{"id":1432,"date":"2020-07-08T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-08T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.mychinaroots.com\/?p=1432"},"modified":"2022-11-08T06:34:51","modified_gmt":"2022-11-08T06:34:51","slug":"liu-family-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mychinaroots.com\/blog\/surnames\/liu-family-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Liu Family History"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Is your last name spelled Lau, Lieu, or Low? If so, there\u2019s a good chance that the original Chinese surname of your ancestors is \u5218, pronounced Liu in Mandarin. As of 2019, Liu is the fourth most common surname in China. If you’re a Liu, you share the same last name as nearly 70 million people \u2013 over the entire population of France, the United Kingdom, even Thailand!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In recent years, the most popular first name for Liu boys has been Wei \u4f1f, meaning “awesome” or “powerful.” There are over a quarter million Liu Weis in China to date, and almost as many girls named Liu Yang \u6d0b, meaning “ocean.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Looking for your Liu family history book?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Browse our collection of Liu records<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Search for a Liu ancestor in our database<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What are the origins of Liu?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The surname Liu has many possible origins, such as the story of a Zhou dynasty official who was granted a fief named Liu in modern-day Henan province.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most well-known story begins in what is now Hebei province, several hundred years before the Chinese would start eating rice and brewing tea leaves. According to legend, a descendant of the mythical Emperor Yao was born with \u5289\u7d2f \u2013 the Chinese characters of his name, Liu Lei \u2013 tattooed onto the palms of his hands. A gifted “Keeper of Dragons,\u201d Liu Lei trained the four royal dragons of Kong Jia, an ancient ruler of the Xia dynasty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another famous descendant, Liu Bang \u5289\u90a6, was born after his father saw a dragon hovering above his mother during a thunderstorm. Soon after Hannibal\u2019s invasion of Italy across the Alps, Liu Bang rose from his peasant roots to become the founder and first ruler of the Han dynasty, the Golden Age of Ancient China. During his reign as Gaozu (\u201cHigh Ancestor\u201d), he popularized his surname by conferring Liu onto people as a sign of imperial favor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Liu Bang, also called Gaozu, was the founder and first ruler of the Han Dynasty.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Players can unlock Liu Bang\u2019s character in the popular video game, Romance of the Three Kingdoms.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Did you know?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Yamato no Aya clan of Japan, reputed for its prowess in the arts of war, descends from Liu Azhi \u5218\u963f\u77e5, the great-grandson of the Han emperor Ling. After the fall of the Han dynasty around 220 AD, Azhi moved to the Korean kingdom of Kudara with his son, then settled in Japan with a 2,000-strong company of astrologers, medicine men, artists, and experts in the latest steel making technology of Kudara. Their descendants would come to be known as formidable warriors and weapon makers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Image: BKRBUDO<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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Li<\/strong>u<\/p>\n\n\n

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Meaning<\/td>Axe, kill<\/td><\/tr>
Symbols<\/td>\u536f + \u91d1 (\u201cmetal\u201d) + \u5202 (\u201cknife\u201d)<\/td><\/tr>
Legendary Ancestor<\/td>Emperor Yao<\/td><\/tr>
Founding Ancestor<\/td>Liu Lei \u5289\u7d2f, the Keeper of Dragons<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"World<\/a>
Global distribution map of Liu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Spelling Variations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Dialect<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Cantonese<\/td>Lau<\/td><\/tr>
Hainanese<\/td>Lau<\/td><\/tr>
Hakka<\/td>Liu<\/td><\/tr>
Hokkien<\/td>Lau<\/td><\/tr>
Mandarin<\/td>Liu<\/td><\/tr>
Teochew<\/td>Lau<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
By Country<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
France<\/td>Licou<\/td><\/tr>
Indonesia<\/td>Lau, Lauw, Lawang, Lawanto, Lauwis, Lauwita, Mulawarman<\/td><\/tr>
Jamaica<\/td>Liu, Lue<\/td><\/tr>
Korea<\/td>Ryu, Yu<\/td><\/tr>
Malaysia
Singapore<\/td>		Lau, Law, Liao, Lieu, Liew, Liu, Low<\/td><\/tr>
Mozambique<\/td>Low<\/td><\/tr>
Peru<\/td>Laos<\/td><\/tr>
Suriname<\/td>Lieuw<\/td><\/tr>
Vietnam<\/td>L\u01b0u<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Who are famous Lius in modern history?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Liu clan boasts countless emperors, entrepreneurs, and entertainers. There’s nothing that Lius can’t do! Some of the most prominent Lius in modern history include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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