Zhu (surname)


Zhu is the pinyin romanization of four Chinese surnames:,,, and. It is alternatively spelled Chu in the Wade–Giles romanization system, Gee in the United States, and Choo. It is the 17th name on the Hundred Family Surnames poem.
The most common of the four, 朱, was the surname of the Ming dynasty emperors. Today it is the 13th most common surname in the People's Republic of China, with a population of over fifteen million. In 2019 Zhu was the fourteenth most common surname in Mainland China.

Origin and distribution

The ancestral surname of the ruling family of the State of Zhu was Cao. . The state of Zou was conquered and annexed by the state of Chu during the reign of King Xuan of Chu . . The ruling family and its descendants adopted Zhu as their surname in memory of their former state of Zhu. .
During the Ming dynasty, some Zhus moved to Taiwan, and others later migrated to Southeast Asia, Europe and the Americas. The clan is also found in Korea and is known as: 주 ; it is the 32nd most common name in Korea though it is combined with the Zhou surname.
Zhu has been one of the most influential clans in Chinese history. Zhu is technically a branch of the Cao surname, but now surpasses the parent ranking 13th and 27th respectively in terms of population size.
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