{"id":3201,"date":"2023-01-25T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-25T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.mychinaroots.com\/?p=3201"},"modified":"2023-01-24T13:55:46","modified_gmt":"2023-01-24T13:55:46","slug":"wu-family-history-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mychinaroots.com\/blog\/surnames\/wu-family-history-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Wu Family History"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Is your last name spelled Ng, Woo or Ngoh? If so, there\u2019s a good chance that the original Chinese surname of your ancestors is \u4f0d, pronounced Wu* in Mandarin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

*[Note: This surname is not the same as <\/em>Wu \/ \u5434; to read the blog post for the history of the <\/em>\u5434 clan, please click here<\/a>.]<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wu is the 16th most common surname in the world, and many communities worldwide in places like Australia, Macau and Malaysia also share the same surname. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The roots of the Wu family stretch far and wide. Most Wu descendants can trace their ancestry back to the bloodlines of Wu Xu (\u4f0d\u80e5), an official during the reign of the legendary Yellow Emperor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Looking for your Wu family history book?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Search 26 Wu records across various villages<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Explore 1191 Wu records in collections across the world<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Many believe that the surname Wu originated from the state of Chu, which included most of the provinces of Hubei<\/a> and Hunan<\/a> in present-day China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the rule of the Yellow Emperor (approx. 2697\u20132597 BC), it is said that there was an official by the name of Wu Xu (\u4f0d\u80e5). Wu Xu was a descendant of the Mi (\u8288) family line. Mi is said to be the name of the imperial house of State of Chu during the Warring States period. According to legend, the Mi family line descends from Zhuanxu (\u989b\u987c), a mythological emperor of ancient China who himself was a grandson of the Yellow Emperor (\u9ec4\u5e1d).The Mi family split into many branches in later dynasties, this ancient family name was not passed down. Instead, Wu Xu\u2019s descendants took the surname Wu. Many generations later, Wu Xu\u2019s descendant by the name of Wu Can (\u4f0d\u53c2) served as an official for King Zhuang of Chu (\u695a\u5e84\u738b), and Wu Can was regarded as the first proper ancestor of the Wu family line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another account traces the origins of the Wu family name to the hujia <\/em>(\u6237\u7532) management system that was practiced during the Zhou dynasty in the State of Qi. During the early years of the Western Zhou dynasty, a Chinese noble and Zhou minister by the name of Jiang Ziya (\u59dc\u5b50\u7259) proposed the hujia <\/em>system in order to better manage residents in the region. Under the hujia <\/em>system, five households would be grouped together as a common unit known as the gui <\/em>(\u8f68), and it was also alternatively named wu <\/em>(\u4f0d). The male personnel assigned to manage each gui <\/em>would be addressed by locals as \u201cwu bo<\/em>\u201d (\u4f0d\u4f2f, lit: Brother\/Elder Wu). This endearing \u201cnickname\u201d would soon become the start of an illustrious family line, because the descendants of these wu bo <\/em>eventually took the surname Wu as their own!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Wu Xu (\u4f0d\u80e5) of the Mi royal line<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Chinese noble and Zhou minister Jiang Ziya (\u59dc\u5b50\u7259)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Did you know?<\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just how much can a Wu achieve?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a business executive, writer, lecturer, and Pulitzer Prize winner, Sheryl WuDunn (\u4f0d\u6d01\u82b3, born November 16, 1959) has achieved success in a variety of fields. An experienced banker, WuDunn was previously a journalist and executive at The New York Times and a private wealth adviser with Goldman Sachs. She currently serves as senior managing director of Mid-Market Securities in New York, a boutique investment bank. When WuDunn worked at the Times, she moved audiences worldwide through her coverage of a range of pertinent global issues such as energy crises, global market trends and technological innovations.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WuDunn also displayed extraordinary academic prowess — a recipient of honorary doctorates from University of Pennsylvania and Middlebury College, WuDunn was also a senior lecturer at Yale University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs in the fall of 2011. She is a regular feature on global news platforms like Bloomberg TV and NPR. Last but not least, WuDunn is a familiar face at international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund and World Bank where she has given lectures on multiple occasions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With all that under her belt — what can’t a Wu do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Image: TED.com<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Wu<\/p>\n\n\n

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Meaning<\/gwmw><\/gwmw><\/gwmw><\/gwmw><\/gwmw><\/gwmw><\/td>A group of five<\/td><\/tr>
Symbols<\/gwmw><\/gwmw><\/td>\u4ebb (person), \u4e94 (five)<\/td><\/tr>
Legendary Ancestor<\/gwmw><\/td>Wu Xu (\u4f0d\u80e5) of the Mi royal line<\/td><\/tr>
Founding Ancestor<\/td>Wu Can (\u4f0d\u53c2), an official for King Zhuang of Chu<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Global distribution map of Wu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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

By Dialect<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Hakka<\/gwmw><\/gwmw><\/gwmw><\/gwmw><\/td>Ng<\/td><\/tr>
Mandarin<\/td>Wu<\/td><\/tr>
Cantonese<\/td>Ng<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
By Country<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Taiwan<\/gwmw><\/gwmw><\/gwmw><\/td>Wu<\/td><\/tr>
United States<\/td>Wuu, Eng, Gow, Ing, Ng, Ngo, Ngow, Ngu, Ung, Woo, Wu<\/gwmw><\/gwmw><\/td><\/tr>
Vietnam<\/td>Ng\u0169<\/gwmw><\/td><\/tr>
Hawaii<\/gwmw><\/gwmw><\/gwmw><\/td>Chew, Din, Dunn, Doshim, Eng lung, Gow, Jinhong, Kais, Kay, Kim, Kimm, King, Lung, Ngpack, Que, Sam, Soon, Tank, Thoung, Wah, Wing<\/td><\/tr>
Australia<\/td>See Wah, Hoon Nam<\/td><\/tr>
Macau<\/td>Ng<\/gwmw><\/td><\/tr>
Jamaica<\/td>Ng<\/td><\/tr>
Malaysia<\/td>Wu, Ngoh, Ng, Ngo, Wuh, Woo<\/td><\/tr>
Singapore<\/td>Ngoh, Ng, Goh, Neo, Nh, Nhoh, Wou<\/gwmw><\/gwmw><\/td><\/tr>
Indonesia<\/td>Bagus, Bagoes, Gondo, Sugondo, Gozali, Wurianto, Gomarga, Gunawan, Gotama, Utama, Widargo, Sumargo, Gunardi, Gunadi, Prayogo, Sudirgo, Sudargo, Margono<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Who are famous Wus in modern history?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

From award-winning novelists, to movie stars, rock legends and billionaires: the accomplishments of Wus are numerous and impressive. Some of the most prominent Wus in modern history include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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