Gu (surname)

Gu
Family name
Region of origin China
Language(s) of origin Chinese

Gu can refer to several different Chinese or Korean family names. Some places, such as Hongkong or South Korea, usually romanize this family name into "Koo" or "Ku".

Gu Surname Variation

China

1958 old photograph of Chinese-Indonesian of Gu (古) surname, first until third generations
  1. The family name (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; literally: "to care for"), the most common and is ranked #88 on the list of top Chinese family names, according to the 2006 Chinese census (excluding Taiwan).
  2. The family name (谷, meaning valley), came about when a noble family of the Zhou Dynasty was rewarded a fief in a valley area. The descendants of the family adopted the name to link their lineage to that history.
  3. The family name (古, meaning ancient), is extremely rare in China.
  4. The family name (骨, meaning bone), is even more rare.
  5. The family name (辜, meaning crime), is just as rare. Prominent bearers of this surname include Koo Chen-fu (Taiwanese diplomat, businessman and former head and heir to the Koos Group) and Gu Hongming (Malaysian-born intellectual and polyglot).

Korea

  1. The family name "Gu" (Hangul: ; hanja: ), the common Korean family name in South Korea.
  2. The family name "Gu" (Hangul: ; hanja: ), the Korean family name, came from Nanyang, Henan, China.
  3. The family name "Gu" (Hangul: ; hanja: ), the rare family name in South Korea.
  4. The family name "Gu" (Hangul: ; hanja: ), the extremely rare family name in South Korea.

History

China

Northern lineage

The survivors of uncultured unknown kingdom adopted the name and became the northern lineage of the family Gu. After the area annexed by Shang Dynasty.

Southern lineage

A second, southern lineage of the family Gu came around the Spring & Autumn Period. Although they technically did not obtain that name until the Han Dynasty. The Southern lineage of Gu family makes up the majority of all those who bear the name today. A book of family tree was published.[1]

The Gu family traces its origins to the Yue Kingdom, which was later destroyed around 306 BC during the Warring States period. At the beginning of the Han dynasty, the 7th generation descendant of King Goujian of Yue was named Yao, a regional warlord. He assisted the royal family of the Han dynasty in establishing the new dynasty. For his service, the Han emperor rewarded Yao with the title of "King of Eastern Sea". Yao later bestowed his own son the title of "Duke of Gu Yu". Thus his descendants proclaimed themselves the last name "Gu", and called "Gu Yao" as the 1st Ancestor of "Gu".

According to a 2002 article [2] similar trace of that family was confirmed through historical archives. Other commentaries are found at [3] and [4]

Most recent

The surviving members of disputed official changed their names and concealed their royal bloodline to hide their shame. One of the adopted names was Gu.

Distribution

This family name can be found mostly in eastern and southern Chinese provinces, especially in Jiangsu, Northern Zhejiang, and around the city of Shanghai. This surname can also be found in Korea, Vietnam and Indonesia.

Notable people

China

Prominent bearer of this surname include:

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, February 03, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.