Zhu
Origin
Word/nameShandong, China
MeaningVermillion; named after the ancient State of Zhu (邾)
Other names
Variant form(s)Zou (邹)
Cao (also adopted by former subjects of Zou)

Zhu is the pinyin romanization of five Chinese surnames: , , , and .

The most prominent of the five, Zhu (), is the 17th name in the Hundred Family Surnames poem and was the surname of the Ming dynasty emperors. It is alternatively spelled Chu (primarily in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan), Gee in the United States & Canada, and Choo (mostly in Singapore and Malaysia). As of 2018, it is the 14th most common surname in the People's Republic of China, with a population of around 18 million.[1][2][3]

Name

One interpretation is that 朱 refers to 朱雀 meaning vermillion. This is a completely different character from another Chu (楚), which is less common than Zhu.

Origin and distribution

The ancestral surname (姓) of the ruling family of the State of Zhu (邾) was Cao. (p. 144, Xueqin). The State of Zou, as it was later renamed, was conquered and annexed by the state of Chu during the reign of King Xuan of Chu (369–340 BC). (p. 43, Chao). The ruling family and its descendants adopted Zhu (朱) as their surname in memory of their former state of Zhu (邾). (p. 43, Chao & p. 239, Tan).

During the Ming dynasty, some people of the Zhu clan moved to Taiwan, and others later migrated to Southeast Asia, Europe and the Americas. During the Qing dynasty the House of Zhu was purged by the House of Aisin-Gioro and the Manchu people who led the Qing armies. Many royal family members of the House of Zhu were executed at Caishikou Execution Grounds during the Qing dynasty. The Zhu clan is also found in Korea and is known as 주 (朱; Ju, Joo); it is the 32nd most common name in Korea though it is combined with the Zhou (周) surname (see List of Korean surnames).

Zhu (朱) is technically a branch of the Cao (曹) surname. Nowadays, Zhu is 14th most common, while Cao is 27th most common in terms of population size.[4]

A 2013 study found that it was the 14th most common surnames, shared by 17,000,000 people or 1.280% of the population, with the province with the most being Jiangsu.

Notable people surnamed 朱

Historical figures

Government, politics and military

Philosophy and religion

Arts

Science and technology

Business

  • Zhu Chuanfeng, businessman sentenced to death for selling gutter oil
  • Zhu Chuanqing, businessman sentenced to life in prison for selling gutter oil
  • Zhu Chuanbo, businessman sentenced to life in prison for selling gutter oil
  • David Chu, Taiwanese-American, founder of Nautica, men's designer outerwear company
  • Zhu Baoguo, Chinese billionaire, founder of Joincare Pharmaceutical Group Industrial
  • Zhu Gongshan, Chinese billionaire, founder of GCL-Poly Energy Holdings Limited, an energy supplier in China
  • Zhu Huiming, Chinese billionaire, founder of Hangzhou Binjiang Real Estate Group
  • Zhu Jun (businessman), Chinese industrialist and businessman; Chairman of Nasdaq listed company, the Nine City (NASDAQ: NCTY); also chairman of the Shanghai Shenhua football club.
  • Chu Lam Yiu (朱林瑤), chairwoman and CEO, Huabao International Holdings
  • Zhu Mengyi (朱孟依), Chairman of Guangdong Zhujiang Invest, Hopson Development
  • Zhu Xingliang, Chinese billionaire, founder of Suzhou Gold Mantis Construction Decoration
  • Zhu Xinli, Chinese multi-millionaire, founder and chairman of China Huiyuan Juice Group
  • Zhu Yicai, Chinese billionaire, founder and chairman of China Yurun Group
  • Zhu Yunlai, CEO of China International Capital Corp; he is the son of Zhu Rongji, former Premier of the People's Republic of China, and a direct descendant of the Hongwu Emperor of the Ming dynasty
  • Abehymann Zhu, managing director of APX World Logistics Inc., a Shanghai-based 3PL provider formed in July 1993

Sports and entertainment

Miscellaneous

Foreign

See also

References

  1. "公安部发布去年全国姓名报告,"王、李、张"姓排前三".
  2. "中国最新300大姓排名(2008 [Statistics on the number of citizens with each surname in China, based on records of National Identity Cards]." 2009-01-06. Accessed 20 Jun 2015.(in Chinese)
  3. "新京报 - 好新闻,无止境".
  4. "100 most popular Chinese last or family names". www.chinapage.com. Archived from the original on 14 March 2010. Retrieved 12 January 2022.

Reading

  • Brook, Timothy, 1998, The Confucian of Pleasure: Commerce and Culture in Ming China, University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-21091-3
  • Chao, Sheau-yueh J., 2000, "In Search of Your Asian Roots: Genealogical Research on Chinese Surnames", Clearfield. ISBN 0-8063-4946-8
  • Li, Chi, 1967, "The Formation of the Chinese People: An Anthropological Inquiry", Russell & Russell. U.S. Library of Congress Card No: 66-27117.
  • Li Xueqin, 1985 "Eastern Zhou and Qin Civilizations", (K.C. Chang trans.). Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-03286-2
  • Mote, F.W., 1999, "Imperial China 900 - 1800", Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-44515-5
  • Paludan, Ann, 1998, "Chronicle of the Chinese Emperors: The Reign-By-Reign Record of the Rulers of Imperial China", Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0-500-05090-2
  • Paludan, Ann, 1981, "The Imperial Ming Imperial Tombs", Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-02511-4
  • Tan, Thomas Tsu-wee, 1986, "Your Chinese Roots: The Overseas Chinese Story", Times Books International. ISBN 0-89346-285-3
  • Wu, Kuo-Cheng, 1982, The Chinese Heritage. Crown Publishers, Inc. ISBN 0-517-54475-X
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