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Zhou (surname)

Zhōu () is a Chinese-language surname. In places which use the Wade–Giles romanization such as Taiwan, Zhou is usually spelled as Chou, and it may also be spelled as Chiau, Chau, Chao, Chew, Chow, Chiu, Cho, Chu, Jhou, Jou, Djou, Jue, Jow, Joe, or Tseu, depending on regional pronunciation.

In classical genealogy, the main origin of the surname 周 (Zhou) derives from the royal members of the house of Zhou, originally surnamed 姬 (Ji). They were the descendants of King Ping of Zhou, adopted the surname 周 (Zhou) after the fall of the Zhou dynasty.

Zhou ranks as the 10th most common surname in mainland China . In 2013 it was found to be the 10th most common name, shared by 25,200,000 people or 1.900% of the population, with the province with the most being Hunan.

Derived from the Zhou dynasty, it has been one of the ten most common surnames in China since the Yuan dynasty. It is the 5th name on the Hundred Family Surnames poem. The Korean surname, "Joo" or "Ju", and The Vietnamese surname, "Châu" or "Chu", are both derived from and written with the same Chinese character (周). The character also means "around". Zhōu also stands for other, rare Chinese family names, , , and .

History

According to historical records, Zhou surname originates from the imperial kinsmen of the Zhou dynasty. The original surname (xing) of the royal Zhou family was Ji (姬). In 256 B.C., the Qin dynasty conquered Zhou and put Rufen under the jurisdiction of Runan County. Ji Yong, a descendant of King Ping of Zhou, which lived on the system of enfeoffment in Rufen, changed his surname to Zhou to commemorate the merits and virtues of his ancestors. The descendants of Emperor Nan of the Zhou dynasty, who were called the Zhou family after the Zhou dynasty had been destroyed, also took on the Zhou surname. Since then the Zhou surname has become a common family name in Runan.

Non-Han people who adopted the name Zhou include the Helu and Pu surnames of the Xianbei nationality in (the Northern Zhou) and the Xitong and Shuhu surnames of the Mongolian nationality in the Yuan dynasty.

People with the Zhou surname could be found all over the country due to enfeoffment and migration through the ages, especially from out Runan. In general the migration of the Zhou family followed the pattern of "west to east" and "south to north".

Prominent individuals with the surname Zhou

Modern day

Historical

Alphabetized by surname, then by given name.

Fictional

Alphabetized by surname, then by given name.

Associated places

Zhouzhuang (周庄), Suzhou, Jiangsu China

Zhouzhuang (pronounced as "Tseu-Zoan" in the Wu dialect) is a water-town in Jiangsu under the administration of Suzhou city and is known for its canals and its role in heritage tourism. The town is 900 years old, with 60 original brick archways and 100 original courtyards preserved from that time.

The town derives from the fact that the land on which it is built was donated by a certain person from the Zhou clan, known as Zhou Digong, during the Song dynasty.

Chew (Zhou) Clan Jetty (姓周桥), Georgetown Penang, Malaysia

There is a jetty on Penang, peninsula Malaysia, which now serves as a famous tourist attraction, and which is named after the Zhou clan. It is largest and most visited of the clan jetties of Penang and is rendered in English as the Chew Clan Jetty, following the regional pronunciation of the surname Zhou 周 in the Minnan dialect, since the clan in question originates from Tong'An, Xiamen. The clan jetties form part of the core area of the Georgetown UNESCO World Heritage site.

See also

References

External links