Gu (surname)

Gu (also spelled "Ku" and "Koo") can refer to several different Chinese family names.

The most common, "Gù" (顾, meaning "to care for"), is ranked #88 on the list of top Chinese family names, according to the 2006 Chinese census (not including Taiwan).

According to Chinese records, this family traces its ancestral roots to the ancient Kingdom of Gu, which existed as a tributary kingdom during the Xia Dynasty (around 2200 B.C), in current-day Henan province. This Kingdom of Gu was destroyed when the Shang Dynasty overthrew the Xia Dynasty. The survivors of this kingdom adopted the name, and became the northern lineage of the family Gu.

A second, southern lineage of the family Gu came about around the Spring Autumn period. Although they technically did not obtain that name until the Han Dynasty.

*The Southern lineage of Gu family perhaps make up the majority of all those who bear the name today. A book of family tree was published. See [http://www.tcda.net.cn/main/show.asp?id=349] .
**According to the page, 顾氏宗谱，全名顾氏铭宗天荣支瀚派敏士后房谱。从这份家谱中可以了解到2100多年来江南顾姓的兴起、迁移和生活过程，尤为可贵的是从中可以得出三国宰相顾雍、东晋著名画家顾凯之、唐朝诗人顾况，以及明末清初大儒顾炎武皆出一脉，而他们的祖先就是“三千越甲可吞吴”的越王勾践. Roughly translated, the book details 2100 years of the family through some of the most famous persons bearing that name. All of whom are descendants of King Gou Jian of "Yue" Kingdom during the Spring Autumn Period.
**http://www.tcda.net.cn/upload/news_2003128142247.jpg
**http://www.tcda.net.cn/upload/news_2003128142247.jpg

*Abstract summary of following Chinese writings on the "Southern Gu" family:
**King Gou Jian of "Yue" Kingdom was a descendant of the Yellow Emperor. His ancestors established the Kingdom of "Yue" in South of the Yantze River. Near the end of Spring Autumn period, Yue Kingdom fought with the neighboring Wu Kingdom for regional supremacy. King of Wu attacked Yue to take advantage of young King Gou Jian's father's death and King Guo Jian's inexperience. Wu's army easily won several battles and besieged Yue's capital. King Gou Jian devised a strategem, where upon 3 rows of condemned Yue prisoners were sent before the Wu army, and committed ritual mass suicide. Wu's army witnessed this spectacle and was terrified into thinking that Yue soldiers had no fear of death. At that moment, Yue army charged Wu army, and the Wu soldiers ran in fear. King Gou Jian turned a defeat into a victory, and Yue soldiers even managed to wound King of Wu in the chase. King of Wu died from his injuries after returning home.
**The new King of Wu vowed revenge for his father's death. He prepared 10 years for a war with Yue. And he succeeded where his father failed. King Gou Jian surrendered his throne and agreed to become a tributary king in service to Wu.
**But King Gou Jian secretly vowed his revenge. He disavowed his kingly privileges and lived and worked among his people, to strengthen his Kingdom of Yue. After 10 years, he built a sufficiently large army to defeat Wu. He refused to take Wu's surrender and ordered his army to sack Wu. After that Yue united the region under its supremacy.
**Yue Kingdom was later destroyed around 306 BC, during the Warring Nations period.
**At the beginning of Han Dynasty, King Gou Jian's 7th generation descendant was named Yao. He was a regional warlord. He assisted the Royal family of Han dynasty in establishing the new dynasty. For his service, the Han Emperor rewarded Yao with the title of "King of Eastern Sea". Yao later bestowed his own son the title of "Duke of Gu Yu". Thus his descendants proclaimed themselves the last name "Gu", and called Yao "Gu Yao" as the 1st Ancestor of "Gu".

*According to a [http://tech.sina.com.cn/other/2004-08-03/1530397367.shtml 2002 article] , similar trace of that family was confirmed through historical archives.
*Other commentaries are found at http://www.10000xing.cn/x093/files/2007020722314846335296267.html and http://www.xiaoshanwu.com/shu/mx/bjx/bjx.asp?id=93

A third, most recent lineage of the family Gu came about around the end of the Northern Song Dynasty. Emperor of Northern Song and most of his family were captured by the Jin invaders, only his son the crowned prince managed to escape to the South and formed the Southern Song Dynasty court. The invaders enslaved the Royal Family, but many decades later released them in Northern China. The surviving members changed their names and concealed their royal bloodline to hide their shame. 1 of the adopted names was Gu.

This family name can be found mostly in eastern and southern Chinese provinces, especially in Jiangsu, Northern Zhejiang, and around the city of Shanghai. This surname can also be found in Korea.

Prominent bearer of this surname include:

the diplomat Wellington Koo, who represented China in the League of Nations.

the modern Chinese historian Gu Jiegang, who advocated a modern view of China as a diverse culture, rather than the traditional homogeneous culture.

The family name "Gŭ" (谷, meaning "valley"), came about when a noble family of the Zhou Dynasty was rewarded a fief in a valley area. The descendants of the family adopted the name to link their lineage to that history.

The family name "Gŭ" (古, meaning "ancient"), is extremely rare in China.

The family name "Gŭ" (骨, meaning "bone"), is even more rare.

The family name "Gū" (辜, meaning "crime"), is just as rare. Prominent bearer of this surname include Koo Chen-fu, Taiwanese diplomat, businessman and former head and heir to the Koos Group.gu(顾)is known for the family of doctors and lawyers