Origins
Two Main Origins
The Lu surname mainly has two branches: Gui-surname and Jiang-surname lines. One Gui-surname branch derives from descendants of the Lu state, while the Jiang-surname branch derives from the Lu Pu lineage after the surname change.
Reference: 卢姓起源分布与家谱家族
Gui-Surname Lineage
The Gui-surname Lu lineage was active in the Lu region during the Xia and Shang periods and was enfeoffed as the Lu state in the early Western Zhou. After Chu destroyed Lu in the mid-Spring and Autumn period, its descendants adopted the state name as their surname; this lineage has a history of at least 2,600 years.
Reference: 卢姓起源分布与家谱家族
Historical Records
Song and Ming Distribution
In the Song dynasty, the Lu surname numbered about 260,000 people and was mainly distributed in Shandong, Henan, and Zhejiang. In the Ming dynasty, it numbered about 510,000 and was mainly distributed in Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Jiangsu; its population center shifted from the north toward the southeast.
Reference: 卢姓起源分布与家谱家族
Migration and Distribution
Historical Migration and Concentration
Before the Qin dynasty, the Lu surname was mainly active in Shandong, Hubei, and Hebei. It expanded rapidly in the north during the Qin and Han periods, entered Fujian with migrants from the Central Plains during the Tang dynasty, and shifted toward the southeast and south during the Song and Ming periods.
Reference: 卢姓起源分布与家谱家族
Contemporary Geographic Distribution
Among 23Mofang genetic-testing users, Lu-surname users' registered ancestral regions are mainly Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu, accounting for 16.6%, 9.9%, and 8.1%, respectively.
Reference: 卢姓起源分布与家谱家族
Research Notes
Surname Assimilation
Historically, some non-Han clans adopted the Lu surname, including the Northern Wei Xianbei Mo Lu, Dou Lu, and Tufu Lu clans, as well as the Hesheli clan of the Manchu Eight Banners in the Qing dynasty.
Reference: 卢姓起源分布与家谱家族
