Surname Overview
Current Surname
Dou is a currently rare surname, distributed today in Linfen, Shanxi, and recorded in Shanxi Population Surnames and the New Compilation of a Thousand Surnames.
dǒu Surname
Population reference (not a current census): 2dǒu
Origins
Dugang of Zhen State
One branch derives from the Yan surname and the Dugang settlement of the Spring and Autumn-period Zhen State, taking the settlement name as its surname. After Zhen State fell, some former subjects used Dugang as their surname.
Lingqu Doumen
One branch derives from Doumen at the Qin-period Lingqu irrigation project, taking the settlement name as its surname. It is said that descendants of a Ji-surname officer were called Doumen, later simplified to the single surnames Dou and Men.
Commanderies and Clan Halls
Commanderies and Hall
The recorded commanderies are Jiangxia and Anlu, and the hall name is Jiangxia Hall.
Notable People
The Wei Dou Branch
One branch derives from the Ji surname and Wei Dou, Duke of Xun in the Tang dynasty, taking an ancestor's name as its surname. Wei Dou was also known as Wei Zhi; he inherited the title Duke of Xun and successively held the office of Minister of Personnel.
Research Notes
Pronunciation and Origin Boundaries
The head entry is marked dǒu; the texts on the Yan-surname and Doumen branches give dòu, while another entry says it may also be read tóu but not dǒu. A general entry also records the origin as unknown.
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