Lu Surname (陆/陸): Land Meaning, Origins and Luk or Loke

公開者 Anthony
公開日 11月 9, 2026

Understand the Lu surname 陆/陸, its land meaning and numeral reading, traditional origins, Luk and Loke spellings, and practical ways to compare family records.

Quick Answer: What Is the Lu Surname Written 陆/陸?

The land Lu surname（陆／陸，lù）has a fourth-tone Mandarin reading. 陆 is simplified and 陸 traditional; the character also means land.^[1][2]

Pronunciation: The surname reading lù is separate from the character’s liù reading for the numeral six.^[1]
Origins: Traditional accounts include place-name routes and surname adoption.^[3][4][5]
Recorded forms: Lu, Luk and Loke occur with identified people.^[6][7][8]

The shared character does not demonstrate that all bearers belong to one family branch.

The land character surname through readings traditional origins and recorded forms

A record using Luk or Loke may preserve this surname even when it looks unlike Mandarin Lu. The Chinese character anchors the comparison, while old lineage labels and individual spellings need their own context.

The Character 陸: Land, Surname and the Numeral Six

The land sense refers to ground above water. The surname uses the reading lù. The same character can also serve as the formal written numeral six, pronounced liù; that separate usage does not change the standard surname reading.^[1]

The road Lu surname（路，lù） is different, despite sharing the Mandarin pronunciation. Keep 陆／陸 and 路 separate when reading family names.^[11]

2019 mainland rank: 57th.^[9]

Traditional Origins and Regional Lineage Labels

An old genealogical account traces one line to Tong（通，tōng）, described as a son of King Xuan of Qi（齐宣王／齊宣王，qí xuān wáng）. He received Lu Township（陆乡／陸鄉，lù xiāng）in Pingyuan（平原，píngyuán）and Ban County（般县／般縣，bān xiàn）, and descendants took the place-name as their surname. The account identifies this as land earlier associated with Lu Zhong（陆终／陸終，lù zhōng）.^[3]

Another traditional list connects the name with Lu Zhong or with Luhun（陆浑／陸渾，lùhún）. A separate Book of Wei entry records the compound surname Buliugu（步六孤，bùliùgū）changing to Lu during the Northern Wei（北魏，běi wèi）.^[4][5]

Wu Commandery（吴郡／吳郡，wú jùn）and Henan（河南，hénán）appear as distinct lineage associations in older scholarship. They identify different historical family lines in that discussion. Copying a regional label from another branch does not establish a connection to its people or generations.^[10]

Lu, Luk and Loke in Recorded Names

The following records attach different Roman-letter forms to 陸. The Mandarin readings in parentheses explain the Chinese names without replacing the personal spellings.

表現形式	Named example	Record context
魯	Lu You（陆游／陸游，lù yóu）	The Mandarin dictionary identifies the poet and gives the reading lù yóu.^[6]
Luk	Thomas Luk Yun-Tong（陆润棠／陸潤棠，lù rùntáng）	A Hang Seng University faculty page pairs the name with 陸潤棠.^[7]
Loke	Loke Hing-wa（陆庆华／陸慶華，lù qìnghuá）	A University of Hong Kong thesis record pairs Loke, Hing-wa with 陸慶華.^[8]

How to Compare Lu Family Records

Record 陆 or 陸 exactly as written and retain the complete personal name.
Keep Lu, Luk or Loke as the source uses it; add other search spellings separately.
Check whether a regional label describes a historical lineage, a migration point or a person’s residence.
Match relatives, dates and places through connected generations before combining family branches.

FAQs About the Lu Surname Written 陆/陸

Does the Lu Surname Mean Six?

The surname is read lù. The character’s use as a formal numeral six belongs to its separate liù reading, so numeral usage should not be treated as the surname’s origin.^[1]

Are Lu, Luk and Loke the Same Surname?

They can all represent 陆／陸, as the recorded examples show. Confirm a particular person’s Chinese name rather than assuming the spelling alone identifies the character or branch.^[6][7][8]

Are 陆 and 路 the Same Surname?

No. The first is the simplified form of 陸; the second is the road character. Their matching Mandarin sound does not make them the same surname.^[2][11]