Gu (surname)


Gu is an East Asian family name. In China, it is the 93rd name on the Hundred Family Surnames poem. Some places such as South Korea, and early immigrants from Wu-speaking region in China usually romanize this family name as Goo, Koo, or Ku.
The family name Gù is the most common pronounced "Gu", as well as the only one pronounced "Gù" and is ranked #88 on the list of top Chinese family names, according to the 2006 Chinese census.
In South Korea, most people bearing the surname Gu use the hanja character 具 and 丘. The character 邱 and 仇 are also used although the latter two are less common.

History

China

Northern lineage

The surname Gu descends from the kings of the first hereditary dynasty in China, Xia dynasty. A branch of the royal family was given a domain or a subsidiary kingdom with this name near the capital of Xia dynasty. On the way of taking over from Xia dynasty, the second dynasty, Shang dynasty, first attacked and annexed the subsidiary kingdom with this surname and another subsidiary kingdom named "Wei" of Xia dynasty. The survivors of the former subsidiary kingdom adopted the name and became the northern lineage of the family Gu.

Southern lineage

The founder king of Xia dynasty, Yu the Great, died in Kuaiji, nowadays Shaoxing, on his last imperial inspection tour, and was buried there. During the reign of Xia dynasty, a branch of the royal family - which may or may not be the same branch of the subsidiary kingdom as mentioned above - was dispatched to Kuaiji to take care of the burial site of the founder king, Yu the Great, and memorial rites commemorating the king. This branch evolved into Yue Kingdom around or possibly before the Spring and Autumn period in the third dynasty Zhou dynasty, as unearthed second dynasty Shang dynasty oracle bone already contemporaneously indicates the presence of a domain or kingdom named Yue. An ancestor of the Gu family was the most famous king of this Yue Kingdom, Goujian. He was the last of the five Hegemons in the historic Spring and Autumn period, and had an incredibly beautiful sword unearthed in near mint condition several decades ago.
A second, southern lineage of the family Gu descends from this branch, although they technically did not obtain that name until the Han dynasty. The Southern lineage of Gu family makes up the majority of all those who bear the name today. A book of family tree was published.
The Gu family traces its origins to the Yue Kingdom, which was later destroyed around 306 BC in the third dynasty Zhou dynasty during the Warring States period and partitioned between Chu and Qi. At the beginning of the Han dynasty, the 7th generation descendant of King Goujian of Yue was named Yao, a regional warlord. He assisted the royal family of the Han dynasty in establishing the new dynasty. For his service, the Han emperor rewarded Yao with the title of "King of Eastern Sea". Yao later bestowed his own son the title of "Duke of Gu Yu". Thus his descendants proclaimed themselves the last name "Gu", and called "Gu Yao" as the 1st Ancestor of "Gu".
According to a 2002 article similar trace of that family was confirmed through historical archives.

Distribution

This family name can be found mostly in eastern and southern Chinese provinces, especially in Jiangsu, Northern Zhejiang, and around the city of Shanghai, and is sometimes romanized as Koo. This surname can also be found in Korea, Vietnam and Indonesia.

Notable people

China

Korea