Bo Surname

Surname Overview

Overview

The Bo surname is one of the Chinese surnames, ranked 264th in the Song edition of the Hundred Family Surnames, and is a rare surname found among multiple ethnic groups.

Reference: 薄姓起源与迁徙：历史长河中里的薄氏家族-族谱网

Origins

Main Origins

The main origins of the Bo surname are threefold: the Bogushi adopted a place name and later simplified it to Bo; descendants of the Jiang surname took the name of the Bo state; and descendants of a Spring and Autumn official of Song took the name of his fief.

Reference: 薄姓起源与迁徙：历史长河中里的薄氏家族-族谱网

Ethnic Surname Changes

During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, members of the Xianbei compound surname Boxi from the Wuhuan area of northern Wei adopted the single surname Bo after entering the Central Plains. Among the Qiang Xibo tribe in the late Han period, some also adopted Bo.

Reference: 薄姓起源与迁徙：历史长河中里的薄氏家族-族谱网

Historical Records

Documentary Record

The annotation by Du Yu to Zuo Zhuan records that an official of Song was enfeoffed at Bo, was known as Duke Bo, and that his descendants adopted the name of the fief as their surname.

Reference: 薄姓的六个起源：历史名人、迁徙分布与文化传承深度解析_姓氏_族人_薄姬

Commanderies and Clan Halls

Commanderies And Hall Names

The main commanderies associated with the Bo surname are Qiao and Yanmen, and one of its hall names is Gewu Hall.

Reference: 薄姓的六个起源：历史名人、迁徙分布与文化传承深度解析_姓氏_族人_薄姬

Migration and Distribution

Migration And Distribution

By the pre-Qin period, the Bo surname was already distributed around Shangqiu and Qixian in Henan. In the early Ming, Shanxi Bo families were among those relocated from the Hongdong pagoda tree area to Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Henan, and Shandong; during the Kangxi and Qianlong periods of the Qing, some moved to Northeast China.

Reference: 薄姓起源与迁徙：历史长河中里的薄氏家族-族谱网