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Chu Family History

Chu Name Meaning

Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 楚 meaning ‘pain’ or ‘clear’ in ancient Chinese: (i) from Chu (楚) the name of a state (covering Hubei Hunan Anhui Jiangsu and Jiangxi provinces) originally granted to Xiong Yi and finally annexed by the state of Qin in 223 BC. (ii) from the personal name Chu (楚) personal name of Lin Chu (林楚) an official in the state of Lu during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (iii) borne by descendants of Chu Long (楚隆) an official in the state of Jin during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). Chinese: Mandarin and Cantonese form of the surname 褚 meaning ‘padding in garment’: (i) from Chu (褚) the name of a fief (located in Luoyang in Henan province) granted to Duan prince of the state of Song who was revered for his virtue and known as Chu Shi (褚師). (ii) possibly from Chu (褚) the name of a pavilion or a canal (located in Luoyang in Henan province). Chinese: Mandarin and Cantonese form of the surname 儲 meaning ‘store’ in Chinese: from the first element of the personal name Chu Zi (儲子) style name of an official in the state of Qi during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 初 meaning ‘initial’ in Chinese: (i) said to be borne by the descendants of Shu Xiong third son of the king Xiong Yan (died 828 BC) in the state of Chu during the Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BC). He failed in the competitions for the throne among the princes and later fled to the wild lands. He then adopted the surname Chu (初) a similar-sounding Chinese character to the name of his original state. (ii) said to be traced back to the royal families of the Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BC). (iii) said to be traced back to Xue Hongzuo a general during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD) who was endowed with the surname Chu (初) by Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei (408–452 AD). (iv) said to be traced back to Qi Wei (祁暐) an official in the Northern Song dynasty (960 AD –1127 AD) who changed his original surname Qi (祁) to Chu (初) because the then emperor Emperor Zhenzong of Song (968–1022 AD) once called him by the wrong name Chu Wei (初暐). Chinese: Cantonese form and alternative Mandarin form of the surnames 朱 and 諸. Also alternative Mandarin form of the surnames 祝 竺 and 竹. See Zhu 1-5. Chinese: alternative Mandarin form of the surnames 曲 瞿 屈 鞠 麴 璩 and 渠 see Qu 1-6.7: Chinese: alternative Mandarin form of the surnames 鞠 居 巨 琚 and 劇 see Ju 1-5.8: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 祖 see Zu 9: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 周 see Zhou 10: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 曹 see Cao 1 Chinese: variant Romanization of the surnames 趙 and 招 see Zhao 1 and 1 Chinese: variant Romanization of the surnames 邱 and 丘 see Qiu 1 and 1 Korean: written 주 in Chinese characters 朱 meaning ‘red’ and 周 meaning ‘round’. There are only these two Chinese characters for the Chu surname in use in Korea. The character 朱 has only one clan associated with it (the Shinan Chu clan) and while some records indicate that the other has as many as 25 only four can be documented; all of these descended from a common ancestor Chu Hwang (周 璜) who was naturalized in 907 after fleeing from civil unrest in Tang China. This family claim to be descended from the ruling family of the Chinese Chu Dynasty. The Shinan Chu clan is descended from a man named Chu Cham (朱 潜) a direct descendant of the Chinese philosopher Chu-tze. Chu Cham migrated from China to Korea some time in the early 13th century. Chu is a fairly common surname and is found throughout the peninsula. Compare Chew 4 Choo 2 Joo 3 Jou 3 Ju 11 and Jue 1 Vietnamese: from the Chinese surname 朱 (see Zhu ).1 Vietnamese (Chử): from the Chinese surname 褚 (see 2 above). Also possibly a variant of Châu (see Chau ).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Chi, Zhu, Cho, Hu, Cha, Che, Shu, Su, Chiu, Chou

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Where is the Chu family from?

You can see how Chu families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Chu family name was found in the USA, and Canada between 1880 and 1920. The most Chu families were found in USA in 1880. In 1880 there were 176 Chu families living in California. This was about 90% of all the recorded Chu's in USA. California had the highest population of Chu families in 1880.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Chu surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Chu ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Seaman and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Chu. 100% of Chu men worked as a Seaman and 100% of Chu women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. .

View Census Data for Chu | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • Seaman
    100%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    100%
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What Chu family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 7,000 census records available for the last name Chu. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Chu census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

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Passenger Lists

There are 30,000 immigration records available for the last name Chu. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 6,000 military records available for the last name Chu. For the veterans among your Chu ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Chu lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Chu life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1942, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Chu in 1942 was 41, and 79 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Chu

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