Liu (; or ) is an

East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...

n surname.

pinyin Hanyu Pinyin, or simply pinyin, officially the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, is the most common romanization system for Standard Chinese. ''Hanyu'' () literally means 'Han Chinese, Han language'—that is, the Chinese language—while ''pinyin' ...

: in

Mandarin Chinese Mandarin ( ; zh, s=, t=, p=Guānhuà, l=Mandarin (bureaucrat), officials' speech) is the largest branch of the Sinitic languages. Mandarin varieties are spoken by 70 percent of all Chinese speakers over a large geographical area that stretch ...

, in

Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...

. It is the family name of the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

emperors. The character originally meant 'battle axe', 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 language , Chinese text composed of common Chinese surnames. An unknown author compiled the book ...

. 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 ; Gan: ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = , translit_lang1_type3 = , translit_lang1_info3 = , image_map = Jiangxi in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_caption = Location ...

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 Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

.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 China, 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 ...

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

Liu Bang Emperor Gaozu of Han (2561 June 195 BC), also known by his given name Liu Bang, was the founder and first emperor of the Han dynasty, reigning from 202 to 195 BC. He is considered by traditional Chinese historiography to be one o ...

(

Emperor Gaozu of Han Emperor Gaozu of Han (2561 June 195 BC), also known by his given name Liu Bang, was the founder and first emperor of the Han dynasty, reigning from 202 to 195 BC. He is considered by traditional Chinese historiography to be one o ...

) 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; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...

). The Liu family name has two main origins from this place name.

Kong Jia Kǒng Jiǎ (孔甲) was a king of ancient China, family name Sì (姒), the 14th ruler of the semi-legendary Xia dynasty. He possibly ruled for 31 years. Family Kong Jia was a son of King Bù Jiàng and an unknown woman and grandson of King X ...

, the fourteenth king of the

Xia dynasty The Xia dynasty (; ) is the first dynasty in traditional Chinese historiography. According to tradition, it was established by the legendary figure Yu the Great, after Emperor Shun, Shun, the last of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, Fiv ...

, was given a male and a female dragon as a reward for his obedience to the god of heaven; yet he 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

, and won the admiration of King Kong Jia for his skill at dragon-rearing. To reward Liu Lei, King Kong Jia granted him a place called Liu as his

fiefdom A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

. 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

founded the

. During the

Zhou dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ) was a royal dynasty of China that existed for 789 years from until 256 BC, the longest span of any dynasty in Chinese history. During the Western Zhou period (771 BC), the royal house, surnamed Ji, had military ...

King Ding of Zhou King Ding of Zhou (), personal name Ji Yu, was a king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ) was a royal dynasty of China that existed for 789 years from until 256 BC, the longest span of any dynasty in Chinese history. Durin ...

granted the fiefdom of Liu to his younger brother,

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

(姬季子). Ji Jizi also took Liu as his family name. Eventually, Liu became a state, and Ji Jizi ruled the

State of Liu State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

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 above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ...

. After more than a hundred years under the rule of the Liu family, the State of Liu was destroyed by the central government of the Zhou dynasty. Liu was the ruling family of the Han dynasty, one of the most prosperous and influential empires in Chinese history. The Han dynasty was founded by Liu Bang. Later, Emperor

Liu Che The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "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 vocalize it as s ...

helped expand the Han dynasty even further, ushering in a golden age for China. The Han dynasty had 30 emperors all surnamed Liu; it was one of the Chinese dynasties with 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 Chinese characters are logographs used to write the Chinese languages and others from regions historically influenced by Chinese culture. Of the four independently invented writing systems accepted by scholars, they represent the only one ...

Hanzi Chinese characters are logographs used to write the Chinese languages and others from regions historically influenced by Chinese culture. Of the four independently invented writing systems accepted by scholars, they represent the only one ...

Chinese characters Chinese characters are logographs used Written Chinese, to write the Chinese languages and others from regions historically influenced by Chinese culture. Of the four independently invented writing systems accepted by scholars, they represe ...

. 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 China, Chinese warlord in the late Han dynasty#Eastern Han, Eastern Han dynasty who later became the founding Emperor of China, emperor of Shu Han, one of the Three Kingdoms of ...

Shu Han Han (; 221–263), known in historiography as Shu Han ( ) or Ji Han ( "Junior Han"), or often shortened to Shu ( zh, t=蜀, p=Shǔ; Sichuanese Pinyin: ''Su'' < Middle Chinese: *''źjowk'' < Eastern Han Chinese: *''dźok''), was a Dynasties in ...

(whose exploits were described in the

Records of the Three Kingdoms The ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'' is a Chinese official history written by Chen Shou in the late 3rd century CE, covering the end of the Han dynasty (220 CE) and the subsequent Three Kingdoms period (220–280 CE). It is regard ...

), as well as the

Han-Zhao The Han-Zhao ( zh, s=汉赵, t=漢趙, p=Hàn Zhào; 304–329 AD), or Former Zhao ( zh, s=前赵, t=前趙, p=Qián Zhào), was a dynastic state of China ruled by the Liu ( Luandi) clan of Chuge-Xiongnu ethnicity during the Sixteen Kingdoms per ...

Liu Song Song, known as Liu Song (), Former Song (前宋) or Song of (the) Southern dynasties (南朝宋) in historiography, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and the first of the four Northern and Southern dynasties#Southern dynasti ...

, Later Han,

Northern Han The Northern Han ( zh, t=北漢, s=北汉, p=Běi Hàn) was a dynastic state of China and one of the Ten Kingdoms during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. It was founded by Liu Min (Emperor Shizu) as a continuation of the Later Ha ...

and

Southern Han Southern Han ( zh , t = 南漢 , p = Nán Hàn , j=Naam4 Hon3; 917–971), officially Han ( zh , t = 漢 , links=no), originally Yue ( zh , c = 越 , links=no), was a dynastic state of China and one of the Ten Kingdoms that existed during the ...

dynasties. Over history, several non-Han Chinese people have adopted the Liu surname, including

Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of Nomad, nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese historiography, Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, t ...

and

Turkic peoples Turkic peoples are a collection of diverse ethnic groups of West Asia, West, Central Asia, Central, East Asia, East, and North Asia as well as parts of Europe, who speak Turkic languages.. "Turkic peoples, any of various peoples whose members ...

Historical figures

* , son of King Qing of Zhou and founder of the *

, 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 Liú Ān (, c. 179–122 BC) was a Chinese cartographer, monarch, and philosopher. A Han dynasty Chinese prince, ruling the Huainan Kingdom, and an advisor to his nephew, Emperor Wu of Han (武帝). He is best known for editing the (139 BC) ''Hu ...

(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

emperors, had more than 120 sons * Liu Xiang, government official, scholar, and author of who lived during the Han dynasty * Liu Fuling, Eight Emperor of the Han dynasty * Liu He, Emperor of the Han dynasty * Liu Xun, Tenth Emperor of the Han dynasty * Liu Shi, Eleventh Emperor of the Han dynasty * Liu Ao, Twelfth Emperor of the Han dynasty * Liu Xin, Thirteenth Emperor of the Han dynasty * Liu Kan, Fourteenth 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 The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "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 vocalize it as st ...

, The restorer of the Han dynasty and the founding emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty *

Liu Dai Liu Dai (died 192), courtesy name Gongshan, was a Chinese politician who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Life Liu Dai was from Mouping County (牟平縣), Donglai Commandery (東萊郡), which is in present-day Muping Distr ...

, 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 gov ...

, politician and warlord during the Eastern Han dynasty *

Liu Biao Liu Biao () () ( 151 – September 208), courtesy name Jingsheng, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He is best known for serving as the governor of Jing Province (coveri ...

, 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 Liu Shan (, 207–271), courtesy name Gongsi, was the second and last emperor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period. As he ascended the throne at the age of 16, Liu Shan was entrusted to the care of the Chancellor Zhuge Liang ...

(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 April 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 ...

, general during the Three Kingdoms period *

Liu Ji (Three Kingdoms) Liu Ji (184–233), courtesy name Jingyu, was a Chinese politician 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 (war ...

, 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 September 318( ��兴元年��月，粲治兵于上林，谋讨石勒。以丞相曜为相国、都督中外诸军事，仍镇长安；靳准为大将军、录尚书事。粲常游宴后宫。军国之事，一决于准。准矫诏� ...

, Fourth emperor of Han-Zhao *

Liu Yao Liu Yao (died 329), courtesy name Yongming, was the final emperor of the Xiongnu-led Han-Zhao dynasty of China. He became emperor in 318 after most other members of the imperial Liu clan were massacred by Jin Zhun in a coup. However, the empi ...

, 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。) ''Book o ...

* 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 founder ...

* Empress Liu, Empress of Northern Song * Liu Sanjie, folk music singer during the Southern Song dynasty *

Liu Zhiyuan Liu Zhiyuan () (March 4, 895 – March 10, 948), later changed to Liu Gao (), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Gaozu of Later Han (), was the founding Emperor of China, emperor of the Shatuo-led Chinese Later Han (Five Dynasties), Lat ...

, Founding emperor of Later Han * Liu Chong, Founding emperor of Northern Han * Liu Yan, Founding emperor of Southern Han *

Liu Rengui Liu Rengui (劉仁軌) (602 – March 2, 685), courtesy name Zhengze (正則), formally Duke Wenxian of Lecheng (樂城文獻公), was a Chinese military general and politician during the Tang dynasty, serving as chancellor during the reign of E ...

, 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 Zhangqing, 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 Liu Bingzhong (; 1216–1274), or Liu Kan () was a Yuan dynasty court adviser and architect. He was born in Ruizhou (Rui prefecture), during the Jin dynasty. In 1233, he entered the Jin's bureaucracy. He still was an officer after the Mongol Emp ...

, chancellor of the Yuan dynasty *

Liu Bowen Liu Ji (1 July 1311 – 16 May 1375),Jiang, Yonglin. Jiang Yonglin. 005(2005). The Great Ming Code: 大明律. University of Washington Press. , 9780295984490. Page xxxv. The source is used to cover the year only. courtesy name Bowen, better ...

, famous poet, statesman, strategist and thinker * Liu Tongxun, a politician of the Qing dynasty * Liu Yong, politician and calligrapher of the Qing dynasty *

Liu Mingchuan Liu Mingchuan () (1836–1896), courtesy name Xingsan, was a Chinese military general and politician during the late Qing dynasty. He was born in Hefei, Anhui. Liu became involved in the suppression of the Taiping Rebellion at an early age, a ...

, First Governor of

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

* Liu Ji (politician), (1887–1967), 11th Republic-era mayor of Beijing *

Liu Shaoqi Liu Shaoqi ( ; 24 November 189812 November 1969) was a Chinese revolutionary and politician. He was the chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress from 1954 to 1959, first-ranking Vice Chairman of the Chinese Communis ...

, 2nd

President of the People's Republic of China The president of China, officially the president of the People's Republic of China, is the List of state representatives of the People's Republic of China, state representative of the China, People's Republic of China. On its own, it is a Fig ...

Liu Bocheng Liu Mingzhao (; 4 December 1892 – 7 October 1986), more commonly known as Liu Bocheng (), was a Chinese military officer and Marshal of the People's Republic of China. Known as the 'half' of the "Three and A Half" Strategists of China in mode ...

, a Chinese military commander in 20th century wars and one of the Marshals of the People's Liberation Army

Notable people

References

External links

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