Lóu is the

pinyin Hanyu Pinyin, or simply pinyin, officially the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, is the most common romanization system for Standard Chinese. ''Hanyu'' () literally means 'Han Chinese, Han language'—that is, the Chinese language—while ''pinyin' ...

romanization of the

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

written in

simplified character Simplified Chinese characters are one of two standardized character sets widely used to write the Chinese language Chinese ( or ) is a group of languages spoken natively by the ethnic Han Chinese majority and List of ethnic groups in Ch ...

and in

traditional character Traditional Chinese characters are a standard set of Chinese character forms used to write Chinese languages. In Taiwan, the set of traditional characters is regulated by the Ministry of Education and standardized in the ''Standard Form of N ...

. 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 ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

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 language , Chinese text composed of common Chinese surnames. An unknown author compiled the book ...

''.

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 ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

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

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

Guangxi Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...

, and

Jiangxi ; Gan: ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = , translit_lang1_type3 = , translit_lang1_info3 = , image_map = Jiangxi in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_caption = Location ...

. As early as the

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

Mongol Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China (Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family of M ...

invasion of China and the short-lived

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty ( ; zh, c=元朝, p=Yuáncháo), officially the Great Yuan (; Mongolian language, Mongolian: , , literally 'Great Yuan State'), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after Div ...

, by the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

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 ( ) was a royal dynasty of China that existed for 789 years from until 256 BC, the longest span of any dynasty in Chinese history. During the Western Zhou period (771 BC), the royal house, surnamed Ji, had military ...

King Wu of Zhou King Wu of Zhou (; died ), personal name Ji Fa, was the founding king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty. The chronology of his reign is disputed but is generally thought to have begun around 1046 BCE and ended with his death three years later. Ki ...

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 t ...

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; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...

province). Duke Donglou's son and successor was Duke Xilou. The state was later moved to

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

and destroyed by

King Hui of Chu King Hui of Chu (), personal name Xiong Zhang, was a monarch of the Chu state. Succeeding his father, King Zhao, in 488 BC, he ruled until his death in 432 BC. He was in turn succeeded by his son, King Jian. In 478 BC, Xiong Sheng (熊勝), t ...

. 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 History of China, Chinese history corresponding roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou (256 BCE), characterized by the gradual erosion of royal power as local lords nominally subject t ...

. Zhao Ying ( 赵婴), a son of the powerful minister Zhao Cui ( 趙衰; died 622 BC), was enfeoffed at the settlement of Lou 楼 (in modern Yonghe County,

Shanxi Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...

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 an ancient nomadic people that once resided in the eastern Eurasian steppes in what is today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Northeastern China. The Xianbei were likely not of a single ethnicity, but rather a multiling ...

Northern Wei Wei (), known in historiography as the Northern Wei ( zh, c=北魏, p=Běi Wèi), Tuoba Wei ( zh, c=拓跋魏, p=Tuòbá Wèi), Yuan Wei ( zh, c=元魏, p=Yuán Wèi) and Later Wei ( zh, t=後魏, p=Hòu Wèi), was an Dynasties of China, impe ...

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 or groups are acculturated or assimilated into Chinese culture, particularly the language, ...

, 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 is a sub-provincial city in northeastern Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. It comprises six urban districts, two satellite county-level cities, and two rural counties, including several islands in Hangzhou Bay and the Eas ...

, 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 in history of China, Chinese history (221 BC) comprises the final two and a half centuries of the Zhou dynasty (256 BC), which were characterized by frequent warfare, bureaucratic and military reforms, and ...

diplomat and Prime Minister of the

state of Qin Qin (, , or ''Ch'in'') was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. It is traditionally dated to 897 BC. The state of Qin originated from a reconquest of western lands that had previously been lost to the Xirong. Its location at ...

Lou Xuan Lou Xuan ( 264–270s), courtesy name Chengxian, was a Chinese politician of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Life Lou Xuan was from Qi County (蘄縣), Pei Commandery (沛郡), which is around present-day Su ...

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

Eastern Wu Wu (Chinese language, Chinese: 吳; pinyin: ''Wú''; Middle Chinese *''ŋuo'' < Eastern Han Chinese: ''*ŋuɑ''), known in historiography as Eastern Wu or Sun Wu, was a Dynasties of China, dynastic state of China and one of the three major sta ...

* 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 a ...

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 Investm ...

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

Guizhou ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_map = Guizhou in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_alt = Map showing the location of Guizhou Province , map_caption = Map s ...

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

Lou Yangsheng Lou Yangsheng (; born October 1959) is a Chinese politician who served as Party Secretary of Henan from 2021 to 2024. Originally from Zhejiang province, Lou was the Party Secretary of Lishui in his early career. He headed the party's propaganda d ...

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

References

{{surname Chinese-language surnames Individual Chinese surnames