Zu Surname

Surname Overview

Overview and Distribution

The surname Zu is a rare Chinese surname, pronounced zǔ, and is mainly distributed in Shandong, Shanxi, Hebei, Henan, Liaoning, Jiangsu, Hubei, Fujian, Taiwan, Inner Mongolia, and Beijing.

Reference: 中国百家姓一一982 俎姓

Origins

The Baozu Origin

One account holds that the surname Zu was changed from Baozu, a group from the Dai region during the Northern Wei period; related records appear in the Wei Shu and Zhang Peng's Xingshi Xunyuan.

Reference: 中国百家姓一一982 俎姓

朱 and 祝 Lineages

Two other accounts connect the surname with descendants of the Ming imperial Zhu family, or with descendants of the Northern Song general Zhu Jing, whose descendants changed their surname to Zu to avoid danger.

Reference: 中国百家姓一一982 俎姓

Historical Records

Documentary Attestations

The surname Zu is recorded in the Clan Genealogies sections of the Xu Tongzhi and Qing Tongzhi, as well as in Xingshi Kaolue; a note in the Wei Shu records the change from Baozu to Zu.

Reference: 俎姓_俎姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Notable People

Historical Figures

In the Ming period, Zu Youyong served as magistrate of Wutai, and Zu Ju was a successful candidate in the imperial examination during the Zhengde era; in the Qing period, Zu Zhihui was a successful candidate during the Shunzhi era.

Reference: 俎姓_俎姓的来源和历史_百家姓

Genealogy and Generation Names

Genealogical Record

The 1898 woodblock edition of Zushi Zongpai has 84 pages and records the Zu genealogy from the first to the twenty-fourth generations; its preface states that the Zu clan of Xuchang originally bore the surname Zhu.

Reference: 中国百家姓一一982 俎姓