/ ( or ) is an

East Asian East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South ...

surname.

pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese fo ...

: in

Mandarin Chinese Mandarin (; ) is a group of Chinese (Sinitic) dialects that are natively spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. The group includes the Beijing dialect, the basis of the phonology of Standard Chinese, the official language ...

, in

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...

. It is the family name of the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...

emperors. The character originally meant 'kill', but is now used only as a surname. It is listed 252nd in the classic text

Hundred Family Surnames The ''Hundred Family Surnames'' (), commonly known as ''Bai Jia Xing'', also translated as ''Hundreds of Chinese Surnames'', is a classic Chinese text composed of common Chinese surnames. An unknown author compiled the book during the Song dy ...

. Today, it is the 4th most common surname in Mainland China as well as one of the most common surnames in the world.

Distribution

In 2019 劉 was the fourth most common surname in Mainland China. Additionally, it was the most common surname in

Jiangxi Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north into h ...

province. In 2013 it was found to be the 5th most common surname, shared by 67,700,000 people or 5.1% of the population, with the province with the most people being Shandong.中国四百大姓, 袁义达, 邱家儒, Beijing Book Co. Inc., 1 January 2013

Origin

One source is that they descend from the Qí (祁) clan of

Emperor Yao Emperor Yao (; traditionally c. 2356 – 2255 BCE) was a legendary Chinese ruler, according to various sources, one of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. Ancestry and early life Yao's ancestral name is Yi Qi () or Qi (), clan name ...

. For example the founding emperor of the Han dynasty (one of China's golden ages), Liu Bang (

Emperor Gaozu of Han Emperor Gaozu of Han (256 – 1 June 195 BC), born Liu Bang () with courtesy name Ji (季), was the founder and first emperor of the Han dynasty, reigning in 202–195 BC. His temple name was "Taizu" while his posthumous name was E ...

) was a descendant of

. Another origin is from the Jī (姬) clan of King Qing of Zhou. For example, , the youngest son of King Qing of Zhou, founded the and his descendants took state names as surname.

History

Liu was a place name in ancient China (located in present-day

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

). The Liu family name has two main origins from this place name. Kongjia, the fourteenth king of the

Xia dynasty The Xia dynasty () is the first dynasty in traditional Chinese historiography. According to tradition, the Xia dynasty was established by the legendary Yu the Great, after Shun, the last of the Five Emperors, gave the throne to him. In tradi ...

, was given a male and a female dragon as a reward for his obedience to the god of heaven, but could not train them, so he hired a dragon-trainer named Liu Lei (劉累), who had learned how to train dragons from Huanlong. Liu Lei was a descendant of

, won the admiration of King KongJia for his skill in raising dragons. In order to reward Liu Lei, King KongJia granted him Liu (place) as his fief. Liu Lei took the name of his fief as his family name. One day, the female dragon died unexpectedly, so Liu Lei secretly chopped her up, cooked her meat, and served it to the king, who loved it so much that he demanded Liu Lei to serve him the same meal again. Since Liu Lei had no means of procuring more dragon meat, he fled the palace. Liu Lei was the first person surnamed Liu in Chinese history, and his descendant Liu Bang founded the

. During the

Zhou dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ; Old Chinese ( B&S): *''tiw'') was a royal dynasty of China that followed the Shang dynasty. Having lasted 789 years, the Zhou dynasty was the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history. The military control of China by ...

King Ding of Zhou King Ding of Zhou (), personal name Ji Yu, was the twenty-first king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty and the ninth of Eastern Zhou. He was a son of King Qing of Zhou and brother of King Kuang of Zhou. He sent an official named Wangsun Man to pres ...

granted Liu (place) to his younger brother

Ji Jizi Ji or JI may refer to: Names and titles * Ji (surname), the pinyin romanization of a number of distinct Chinese surnames * Ji (Korean name), a Korean surname and element in given names (including lists of people with the name) * -ji, an honori ...

(姬季子) as a fief.

also took his fief name as his family name. Liu became a State and

ruled the

State of Liu State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Duke Kang of Liu Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

. After more than a hundred years under the rule of the Liu family, the

was destroyed by the central government of the Zhou dynasty. Liu was the ruling family of the

, one of the most prosperous and influential empires in Chinese history. After the

Chen Sheng Wu Guang uprising The Chen Sheng and Wu Guang uprising (), July–December 209 B.C., was the first uprising against the Qin dynasty following the death of Qin Shi Huang. Led by Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, the uprising helped overthrow the Qin and paved the way for t ...

overthrew the Qin, the Han dynasty was founded by Emperor Liu Bang. Later, Emperor

Liu Che The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often vo ...

helped expand the Han dynasty even further, ushering in a golden age for China. The Han dynasty had 30 emperors were surnamed Liu, making it among the Chinese dynasties that had the most emperors. The Han dynasty lasted 400 years, making it one of the longest lasting Chinese empires in history. The Han is what gives its name to the Han people as well as Han characters /

Hanzi Chinese characters () are logograms developed for the writing of Chinese. In addition, they have been adapted to write other East Asian languages, and remain a key component of the Japanese writing system where they are known as ''kanji ...

Chinese characters Chinese characters () are logograms developed for the writing of Chinese. In addition, they have been adapted to write other East Asian languages, and remain a key component of the Japanese writing system where they are known as '' kan ...

. Even after the Han dynasty, several Liu continued to hold power within China including

Liu Bei Liu Bei (, ; ; 161 – 10 June 223), courtesy name Xuande (), was a warlord in the late Eastern Han dynasty who founded the state of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period and became its first ruler. Although he was a distant relative of the H ...

(written about in

Records of the Three Kingdoms The ''Records or History of the Three Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese name as the Sanguo Zhi, is a Chinese historical text which covers the history of the late Eastern Han dynasty (c. 184–220 AD) and the Three Kingdoms period (220� ...

) and Liu Yuan (Han Zhao). Over history, several non-Han Chinese people have converted to the Liu surname, including Xiongnu and Turks.

Historical figures

* , son of King Qing of Zhou and founder of the * Liu Bang, Founder of the

as Emperor Gaozu of Han * Liu Jiao ( King of Chu), the younger brother of Liu Bang and famous scholar * Liu Ying, Second Emperor of the Han dynasty * Liu Heng, Fifth Emperor of the Han dynasty * Liu Qi, Sixth Emperor of the Han dynasty *

, Seventh Emperor of the Han dynasty known for expanding the Han dynasty to its fullest extent and for a long reign of 54 years * Liu An (King of Huainan), advisor to his nephew, Emperor Wu of Han. Best known for editing the (139 BCE) Huainanzi compendium of Daoist, Confucianist, and Legalist teachings * Liu Sheng (King of Zhongshan), the direct ancestor of the

Shu Han Han (; 221–263), known in historiography as Shu Han ( ) or Ji Han ( "Junior Han"), or often shortened to Shu (; pinyin: ''shŭ'' < Middle Chinese: *''źjowk'' < Eastern Han Chinese: *''dźok''), was one of the three major states that compet ...

emperors, had more than 120 sons *

Liu Xiang Liu Xiang or Liuxiang may refer to: People *Liu Xiang, Prince of Qi (died 179 BC), prince during the Han dynasty *Liu Xiang, Prince of Liang (died 97 BC), prince during the Han dynasty *Liu Xiang (scholar) (77 BC – 6 BC), Han dynasty scholar-off ...

, government official, scholar, and author of who lived during the Han dynasty *

Liu Fuling Emperor Zhao of Han (Liu Fuling 劉弗陵; 94 BC – 5 June 74 BC) was the emperor of the Western Han dynasty from 87 to 74 BC. Emperor Zhao was the youngest son of Emperor Wu of Han. By the time he was born, Emperor Wu was already 62. Prince Fu ...

, Emperor of the Han dynasty * Liu He, Emperor of the Han dynasty * Liu Xun, Emperor of the Han dynasty * Liu Shi, Emperor of the Han dynasty * Liu Ao, Emperor of the Han dynasty * Liu Xin, Emperor of the Han dynasty * Liu Kan, Emperor of the Han dynasty * Liu Xin, astronomer, historian, and editor during the Han dynasty * Liu Xuan, Emperor Gengshi of the Han dynasty * Liu Yan (Xin dynasty), general and older brother of Liu Xiu * Liu Xiu, The restorer of the Han dynasty and the founding emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty * Liu Dai, politician during the Eastern Han dynasty * Liu Du (warlord), warlord and politician during the Eastern Han dynasty *

Liu Yan (Han dynasty warlord) Liu Yan () (died 194), courtesy name Junlang, was a Chinese politician and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was also a member of the extended family of the Han emperors. For most of his career he served as the Gove ...

, politician and warlord during the Eastern Han dynasty * Liu Biao, warlord during the late Eastern Han dynasty * Liu Zhuang, Emperor of the Han dynasty * Liu Da, Emperor of the Han dynasty * Liu Zhao, Emperor of the Han dynasty * Liu Hu, Emperor of the Han dynasty * Liu Bao, Emperor of the Han dynasty * Liu Zhi, Emperor of the Han dynasty * Liu Hong, Emperor of the Han dynasty * Liu Xie, Last emperor of the Han dynasty *

(161–223), Founding emperor of Shu Han * Liu Shan (207–271), Second emperor of Shu Han * Liu Hong, astronomer and mathematician of the Han dynasty *

Liu Hui Liu Hui () was a Chinese mathematician who published a commentary in 263 CE on ''Jiu Zhang Suan Shu ( The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art).'' He was a descendant of the Marquis of Zixiang of the Eastern Han dynasty and lived in the state ...

, mathematician during The Three Kingdoms period *

Liu Yan (Shu Han) Liu Yan (died 234), courtesy name Weishuo, was a long serving official in the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms of China having served under the much travelled warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han dynasty. Handsome and well spo ...

, general during the Three Kingdoms Period *

Liu Ji (Three Kingdoms) Liu Ji (185–233), courtesy name Jingyu, was an official of the state of Eastern Wu in the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was a descendant of the imperial clan of the Han dynasty and the eldest son of the minor warlord Liu Yao. Life Liu J ...

, official of Eastern Wu * Liu Kun, general, poet and musician of the Western Jin * Liu Yuan, First emperor of Han Zhao * Liu He, Second emperor of Han Zhao * Liu Cong, Third emperor of Han Zhao *

Liu Can Liu Can (died 318), courtesy name Shiguang, Posthumous name (as given by Jin Zhun) Emperor Yin of Han (Zhao), was an emperor of the Xiongnu-led Han Zhao dynasty of China, who reigned briefly in 318 before being killed by his trusted father-in-la ...

, Fourth emperor of Han Zhao * Liu Yao, Fifth emperor of Han Zhao * Empress Liu E, Empress of Han Zhao * Liu Yu, Founder of the Liu Song as

Emperor Wu of Liu Song Emperor Wu of (Liu) Song (()宋武帝; 16 April 363– 26 June 422), personal name Liu Yu (), courtesy name Dexing (), childhood name Jinu (),(皇考以高祖生有奇異，名為奇奴。皇妣既殂，養于舅氏，改為寄奴焉。) '' Song ...

* Liu Yilong,

Emperor Wen of Liu Song Emperor Wen of (Liu) Song ((劉)宋文帝, (Liu) Song Wen-di) (407 – 16 March 453), personal name Liu Yilong (劉義隆), childhood name Che'er (車兒), was an emperor of the Liu Song dynasty of China. He was the third son of the dynastic foun ...

* Empress Liu, Empress of Northern Song * Liu Sanjie, folk music singer during the Southern Song dynasty * Liu Zhiyuan, Founding emperor of Later Han * Liu Chong, Founding emperor of Northern Han * Liu Yan, Founding emperor of Southern Han * Liu Rengui, chancellor and general of the Tang dynasty * Liu Xiangdao, chancellor of the Tang dynasty * Liu Ji (general), general of the Tang dynasty * Liu Ji (Tang chancellor), chancellor of the Tang dynasty * Liu Yan (Tang dynasty), Chinese economist and politician during the Tang dynasty * Liu Zhan, chancellor and official of the Tang dynasty * Liu Chongwang, chancellor of the Tang dynasty * Liu Changqing, famous poet and politician * Liu Yuxi, famous poet and statesman * Liu Kezhuang, famous poet of southern song * Liu Xu, chancellor of Later Tang and Later Jin * Liu Bingzhong, chancellor of the Yuan dynasty * Liu Bowen, famous poet, statesman, strategist and thinker * Liu Tongxun, politician of the Qing dynasty * Liu Yong, politician and calligrapher of the Qing dynasty * Liu Mingchuan, First Governor of

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northe ...

* Liu Ji (politician), (born 1887), 11th Republic-era mayor of Beijing.

Notable people

References

External links

Chinese surname history: Liu
{{surname Chinese-language surnames Multiple Chinese surnames