Su (surname): Difference between revisions

| name = Sū <br> {{zh|t =蘇<br>|s=苏}} Sū

| image = 蘇-seal.svg

| caption = The Chinese character 蘇 in [[seal script]]

| romanisation = Su, Soo, So, Soh, Sou, Souw, Thu, Tô

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| language = Chinese languages, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, Filipino

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It was listed 42nd among the [[Song Dynastydynasty|Song]]-era list of the ''[[Hundred Family Surnames]]''.

In 2019 it was the 46th most common surname in Mainlandmainland China.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bjnews.com.cn/news/2020/01/20/676822.html|title = 新京报 - 好新闻，无止境}}</ref>

{{lang|zh|蘇}} and {{lang|zh|苏}} are also romanized '''[[SO (disambiguation)#People|So]]''' and '''[[Sou (surname)|Sou]]''' in [[Cantonese]]; '''[[Soh (surname)|Soh]]''' and '''[[Souw (surname)|Souw]]''' in [[Southern Min]] dialects; '''[[Soh (surname)|Soh]]''' in [[Teochew dialect|Teochew]]; and '''[[Thu (surname)|Thu]]''' in [[Gan Chinese|Gan]].

This Chinese name is also the source of the [[Vietnamese surname]] '''[[Tô (surname)|Tô]]''' ([[Chữ Nôm]]: {{lang|zh|蘇}}); the [[Korean surname]] {{lang|ko|{{linktext|소}}}}, which is [[romanization of Korean|romanized]] '''[[So (Korean name)|So]]'''; the [[Japanese surname]] {{lang|ja|{{linktext|蘇}}}}, which is also [[romanization of Japanese|romanized]] '''[[SO (disambiguation)#People|So]]'''; and the Filipino/Tagalog surname '''So'''. Also, the Filipino family name "Solon" is a [[HispanizedHispanicized]] version of So. The Solon clan coming from Cebu are famous for their ancestors who were government officials. The Solons were originally from [[Guangdong|Canton]].

Su was the [[list of common Chinese surnames#People's Republic|41st-most-common]] Chinese surname in the [[Mainland China|Mainlandmainland]] during the [[1982 Chinese census|1982 census]] and the 45th-most-common in the 2007 report on [[hukou system|household registrations]] released by the [[Chinese Ministry of Public Security]].<!--cites on linkthrough--> It has been listed as the [[list of common Chinese surnames#Republic|23rd-most-common]] Chinese surname onin [[Taiwan]].<ref>Yang Xuxian. 《台灣百大姓氏》[''Taiwan's Hundred 'Big Families<nowiki>'</nowiki>'']. {{in lang|zh}}</ref>

Su is a somewhat common surname in the [[United States]], listed 5,897th during the [[1990 US Censuscensus|1990 census]] and 3,835th during the year [[2000 US Censuscensus|2000 one]].<ref name="PBS">[[US Census Bureau]]. Op. cit. [[Public Broadcasting Service]]. "[https://www.pbs.org/pov/thesweetestsound/popularityindex.php How Popular Is Your Last Name?]" Accessed 6 Apr 2012.</ref> The other romanizations are less popular: So (8527 & 5167), Soo (17545 & 22160), Sou (77891 & 30226), Thu (49039 & 64912), and Soh (unlisted & 40074); Souw had fewer than one hundred resident bearers in the United States during both censuses and was unlisted both times.<ref name="PBS"/>

[[Statistics Canada]] does not release surname lists from its censuses, but Su and So were both listed among the 200-most-common peculiarly [[Chinese-Canadian]] surnames in a 2010 survey of the [[Registered Persons Database]] of all current and former [[Canadian health card]] recipients in the province of [[Ontario]].<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Shah | first1 = B. R. | last2 = Chiu | first2 = M. | last3 = Amin | first3 = S. | last4 = Ramani | first4 = M. | last5 = Sadry | first5 = S. | last6 = Tu | first6 = J. V. | doi = 10.1186/1471-2288-10-42 | title = Surname lists to identify South Asian and Chinese ethnicity from secondary data in Ontario, Canada: A validation study | journal = BMC Medical Research Methodology | volume = 10 | pages = 42 | year = 2010 | pmid = 20470433| pmc =2877682 | doi-access = free }}</ref>

The character {{lang|zh|蘇}} was formed by the addition of the [[grass radical]] ({{lang|zh|{{linktext|艹}}}}) to the characterphonetic component {{lang|zh|{{linktext|穌}}}} (<small>[[simplified characters|s]]</small> {{lang|zh|{{linktext|稣}}}}, ''sū'', "revive"), itself a combination of the characters for "fish" (<small>[[traditional characters|t]]</small> {{lang|zh|{{linktext|魚}}}}, <small>[[simplified characters|s]]</small> {{lang|zh|{{linktext|鱼}}}}, ''yú'') and "grain" ({{lang|zh|{{linktext|禾}}}}, ''hé'').

The original pronunciation of __ character穌 has been reconstructed as ''*s.ŋˤa'' in [[Old Chinese]], but this had already developed into ''su'' by the time of [[Middle Chinese]].<ref name="BaxSag">Baxter, Wm. H. & Sagart, Laurent. ''{{cite web |url= http://crlao.ehess.fr/docannexe.php?id=1207 |title= Baxter–Sagart Old Chinese Reconstruction |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130927141238/http://crlao.ehess.fr/docannexe.php?id=1207 |archive-date= 2013-09-27 |df= }}&nbsp;{{small|(1.93&nbsp;MB)}}'', p. 126. 2011. Accessed 11 October 2011.</ref> The addition of the grass radical suggests its original meaning was its use describing varieties of the mint [[perilla]], but its general meaning today is as an abbreviation for [[Suzhou]] and replacement for a related word meaning "revive".

Another derives from [[Su Chasheng]] who was [[sikou|Minister of Justice]] under King [[King Wu of Zhou|Wu]] of the [[Zhou dynasty]] and revived the former region of Su as his fief, with a new capital city at [[Wen County, Henan|Wen]] (modern [[Wen County, Henan|Wen County]] in [[Henan]]). He is also considered to be the ancestor of the [[Wen (surname 溫)|Wen]]{{which|date=May 2020}} family.

Prior to the [[Qin Dynastydynasty]], the Su clan mainly resided in Henan and [[Hebei]], but, during the [[Warring States period]], one group moved southward into [[Hubei]] and [[Hunan]] and another west into [[Shaanxi]]. Under the Qin and Han, this Shaanxi clan became a prominent and distinguished family while a third group of clans moved east into [[Shandong]].

Large numbers of Su moved into [[Sichuan]] and [[Fujian]] during the [[Tang Dynastydynasty]]. During the [[northern Song Dynastydynasty|Northern Song]], they moved further southward to [[Guizhou]], [[Guangdong]], and [[Guangxi]]. Their current relative popularity onin Taiwan began following migrations during the [[Ming Dynastydynasty|Ming]] and [[Qing Dynastydynasty|Qing]].

In the Philippines, "Solon" athe rare family name, is''Solon'' derives from the surname ''So''/''Su''.{{Citation Theneeded|date=December reason behind the original Chinese name So becoming "Solon" is due to the Spaniards during the [[Spanish Colonial Period]].2022}}

* [[Soh Kwang-pom]], Korean reformist of the late Joseon Dynastydynasty

* [[Tô Hiến Thành]], a Vietnamese official under the [[Lý Dynastydynasty]]

* [[Tô Trung Từ]], a high ranking general and attempted usurper of the Lý Dynastydynasty

Over 1,000 representatives of Soh Clan Associations from around the world meet every two years at the Congress of the World Federation of Soh Associations. Participants hail from China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, America and Europe. The first congress was held in Manila in 1994.<ref>{{cite web|title=Soh Associations takes its congress to the sea|url=http://www.ttgmice.com/article/soh-associations-takes-its-congress-to-the-sea/|publisher=TTGmice|accessdateaccess-date=30 November 2012}}</ref>