Surname Overview
Overview
Chu (出, chū) is a rare surname found today in places including Taiyuan in Shanxi and Hui'an in Fujian. It is recorded in the Qing Tongzhi's Genealogical Gazetteer of Clans.
Chu Surname
Population reference (not a current census): 99Chu / Chu
Origins
Proposed Origins
Recorded origin traditions include Xianbei, Mongol, Ying, and Ji origins. The Ying tradition traces the surname to descendants of Qin's Duke Chu, while the Ji tradition traces it to descendants of Wei's Duke Chu, both using posthumous titles as surnames.
Commanderies and Clan Halls
Commandery, Hall Names, and Distribution
The recorded commandery is Yanshan, with the hall names Yanshan Hall and Hui'an Hall. The Chu community is concentrated in Tuling and nearby villages of Hui'an, Fujian, with others dispersed across Xianyou, Quanzhou, Xiamen, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Malaysia.
Migration and Distribution
Migration of the Fujian Mongol Branch
A Fujian branch in Hui'an is traditionally associated with Nahachu's second son, Fojianu. Fojianu adopted the homophonous character 出 from the last character of his father's name, first settling in Meifengpu of Hui'an's Jiudu and later moving to Zhangshipu of Shidu, now around Hongcuokeng in Tuling.
Notable People
Historical Figure: Chu Kelian
Chu Kelian was a Qing official. In 1738, during the Qianlong era, he ranked first in the provincial examination as a jieyuan; the following year he passed the metropolitan examination, was selected as a Hanlin Academy shuji shi, and received the post of jiantao.
Research Notes
Limits of Genealogical Attribution
For the Daibei Chu lineage, the recorded possibilities are descent from the Chulian or Chudahาน clans. The recorded later surname changes of these Northern Wei surnames do not fully match that account, so the surname cannot be assigned to a single origin on this basis.
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