Que Surname

Surname Overview

Standard Pronunciation

The standardized pronunciation of the surname Que is què, the fourth tone.

Reference: 阙作为姓氏怎么读？是quē还是què？一文讲清读音与来源 - 百度文库

Origins

Origin in Queli

The main account is that the surname originated from a place name, Que dang in the state of Lu during the Spring and Autumn period, also called Que li.

Reference: 阙作为姓氏怎么读？是quē还是què？一文讲清读音与来源 - 百度文库

Location and Residents of Queli

Que dang, or Que li, was located inside present-day Qufu in Shandong, east of the Confucius Temple. Those who lived there or were enfeoffed there took the place name as their surname. Confucius also once lived in Quli.

Reference: 阙作为姓氏怎么读？是quē还是què？一文讲清读音与来源 - 百度文库

The Quegong State Account

Another account holds that the surname originated from the ancient state of Quegong. Its descendants used “Quegong” as their surname, which was later simplified to the single-character surname Que.

Reference: 阙作为姓氏怎么读？是quē还是què？一文讲清读音与来源 - 百度文库

Research Notes

Historical Pronunciation Variant

Historically, some works, including the Kaolue of Surnames, and some traditional examination questions stated that Que as a surname should be pronounced quē, the first tone.

Reference: 阙作为姓氏怎么读？是quē还是què？一文讲清读音与来源 - 百度文库