Qu Surname

Surname Overview

The surname Qu is pronounced qú and is described as one of China's ancient surnames; one listing estimates about 430,000 bearers and ranks it 242nd.

Reference: 瞿氏百科-瞿氏族谱-瞿氏起源-瞿氏家谱-族谱网

Origins

The Ancient Qu State and Qushang

One account derives the surname from the ancient state of Qu: a Shang vessel called the Qu Fu Ding is recorded, the state was located at Qushang in Yizhou, and its name became the surname, giving it a history of at least three millennia.

Reference: 瞿姓起源分布与家谱家族

Migration and Distribution

Ming and Contemporary Distribution

During the Ming period, about 15,000 people bore the surname, mainly in Jiangsu, Anhui, and Hubei, with Jiangsu accounting for more than half. Among 23Mofang test users, reported places of origin were led by Shanghai at 31.5%, Jiangsu at 21.2%, and Zhejiang at 9.9%.

Reference: 瞿姓起源分布与家谱家族

Genealogy and Generation Names

Genealogies and Branch Migrations

A catalog lists 51 Qu genealogies across eight provincial-level regions, including 23 from Zhejiang, 14 from Hunan, five from Jiangsu, and three from Anhui. Individual genealogies record branch migrations, such as the Yitai branch settling in northern Liuyang in the early Southern Song and the Guanliao branch moving to Liling in the first Hongwu year of the Ming.

Reference: 瞿氏家谱网 提供8个省区市的51部瞿氏家谱、瞿氏族谱

Research Notes

Two Ancestral Explanations

Two further explanations are recorded: one traces the surname to residents of Qushang, a fief granted to a Shang official, while the other traces it to descendants of the Shang king Wu Yi, whose personal name was Qu. The explanations rely on different surname-forming traditions.

Reference: 瞿氏家谱网 提供8个省区市的51部瞿氏家谱、瞿氏族谱