As of 2013, Lu 陆 is the 61st most common surname in China.[1] It is shared by 4.2 million people, or 0.33% of the Chinese population. Lu 陆 is predominantly a southern surname. Jiangsu province has the highest number of Lu's, accounting for 23% of the national total. Guangxi is a close second, with 21%. Guangdong, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Guizhou, and Anhui, all southern provinces, account for another 33%.[2] Lu 陆 is the 6th most common surname in Guangxi's capital and largest city of Nanning and the 10th most common name in Shanghai.[4]
Origins
According to tradition, there are three main sources of the Lu 陆 surname:
1. From Luzhong (陆终), a great-great-grandson of the legendary emperor Zhuanxu. Luzhong's father Wuhui (吴回) was put in charge of fire by Emperor Ku and given the title of Zhu Rong. Luzhong's clan migrated to Pinglu County, Shanxi, and later moved to Pinglu of Shandong, in present-day Wenshang County.[2][5]
3. From the Tian (Chen) lineage of the Gui clan (妫), the ruling family of the State of Chen during the Spring and Autumn period. Chen Wan (later called Tian Wan), a prince of Chen, escaped to the State of Qi after losing a power struggle in his home state. Tian Wan's descendants prospered in Qi and eventually usurped the throne of the kingdom, which became known as Tian Qi. During the Warring States period, King Xuan of Qi enfeoffed his youngest son Tian Tong at Lu 陆 (in modern Laoling, Shandong), which was named after a branch of the Luzhong clan. Tian Tong's descendants adopted Lu as their surname.[2][5]
Later adoption
During the XianbeiNorthern Wei dynasty, Emperor Xiaowen (reigned 467–499 AD) implemented a drastic policy of sinicization, ordering his own people to adopt Chinese surnames. The Bulugu (步陆孤) tribe of Xianbei adopted Lu as their surname. The Xianbei people have since completely assimilated into the Han Chinese.[5] The Xianbei Lu later became highly prosperous. Out of the four most prominent Lu 陆 clans in history, which were based in the commanderies of Henan, Henei, Pingyuan, and Wu, two (Henan and Henei) traced their ancestry to the Bulugu tribe.[5]
This page lists people with the surnameLu. If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.
