Lú is the
pinyin romanization of the
Chinese surname written in
traditional character and in
simplified character. It is also spelled Lo or Loh according to the
Cantonese pronunciation. Lu 盧 is the
52nd most common surname in China,
shared by 5.6 million people, or 0.475% of the Chinese population as of 2002.
It is especially common in
Guangdong
) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...
,
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 ...
,
Hainan, and
Hebei provinces.
Lu 盧 is listed 167th in the
Song dynasty classic text ''
Hundred Family Surnames''.
In 2019 it was the 50th most common surname in mainland China.
Origins
According to the
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
genealogy text ''
Yuanhe Xing Zuan'', the surname Lu 盧 originated in the
State of Qi during the
Spring and Autumn period, and descended from
Gao Xi (高傒). Gao Xi was the grandson of Prince Gao, who was a son of
Duke Wen of Qi (reigned 815–804 BC) and a descendant of
Lü Shang, the founder of Qi. When the Qi ruler
Wuzhi was murdered in 685 BC, Gao Xi, then prime minister of Qi, helped to install Prince Xiaobai on the throne, to be known as
Duke Huan of Qi, one of the
Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn period.
In gratitude, Duke Huan enfeoffed Gao Xi at the city of Lu 盧 (in modern
Changqing District,
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 ...
province), and many of Gao's descendants adopted Lu 盧 as their surname. This is the main origin of the surname, and Gao Xi is regarded as the founding ancestor of the Lu 盧 surname.
According to the
Song dynasty encyclopedia ''
Tongzhi'', there was a second source of the Lu 盧 surname from the State of Qi. A branch of Duke Huan of Qi's descendants had the surname Lupu (盧蒲), which was later shortened to Lu.
A separate source of Lu was the minor state of Luzi 廬子 or Lu 廬 (in modern
Anhui
Anhui is an inland Provinces of China, province located in East China. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze and Huai rivers, bordering Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the east, Jiang ...
province) during the Spring and Autumn period. The descendants of Jili (戢黎), a nobleman of Lu, adopted the name of their state as their surname. Lu 廬 was later simplified to Lu 盧.
Distribution
Of the top 30 cities in China, 卢 ranked 9th most common in the city of
Nanning.
["https://www.douban.com/group/topic/23803598/"(Chinese)]
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 Tufulu (吐伏盧) and Molu (莫盧) clans of Xianbei adopted Lu as their surname. The Xianbei people have since completely assimilated into the
Han Chinese
The Han Chinese, alternatively the Han people, are an East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Greater China. With a global population of over 1.4 billion, the Han Chinese are the list of contemporary ethnic groups, world's la ...
.
According to the ''
Book of Sui'', Zhangchou Taiyi (章仇太翼), a native of
Hejian Commandery (in modern
Cangzhou,
Hebei) was a famous scholar of the time.
Emperor Yang of Sui granted him the surname Lu 盧. Zhangchou subsequently became known as Lu Taiyi, and was the ancestor of the prosperous Hejian Lu clan.
Lu clan of Fanyang
In the fourth century BC, the throne of the Qi state was usurped by the Tian clan. Many aristocratic clans that descended from the old ruling house of Jiang (姜), including Lu, fled the state and dispersed all over China.
During the
Qin dynasty, the erudite
Lu Ao (盧敖) settled in
Fanyang Commandery (modern Beijing). The Fanyang Lu clan later became exceedingly prosperous. During the
Jin dynasty (266–420)
The Jin dynasty or Jin Empire, sometimes distinguished as the or the , was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty in China that existed from 266 to 420. It was founded by Emperor Wu of Jin, Sima Yan, eldest son of Sima Zhao, who had previou ...
, the Fanyang Lu, together with the
Cui clan of Boling, the
Wang clan of Taiyuan, the
Zheng clan of Xingyang, and the
Li clan of Zhao, were considered the five most prominent clans in China (海內五大望族).
During the
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
, eight
chancellors were surnamed Lu 盧, including several from Fanyang.
During the Tang dynasty the Li clan of Zhao
趙郡李氏, the Cui clan of Boling, the
Cui clan of Qinghe, the Lu clan of Fanyang, the Zheng clan of Xingyang
滎陽鄭氏, the Wang clan of Taiyuan
太原王氏, and the Li clan of Longxi
隴西李氏 were the seven noble clans between whom marriage was banned by law.
[http://history.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/slides/Dissertation.pdf p. 67.] Their status as "Seven Great surnames" became known during Gaozong's rule.
Notable people
*
Lu Wan (盧綰; 256–194 BC),
Western Han dynasty general
*
Lu Zhi (盧植; died 192 AD),
Eastern Han dynasty politician
*
Lu Sidao (盧思道; 531–582),
Sui dynasty
The Sui dynasty ( ) was a short-lived Dynasties of China, Chinese imperial dynasty that ruled from 581 to 618. The re-unification of China proper under the Sui brought the Northern and Southern dynasties era to a close, ending a prolonged peri ...
poet
*
Lu Chengqing (盧承慶; 595–670),
Tang dynasty chancellor
*
Lu Zhaolin (盧照鄰; ca. 634 – ca. 686) Tang dynasty poet
*
Lu Huaishen (盧懷慎; died 716), Tang dynasty chancellor
*
Lu Qi (盧杞; died 785), Tang dynasty chancellor
*
Lu Lun (盧綸; 739–799),
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
poet
*
Lu Han (盧翰; fl. 8th century), Tang dynasty chancellor
*
Lu Tong (盧仝; died 835), Tang dynasty poet
*
Lu Shang (盧商; 789–859), Tang dynasty chancellor
*
Lu Xi (盧攜; died 881), Tang dynasty chancellor
*
Lu Zhi (盧摯; 1243–1315),
Yuan dynasty poet
*
Lu Xiangsheng (盧象昇; 1600–1639), Ming dynasty general of Tianxiong Army
*
Lu Kun (盧坤; 1772–1835),
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...
viceroy of
Huguang and
Liangguang
*
Lu Muzhen (盧慕貞; 1867–1952),
Sun Yat-sen's first wife
*
Lu Yongxiang (盧永祥; 1867–1933), warlord
*
C. T. Loo (盧芹齋, Lu Qinzhai; 1880–1957), art dealer
*
Lu Han (盧漢; 1895–1974),
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang (KMT) is a major political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was the one party state, sole ruling party of the country Republic of China (1912-1949), during its rule from 1927 to 1949 in Mainland China until Retreat ...
general
*
Lu Jiaxi (chemist) (卢嘉锡; 1915–2001), chemist, President of the
Chinese Academy of Sciences
*
Lisa Lu (盧燕; Lu Yan; born 1927), actress
*
Lu Yen (盧炎; Lu Yan; 1930–2008), Taiwanese composer
*
Lu Yonggen ( 卢永根; 1930–2019), plant geneticist, President of
South China Agricultural University
*
Lu Ruihua (卢瑞华; 1938–2025), Governor of
Guangdong
) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...
province
*
Lo Hoi-pang (盧海鵬; Lu Haipeng; born 1941), Hong Kong actor
*
Lu Hsiu-yi (盧修一; Liu Xiuyi; 1941–1998), Taiwanese politician
*
Lowell Lo (盧冠廷; Lu Guanting; born 1950), Hong Kong musician
*
Anna Lo (盧曼華; Lo Manwah; born 1950), Hong Kong-born Northern Ireland politician
*
Lu Zhangong
Lu Zhangong ( zh, s=卢展工, t=盧展工, p=Lú Zhǎngōng, poj=Lo Tian-kang; born May 1952) is a Chinese politician. He is, since 2013, a Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and previously served as the Pa ...
(卢展工; born 1952), party chief of
Fujian
Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern 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 capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...
and
Henan provinces
*
Ken Lo (盧惠光; Lu Huiguang; born 1959), Hong Kong actor and martial artist
*
Money Lo (盧敏儀, born 1960), a Hong Kong actress
*
Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕, born 1961), a Taiwanese politician and former television presenter
*
Ed Lu (盧傑; Lu Jie; born 1963), Chinese-American physicist, NASA astronaut of the
International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is a large space station that was Assembly of the International Space Station, assembled and is maintained in low Earth orbit by a collaboration of five space agencies and their contractors: NASA (United ...
*
Lu Shaye (卢沙野; born 1964), diplomat
*
Calvin Lo (盧啟賢), Hong Kong businessman
*
Chris Lu (盧沛寧; Lu Peining; born 1966), Chinese-American politician
*
Candy Lo (盧巧音; Lu Qiaoyin; born 1974), Hong Kong singer and actress
*
Monica Lo (卢淑仪; Lu Shuyi; born 1978), Hong Kong–based Canadian actress and model
*
Lu Rui En (卢瑞恩; born 1981), Singaporean actress and singer
*
Lu Yen-Hsun (盧彥勳; Lu Yanxun; born 1983), Taiwanese tennis player
*
Lo Kwan Yee (盧均宜; Lu Junyi; born 1984), Hong Kong football player
*
Lo Chun Kit (盧俊傑; Lu Junjie; born 1985), Hong Kong football player
*
Lu Ying-chi (盧映錡; born 1985), Taiwanese weightlifter
*
Crowd Lu (盧廣仲; Lu Guangzhong; born 1985), Taiwanese singer-songwriter
*
Lu Lin (卢琳; born 1985), football player
*
Ellen Joyce Loo (盧凱彤; Lu Kaitong; 1986–2018), Hong Kong–based Canadian singer-songwriter
*
Lu Lan (卢兰; born 1987), badminton player
*
Lu Junyi (盧俊義), fictional character in the novel ''
Water Margin''
*
Anson Lo (盧瀚霆; born 1995), Hong Kong singer, dancer and actor
Notable Korean people with the 盧 surname
*
Lho Shin-yong (盧信永; 1930–2019), 18th Prime Minister of South Korea
*
Roh Tae-woo (盧泰愚; 1932–2021), South Korean president
*
Ro Jai-bong (盧在鳳; born 1936), 22nd Prime Minister of South Korea
*
Roh Moo-hyun (盧武鉉; 1946–2009), South Korean president
References
{{surname
Chinese-language surnames
Individual Chinese surnames