Quick Answer: What Is the Lu Surname Written 路?
The road Lu surname（路，lù）has a fourth-tone Mandarin reading. Its character means road or path and remains unchanged in simplified and traditional Chinese.[1]
- Meaning: The ordinary road sense does not establish a family’s original occupation.
- Origins: Old texts preserve state-name and surname-adoption routes.[6][7][8]
- Spelling: Lu is the Mandarin form; Lo also occurs as a surname spelling.[1][2]
Start with the Chinese character: an unmarked Lu can conceal different family names.
The road character is a useful starting point, but a family search also needs the right personal names and documents. A published genealogy and a famous author’s pen name show why those distinctions matter.
Road Meaning and Lu or Lo Spellings
路 names a road, route or way; as a surname it is read lù in Mandarin. The Cantonese reading is lou6, and the surname is also represented as Lo in Roman letters.[1][2]
2019 mainland: outside top 100.[11]
路, 陆, 卢 and 吕: Different Surnames
Even the Mandarin sound lù is insufficient to identify 路. Compare the characters before combining records.
| Surname | Mandarin | Distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 路 | lù, fourth tone | The road-character surname discussed here.[1] |
| Land Lu surname（陆／陸，lù） | lù, fourth tone | A different surname whose character also refers to land.[3] |
| Lu second-tone surname（卢／盧，lú） | lú, second tone | Another surname, distinguished by both its character and Mandarin tone.[4] |
| Lü surname（吕／呂，lǚ） | lǚ, third tone | The vowel has an umlaut; preserve it when recording pinyin.[5] |
State Names and Surname Adoption
Traditional accounts connect one route to the Lu state（潞，lù）, associated in surname literature with the road character. An old list explains that descendants adopted the state’s name after its conquest by Jin（晋／晉，jìn）.[6][7]
Another account describes a grant at Zhonglu（中路，zhōnglù）under the ancient ruler Yao（尧／堯，yáo）. This belongs to transmitted early-origin tradition; it does not establish a securely dated founding household for every bearer.[7]
Separately, the Book of Wei records the compound surname Moluzhen（没路真／沒路真，mòlùzhēn）changing to Lu in its Northern Wei（北魏，běi wèi）surname list. This is an adoption route, distinct from a state-name explanation.[8]
A Recorded Lu Lineage and a Pen-Name Trap
Lu Wenshu（路温舒／路溫舒，lù wēnshū）is a historical bearer preserved in surname compilations. His biography records a memorial advocating milder punishment.[7]
A concrete family-history example comes from Qin’an（秦安，qín ān）. Lu Tanran（路坦然，lù tǎnrán）compiled a genealogy in 1682. A continuation appeared in 1885, and another revision followed in 2012. The account describes entries on generations, spouses, descendants, births and deaths. These are records of a particular lineage and its publications, not a genealogy of everyone named Lu.[9]
The novelist Lu Yao（路遥／路遙，lù yáo）was originally named Wang Weiguo（王卫国／王衛國，wáng wèiguó）, with the Wang surname（王，wáng）. His pen name should not be treated as evidence that his inherited surname was 路.[10]
How to Compare Lu Family Records
- Copy the Chinese surname and complete personal name, distinguishing 路 from similarly romanized surnames.
- Retain the original Lu or Lo spelling, and record any pen name separately.
- Identify the genealogy’s edition and the locality or household it covers.
- Match relatives, dates and places across connected generations before joining entries.
FAQs About the Lu Surname Written 路
Are 路 and 陆 the Same Surname?
No. Both have the Mandarin reading lù, but 路 and 陆／陸 are different surname characters. The road character is not the simplified form of 陸.[1][3]
Can the Road Surname Be Written Lo?
Yes. The Cantonese surname entry records Lo for 路. Preserve an individual’s actual spelling and confirm the character when matching records.[2]
Was the Novelist Lu Yao Born into the Lu Surname?
His original name was Wang Weiguo. Lu Yao was his literary name, so listing him as an inherited 路-surname bearer would be misleading.[10]
Sources
[1] Ministry of Education. Concise Mandarin Chinese Dictionary: 路
[2] Words.hk, reproduced by Jyutjyu. Cantonese Surname Entry: 路
[3] Ministry of Education. Revised Mandarin Chinese Dictionary: 陸
[4] Ministry of Education. Revised Mandarin Chinese Dictionary: 盧
[5] Ministry of Education. Revised Mandarin Chinese Dictionary: 呂
[6] Lin Bao. Yuan He Xing Zuan, Volume 8: 路 and 潞
[7] Gu Jin Tu Shu Ji Cheng. Traditional Lu Surname Accounts and Historical Bearers
[8] Wei Shou. Book of Wei, Chapter 113: Surname Changes
[9] Qin’an County Government. The Lu Genealogy: Local Genealogy Series, January 28, 2023
[10] Literature and Art Newspaper. Classic Writers Special: Lu Yao, December 13, 2024
[11] Ministry of Public Security, reproduced by Cemingzi. 2019 National Names Report