Gu (surname)

Gu or Koo
The character 顧 is in red, from the tomb of Gu Yanwu
Language(s)Chinese and Korean
Origin
Region of originChina

Gu (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is a Chinese family name. Some places such as South Korea, and early immigrants from Wu-speaking region in China usually romanize this family name as Koo or Ku. It is the 93rd name on the Hundred Family Surnames poem.[1]

The family name (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; lit. 'to care for') is the most common pronounced "Gu", as well as the only one pronounced "Gù" (Mandarin 4th tone) and is ranked #88 on the list of top Chinese family names, according to the 2006 Chinese census (excluding Taiwan).[citation needed]

  1. ^ K. S. Tom. [1989] (1989). Echoes from Old China: Life, Legends and Lore of the Middle Kingdom. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0-8248-1285-9.