Zhou (surname)
![]() Zhou surname in regular script | |
Pronunciation | Zhōu (Pinyin) Chiu (Pe̍h-ōe-jī) [ʈʂóʊ] (IPA) |
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Language(s) | Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean |
Origin | |
Language(s) | Old Chinese |
Derivation | Zhou Dynasty |
Other names | |
Variant form(s) | Zhou, Chou (Mandarin) Chow, Chau (Hong Kong) Chao (Macao) Chew, Chiu (Hokkien, Teochew) Châu (Vietnamese) Joo, Ju (Korean) Tjeuw, Tjioe, Djioe (Indonesian, Dutch) Shū (Japanese) |
Zhōu is the Hanyu Pinyin transliteration of the Chinese family name 周, which ranks as the 10th most common surname in Mainland China as of 2019[update].[1] In 2013 it was found to be the 10th most common name, shared by 25,200,000 people or 1.900% of the population, with the province with the most being Hunan. Derived from the Zhou dynasty, it has been one of the ten most common surnames in China since the Yuan dynasty. It is the 5th name on the Hundred Family Surnames poem.
In places which use the Wade-Giles romanization such as Taiwan, Zhou is usually spelled as "Chou" (ㄓㄡ), and it may also be spelled "Chiau", "Chau", "Chao", "Chew", "Chow", "Chiu", "Cho", "Chu", "Jhou", "Jou", "Djou", "Jue", or "Jow". Zhōu can also stand for another, rare Chinese family name, 洲.
The Korean equivalent, "Joo" or "Ju", is a popular surname in Korea. The Vietnamese equivalent is "Châu" or "Chu".
History
According to historical records, Zhou surname originates from the imperial kinsmen of the Zhou Dynasty.[2] The original surname (xing) of the royal Zhou family was Ji (姬). In 256 B.C., the Qin dynasty conquered Zhou and put Rufen under the jurisdiction of Runan County. Ji Yong, a descendant of King Ping of Zhou, which lived on the system of enfeoffment in Rufen, changed his surname to Zhou to commemorate the merits and virtues of his ancestors. The descendants of Emperor Nan of the Zhou Dynasty, who were called the Zhou family after the Zhou Dynasty had been destroyed, also took on the Zhou surname. Since then the Zhou surname has become a common family name in Runan.
During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty, the emperor issued an imperial edict to change the surname Ji[citation needed] to Zhou to avoid the taboo of his personal name.
Non-Han people who adopted the name Zhou include the Helu and Pu surnames of the Xianbei nationality in (the Northern Zhou) and the Xitong and Shuhu surnames of the Mongolian nationality in the Yuan Dynasty.
People with the Zhou surname could be found all over the country due to enfeoffment and migration through the ages, especially from out Runan. In general the migration of the Zhou family followed the pattern of "west to east" and "south to north".
Prominent individuals with the surname Zhou
Modern day
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/Jay_Chou_in_Seoul.jpg/220px-Jay_Chou_in_Seoul.jpg)
- Bibi Zhou (born 1985), Chinese singer and actress
- Charles Djou, Hawaii politician
- Chou Chi-kai (1919-1943), ace-fighter pilot of the Chinese Air Force during the War of Resistance-World War II, recipient of the Order of Blue Sky and White Sun
- Chou Tzu-yu (born 1999), vocalist of the South-Korean girl group TWICE
- Chou Wen-chung (1923–2019), composer, professor at Columbia University and founder of the Center for U.S.-China Arts Exchange
- Chow Yun-fat, famous Hong Kong actor
- Eric Chou, Taiwanese singer-songwriter
- Francis Jue, actor
- Guanyu Zhou, Chinese racing driver
- Hong Chau (born 1979), American actor
- Jay Chou (Chou Chie Lun), Taiwanese musician, singer, songwriter and director
- Jimmy Choo, Yeang Keat, world-famous Malaysian born London shoe designer
- Kathy Chow, actress
- Kelsey Chow, actor from Disney's Pair of Kings
- Malese Jow, Chinese-American teen actress
- Michael Chow Man-Kin, actor
- Nancy Zhou, American violinist
- Natalie Chou (born 1997), American basketball player
- Niki Chow, actress
- Norm Chow, American football coach
- Osric Chau, Canadian actor
- Silas Chou, Hong Kong billionaire
- Stephen Chow, famous Hong Kong actor and director
- Steve Chou (Zhōu Chuánxióng), Taiwanese composer and singer.
- Veronica Chou (born 1984/1985), Hong Kong businesswoman
- Vic Zhou, actor, singer
- Vivian Chow, singer
- Wakin Chau (Emil Chau), musician, singer
- Wei-Liang Chow, mathematician
- Wen Tsing Chow, missile guidance scientist
- William Kwai Sun Chow, Martial artist
- Chau Chin-fu (born 1952), Taiwanese judoka
- Chau Hoi Wah (born 1986), female Hong Kong badminton player
- Zhou Enlai (1898–1976), first Premier of the People's Republic of China
- Zhou Guangzhao, former president of Chinese Academy of Sciences, theoretical physicist
- Zhou Haiyan (born 1990), Chinese female middle-distance runner
- Zhou Jianren, politician, younger brother of Lu Xun
- Zhou Jieqiong (born 1998), vocalist of the South-Korean girl group Pristin
- Zhou Long, composer
- Zhou Meng (born 2001), Chinese badminton player
- Zhou Mi, Chinese female badminton player
- Zhou Mi, Chinese pop male singer from the boy band Super Junior-M
- Zhou Peiyuan, former president of Peking University, theoretical physicist
- Zhou Qi, Chinese basketball player
- Zhou Shuren, writer using the pseudonym Lu Xun
- Zhou Xiaochuan, economist
- Zhou Xiaoping, writer, social commentator.
- Zhou Xiaoyan (1917–2016), soprano and voice teacher
- Zhou Xuan (1918–1957), actress
- Zhou Xun, actress
- Zhou Yahui, businessman, entrepreneur
- Zhou Yi (disambiguation)
- Zhou Yongkang (born 1942), member of the 17th CPC Politburo Standing Committee
- Zhou Youguang (1906–2017), Chinese linguist and sinologist
- Zhou Zuoren, writer, brother of Lu Xun
Historical
- Alphabetized by surname, then by given name.
- Zhou Fang, military general of the state of Eastern Wu
- Zhou Tai, (d. 223) military general of the state of Eastern Wu
- Zhou Tong (archer), famous archer and teacher of Song Dynasty General Yue Fei
- Zhou Yafu, Han dynasty general
- Zhou Yu, (175 - 210) general of Eastern Wu
Fictional
- Alphabetized by surname, then by given name.
- Zhou Tong (Water Margin), fictional character from the Chinese classic the Water Margin
- Zhou Botong, a fictional character from the Legend of the Condor Hero and Return of the Condor Heroes novels
- Zhou Cang, fictional character from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms
- Zhou Mei-Ling, fictional character from the Blizzard Entertainment video game Overwatch