Gu Surname

Origins

Possible Toponymic Origin

The Gu surname may derive from place names, with examples including Gujiagang in Hubei and Gucuo Village in Chaozhou, Guangdong.

Reference: 辜姓起源分布与家谱家族

Branch Granted the Surname

During the Tang dynasty, Lin Zheng, an observation commissioner of Jiangnan Circuit and originally of the Zi surname, was granted the surname Gu by the emperor, forming one Gu branch.

Reference: 辜姓的来源_百度知道

Chen Family’s Change of Surname

Among a Chen fishing family from Tong’an, Xiamen, Fujian, during the Song dynasty, Chen Dunyuan moved to Penang to evade arrest and changed his surname to Gu.

Reference: 辜姓的来源_百度知道

Occupational Title Origin

Among the descendants of holders of the Western Zhou office Zhifugu, which handled sacrifices and punishments, some adopted their ancestor’s official title as the surname Gu.

Reference: 辜姓的来源_百度知道

Migration and Distribution

Present-Day Geographic Distribution

The Gu population is concentrated mainly in southern China. Among 23Mofang genetic-testing users surnamed Gu, the leading places of origin are Sichuan, Guangdong, and Hubei, accounting for 46.5%, 16.3%, and 7.0%, respectively.

Reference: 辜姓起源分布与家谱家族

Notable People

Historical Figures

Notable Gu figures of the Ming dynasty include Gu Yantai, an investigating censor of Guangxi Circuit; Gu Zeng of Nanchang; and Gu Chaojian, who passed the metropolitan examination in 1628. In the late Qing and early Republican period, Gu Hongming, whose ancestral home was Hui’an, Fujian, taught at Peking University.

Reference: 辜姓起源分布与家谱家族