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| Pronunciation | Lú (Mandarin) Lo (Cantonese) |
|---|---|
| Language | Chinese |
| Origin | |
| Language | Middle Chinese |
| Meaning | Reed |
Lú is thepinyin romanization of theChinese surname written芦 insimplified character and蘆 intraditional character. It is also spelledLo according to theCantonese pronunciation. Lu 芦 is the 140th most common surname in China, with a population of 980,000. A relatively new surname, it is not listed in theSong dynastyclassic textHundred Family Surnames.[1]
As of 2008, Lu 蘆 is the 140th most common surname in China, shared by 980,000 people, or 0.079% of the Chinese population.[2][3] It is concentrated in the provinces ofAnhui,Hubei,Hebei, andHenan, which altogether account for 43% of the total, including 17% in Anhui alone.[3]
Lu 蘆 is a relatively new surname by Chinese standard, with a history of about 1,500 years. It was first recorded during theXianbeiNorthern Wei dynasty, whenEmperor Xiaowen (reigned 467–499 AD) implemented a drastic policy ofsinicization, ordering his own people toadopt Chinese-style surnames. The Molu (莫蘆) tribe of Xianbei adopted Lu 蘆 as their surname.[3] During theMing andQing dynasties, many people of theZhuang,Yao, andMiao ethnicities in southern China also adopted the surname.[3]
