Surname Overview
The surname Xiu is pronounced Xiū and is relatively uncommon today; it is found among the Han and Lisu peoples.
Xiu Surname
Population reference (not a current census): 126,679Xiu / Xiu
Origins
Main Origins
The main traditions trace Xiu to descendants of Shaohao who adopted Xiu as a surname, or to the Qing-era Manchu clan Xiujia; another tradition treats Xiu as interchangeable with 脩.
Historical Records
Classical Attestations
The Zuo Zhuan records that Shaohao had four uncles including Xiu and Xi, and that Xiu and Xi were associated with Xuánmíng; the Gujin Xingshi Shu Bianzheng states that Xiu descended from Shaohao’s son Xiu.
Migration and Distribution
Distribution and Migration
The Xiu surname is widely distributed but not numerous, with major concentrations in Anhui, Fujian, Sichuan, and Shandong; many Xiu families in Northeast China migrated from the interior in the late Qing period.
Notable People
Historical Figures
Historical figures include Xiu Bing, a Han-dynasty Tunqi Commandant; Xiu Su, a Jin-dynasty Director of the Palace Library; and Xiu Cong of the Ming dynasty.
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