Wu (surname)


Wú is the pinyin transliteration of the Chinese surname , which is the tenth most common surname in Mainland China.
Wú is the sixth name listed in the Song Dynasty classic Hundred Family Surnames. In 2019 Wu was the ninth most common surname in Mainland China. A 2013 study found that it was the 8th most common surname, shared by 26,800,000 people or 2.000% of the population, with the province having the most being Guangdong.
The Cantonese and Hakka transliteration of 吳 is Ng, a syllable made entirely of a nasal consonant while the Min Nan transliteration of 吳 is Ngo, Ngoh, Goh, Go, Gouw, depending on the regional variations in Min Nan pronunciation.
吳 is also one of the most common surnames in Korea. It is spelled 오 in Hangul and romanized O by the three major romanization systems, but more commonly spelled Oh in South Korea.
It is also related far back in Chinese history with the name "Zhou " and "Ji ". The Vietnamese equivalent of the surname is Ngô.
Several other, less common Chinese surnames are also transliterated into English as "Wu", but with different tones:
Wǔ,
Wǔ,
Wǔ,
Wū,
Wū
and Wū.
Wu is also the Cantonese transliteration of the Chinese surname 胡, used in Hong Kong, and by overseas Chinese of Cantonese-speaking areas of Guangdong, Guangxi, and/or Hong Kong/Macau origin.

History of the surname Wu (吳)

The name originates from the ancient state of Wu in present-day province of Jiangsu.
In the 13th century BC, the state of Zhou was ruled by Tai Wang. His surname was originally Ji. He had three sons: Taibo, Zhongyong, and Jili. King Tai of Zhou favored the youngest son, Jili to inherit the reins of power, therefore Taibo and his brother Zhongyong voluntarily left Zhou with a group of followers and headed southeast where they established the state of Wu. Taibo and Zhongyong's descendants eventually adopted Wu as their surname. The state of Wu later became a powerful kingdom of its own with the help of Generals Wu Zixu and Sun Tzu, the latter best known as the author of the military treatise The Art of War, both serving under King Helü of Wu. King Helü is considered to be one of the Five Hegemons of China during the Spring and Autumn period.
Taibo and Zhongyong's youngest brother Jili stayed to rule the Zhou state and was the grandfather of Wu Wang who started the Zhou Dynasty after successfully overthrowing the Shang Dynasty. The descendants of Wu Wang eventually changed their surname from Ji to Zhou during the Qin Dynasty to commemorate the merits and virtues of their ancestors.
Therefore, the surnames Wu, Zhou, and Ji are historically related.

Notable people

Historical figures

Wū ()

It is the 78th name on the Hundred Family Surnames poem.
巫 wū rarely occurs as a surname. It is related to the Chinese compound surname Wuma 巫馬.