Surname Overview
Population Overview
There are currently about 8,000 people with the Guo surname in China, ranking around 783rd nationally; the population and ranking change over time.
Guo Surname
Population reference (not a current census): 142Guo / Guo
Origins
Surname Origins
The known origins of the Guo surname are threefold: descendants of Ji-surname figures Guo Zhong and Guo Shu adopted the state name as their surname; some took the name of the Yan state fief of Guo; and some changed their surname from Guo.
Historical Records
Documentary Records
The fifth year of Duke Xi in the Zuo Zhuan records Guo Zhong and Guo Shu as descendants of King Ji and ministers of King Wen; Du Yu's annotation identifies them as sons of King Ji and younger brothers of King Wen.
Migration and Distribution
The Guo lineage of Jinggang in Wangcheng, Changsha, moved from Jiangxi to Hunan; its branch had moved from Taiyuan, Shanxi, to Jiangxi during the Five Dynasties. Today, the Guo surname is mainly distributed in Hunan, Shandong, Hubei, and Shaanxi.
Notable People
Historical Figures
In the Western Zhou period there were Guo Zhong, Guo Shu, and Guo Shifu; in the Western Han, the Erudite Guo Guang specialized in the Chunqiu; and in the Ming dynasty, Guo Chengming was a professor in Lu'an Prefecture, Shanxi.
Research Notes
Genealogical Boundaries
The record of changing the surname from Guo to Guo states that this was “the only branch”; the Guo surname has complex origins and does not necessarily derive from the Guo surname.
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Surname attestation references
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