Surname Overview
Overview and Distribution
The Shu surname is widely distributed across China, with concentrations in Sichuan, Jiangxi, Hunan, and Hubei; these four provinces account for about 83% of the Shu population among Han Chinese.
Shu Surname
Population reference (not a current census): 994,709Shu / Shu
Origins
Main Origins
The Shu surname has traditions of Ren and Yan origins. The Yan branch descended from Gaotao, established the state of Shu during the Shang period, and adopted the state name as its surname after the state fell.
Commanderies and Clan Halls
Commanderies and Hall Names
Recorded Shu commanderies include Jingzhao, Julu, Pingyang, and Jingbei. Hall names include Jingzhao, Yujiang, Pingyang, Ziyang, Jingbei, Julu, and Langfeng.
Migration and Distribution
Migration and Expansion
In early periods, Shu lineages centered on Lujiang in Anhui, then spread toward Hunan, Hubei, and the Jiangnan region. From the Tang and Song periods they were present in Zhejiang, Anhui, and Jiangxi, and in the early Ming period some Shu families from Shanxi were relocated to several provinces.
Notable People
Historical Figures
Shu Shao was a noted figure from Chenliu in the late Eastern Han. He served as Pei Chancellor under Yuan Shu, distributed military grain to famine victims, and was later promoted to Chief of Fuling.
Genealogy and Generation Names
Genealogical Migration Examples
The Xiangxiang Tant台 Shu genealogy records that the founding ancestor Maoxian moved from Xinzhou to Nanchang during the Song period, and his nineteenth-generation descendant Shizhou moved from Nanchang to Tant台 in Xiangxiang during the Wanli era of the Ming dynasty.
Continue your family research
Start with ancestral counties, villages, personal names and dates. Record genealogy titles, volumes, editions and catalog identifiers. A shared surname does not prove a shared lineage; compare branch records.
Surname attestation references
These catalogs or datasets attest written names, not every origin or lineage claim on this page.
This page includes automatically organized material. Check the references and original family documents.
Add or correct information
Submit the information and a reference link for possible inclusion on this page.