Luo / Lo
Luo is the 22nd most common surname in China, with about 10.2 million people today, accounting for roughly 0.81% of the population; its population is concentrated mainly in Sichuan, Guangdong, and Hunan.
The Han Chinese Luo surname has two main branches: the Xiong-surname Luo lineage and surnames changed by non-Han groups. The Xiong-surname lineage arose from the Mi tribe of Jilian, grandson of Wu Hui of the Zhurong clan and a descendant of Zhuanxu; the Luo clan separated from the Xiong clan and was named for its skill in making bird nets and catching birds.
The State of Luo was destroyed by King Wu of Chu in 690 BCE; its descendants adopted the state name as their surname, while some used Xiong. The Luo clan has a history of at least 4,000 years, and the Luo surname has been formally used for more than 2,700 years.
The Luo surname's commanderies include Yuzhang, Changsha, Qi, Xiangyang, and Hedong; Yuzhang, administered from Nanchang, is identified as the Luo surname's cradle in the early Han period. The ancient site of the State of Luo is located in Xingyuansi Village, Liujizhen, southeast of present-day Nanzhang County, Hubei.
Before the Qin period, the Luo clan was active in Hubei, Henan, and Gansu. Under King Wen of Chu it moved south into Miluo, Hunan; during the Qin and Han periods it spread to Nanchang, Jiangxi, and later from Hunan and Jiangxi into the Liangguang region, western and southern Hunan, eastern Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan; in the early Qing period it entered Taiwan.
Notable historical figures surnamed Luo include Luo Pou and Luo Zhu of the Western Han, Luo Qisheng and Luo You of the Jin, Luo Yi, Luo Shixin, and Luo Yin of the Tang, Luo Guanzhong around the Yuan-Ming transition, and Luo Zhenyu, Luo Ronghuan, and Luo Ruiqing in modern times.
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