by th ...

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 ...

enfeoff 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 ...

ed Duke Donglou at Qi (in modern

Qi County, Kaifeng Qi County or Qixian () is a county of Kaifeng, Henan, People's Republic of China, with an area of 1243 square km and a population of 1.05 million. History From Shang to Western Zhou, Qi County was the place of the State of Qi. In Qin Dynasty, Qi ...

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). Duke Donglou's son and successor was

Duke Xilou Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

. The state was later moved to

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...

and destroyed by

King Hui of Chu King Hui of Chu (, died 432 BC) was the king of the State of Chu from 488 BC to 432 BC during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. He was born Xiong Zhang () and King Hui was his posthumous title. He was succeeded by his son, King Ji ...

. Some descendants of dukes Donglou and Xilou adopted Lou 楼, the second character in their names, as their surname. This source of Lou began around 800 BC, and is a branch of Si, the ducal surname of Qi. 2. From the State of Jin during the

Spring and Autumn period The Spring and Autumn period was a period in Chinese history from approximately 770 to 476 BC (or according to some authorities until 403 BC) which corresponds roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou period. The period's name derives fr ...

. Zhao Ying ( 赵婴), a son of the powerful minister

Zhao Cui Zhao Cui (died 622 BCE), posthumously known as Zhao Chengzi (; Chengzi of Zhao), courtesy name Ziyu (子餘), was a Chinese monarch. He was a dafu of Duke Wen of the Jin state during the Spring and Autumn period. He was the clan leader of Zha ...

( 趙衰; died 622 BC), was enfeoffed at the settlement of Lou 楼 (in modern

Yonghe County Yonghe County () is a county in the southwest of Shanxi province, China, bordering Shaanxi province to the west across the Yellow River. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Linfen, and located in its northwest corner. The ...

Shanxi Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...

province). Zhao Ying was thereafter also called Lou Ying, and his descendants adopted Lou 楼 as their surname. As the Zhao clan was a branch of the ancient surname of

Ying Ying may refer to: People * Yíng (嬴), a Chinese surname, the ancestral name of Qin Shi Huang, first Emperor of China in the Qin Dynasty, and some contemporary rival royal families such as the Zhaos * Yīng (应), a Chinese surname from the Z ...

, this source of Lou is a sublineage of Ying. It branched off the Zhao surname about 2,600 years ago.

Later adoption

During the

Xianbei 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 ...

Northern Wei Wei (), known in historiography as the Northern Wei (), Tuoba Wei (), Yuan Wei () and Later Wei (), was founded by the Tuoba (Tabgach) clan of the Xianbei. The first of the Northern and Southern dynasties#Northern dynasties, Northern dynasties ...

dynasty, Emperor Xiaowen (reigned 467–499 AD) implemented a drastic policy of

sinicization Sinicization, sinofication, sinification, or sinonization (from the prefix , 'Chinese, relating to China') is the process by which non-Chinese societies come under the influence of Chinese culture, particularly the language, societal norms, cul ...

, ordering his own people to adopt Han surnames. The Gailou 盖楼 and Helou 贺楼 tribes of Xianbei adopted Lou 楼 as their surname.

Ningbo Lou clan

One of the most prominent clans of the Lou surname is that of

Ningbo Ningbo (; Ningbonese: ''gnin² poq⁷'' , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly romanized as Ningpo, is a major sub-provincial city in northeast Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. It comprises 6 urban districts, 2 sate ...

, a major port city of Zhejiang. It is often called the Mingzhou or Siming Lou clan from the old names of Ningbo. This lineage of Lous rose to prominence during the Song dynasty, and produced a large number of ''

jinshi ''Jinshi'' () was the highest and final degree in the imperial examination in Imperial China. The examination was usually taken in the imperial capital in the palace, and was also called the Metropolitan Exam. Recipients are sometimes referre ...

'' degree holders, who had the right to hold office in the central government. The highest-ranking of them was Lou Yue ( 樓鑰; 1137–1213), one of the most respected scholars and government officials of his time.

Notable people

* Lou Huan ( 楼缓; fl. 3rd century BC),

Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in History of China#Ancient China, ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded ...

diplomat and Prime Minister of the

state of Qin Qin () was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. Traditionally dated to 897 BC, it took its origin in a reconquest of western lands previously lost to the Rong; its position at the western edge of Chinese civilization permitted ex ...

* Lou Xuan (樓玄; fl. 3rd century AD), government minister of the

Eastern Wu Wu ( Chinese: 吳; pinyin: ''Wú''; Middle Chinese *''ŋuo'' <

Eastern Han Chinese

: ''*ŋuɑ''), known in h ...

* Lou Yue ( 樓鑰; 1137–1213), Song dynasty scholar and government official * Lou Zhicen (楼之岑; 1920–1995), biologist, member of the

Chinese Academy of Engineering The Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE, ) is the national academy of the People's Republic of China for engineering. It was established in 1994 and is an institution of the State Council of China. The CAE and the Chinese Academy of Sciences ...

Lou Jiwei Lou Jiwei (; born December 1950), is a Chinese politician, and current director of the 13th CPPCC Foreign Affairs Committee. Lou was Chairman of China's National Council for Social Security Fund, Minister for Finance, Chairman of China Investme ...

(楼继伟; born 1950), Finance Minister of China, former Vice Governor of

Guizhou Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to t ...

Billy Lau Billy Lau Nam Kwong (born 3 April 1954) is a Hong Kong film actor, director and writer. He is best known for playing the Police Captain in ''Mr. Vampire'' (1985) and went on to be cast in similar roles. He has appeared in many comedy and horro ...

or Lou Nanguang (樓南光; born 1954), Hong Kong actor *

Lou Yangsheng Lou Yangsheng (; born October 1959) is a Chinese politician and the current Communist Party Secretary of Henan province. Originally from Zhejiang province, Lou was the Communist Party Secretary of Lishui in his early career. He headed the party' ...

(楼阳生; born 1959), deputy

Communist Party Chief A Party Committee Secretary () is the leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) organization in a province, city, village, or other administrative unit. In most cases, it is the ''de facto'' highest political office of its area of jurisdictio ...

province *

Lou Yun Lou Yun (; born June 23, 1964 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang) is a retired Chinese gymnast who competed in the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympic Games, winning the vault twice. Lou Yun began gymnastics training at the Hangzhou Sports School for Amateurs, and ...

(楼云; born 1964), gymnast, Olympic champion * Lou Yaping (樓亞萍; born 1971), Olympic swimmer

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lou Chinese-language surnames Individual Chinese surnames