Hu
A Chinese surname that can come from several different old family names and place-based origins.
The #1,797 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 15,438 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Hu is a common Chinese surname, but it is not a single-origin name in the way many European surnames are. In Chinese tradition, several different characters can be romanized as Hu, and the surname may trace back to ancient clan names, state names, or adopted family lines from different periods. Because the same spelling covers multiple Chinese surnames, the literal meaning depends on the specific character and family history behind it.
History
The surname has been used in China for many centuries and is especially widespread in mainland China and among overseas Chinese communities. In modern usage, the spelling Hu usually reflects Mandarin romanization of Chinese names, so different families with different written surnames may appear identical in English records. That makes genealogical tracing especially dependent on the original Chinese characters and regional background.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because several different Chinese surnames are romanized as Hu, two people with the same Latin spelling may not share the same ancestral character at all.
Notable people named Hu
- Hu Jintao (b. 1942)
- Hu Yaobang (1915–1989)
- Kelly Hu (b. 1968)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.