SiTu Surname

Surname Overview

The Situ surname ranks 438th in the Hundred Family Surnames and outside the top 300 in the 2007 national surname population ranking; it is a relatively uncommon compound surname.

Reference: 姓氏起源 | 百家姓——司徒姓起源

Origins

Main Origins

The Situ surname has three principal origins: descendants of Emperor Shun who adopted an official title as a surname; descendants of Situ officials in the states of the Spring and Autumn period; and descendants of the late Shang official Shentu Di, from the Zi surname.

Reference: 姓氏起源 | 百家姓——司徒姓起源

Other Origin Traditions

Another tradition holds that the surname arose when the Tang general Xue Gang adopted it while fleeing danger. The material also records that “Shentu” and “Situ” were different written forms of the same official title in the Shang period.

Reference: 姓氏起源 | 百家姓——司徒姓起源

Historical Records

Official Title and Records

Situ was an ancient official title associated in early accounts with educating the people, administrative affairs, and land affairs. The material cites the Records of the Grand Historian and Tongzhi: Clan Studies for descendants in Shun’s branch adopting the official title as a surname.

Reference: 姓氏起源 | 百家姓——司徒姓起源

Migration and Distribution

The Situ clan was active mainly in the Central Plains in its early period, expanded into Hebei between the Han and Tang periods, and formed a prominent clan in Zhao Commandery. After the Song period, it was recorded in Hebei, Yunnan, and Shanxi, and today it is also distributed in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and overseas.

Reference: 姓氏起源 | 百家姓——司徒姓起源