Quick Answer: What Is the Luo Surname?
The Luo surname（罗／羅，luó）is a Chinese family name pronounced with a second tone in Mandarin. 罗 is simplified and 羅 traditional. The character also has ordinary meanings involving a net and light silk fabric.[1][2]
- Origins: Traditional surname texts link one route to an ancient state’s name.[4]
- Other routes: Historical records also describe surname adoption.[5]
- Spellings: Luo, Lo and Law occur with identified bearers.[6][7][8]
Neither the word’s meaning nor a Roman-letter spelling establishes a complete family genealogy.
A family document may use Luo, Lo or Law while preserving the same Chinese surname. Reading the character first helps separate its older vocabulary senses from traditional origin accounts and from similarly written names.
The Character 罗/羅: Meaning and Pronunciation
The Mandarin reading is luó, with a rising second tone. 羅 can name a catching net or a light silk fabric; related verbal senses include gathering and arranging. These vocabulary meanings coexist with its use as an inherited family name.[1]
The net meaning does not establish net-making or bird-catching as a family’s ancestral occupation.
2019 mainland rank: 20th.[9]
Luo State and Other Origin Accounts
A traditional account connects the surname with the Luo state（罗国／羅國，luó guó）. Zheng Qiao’s text records a Xiong lineage（熊，xióng）association and an alternative account linking Zhurong（祝融，zhùróng）with the Yun lineage（妘，yún）. It places the state first at Yicheng（宜城，yíchéng）, then at Zhijiang（枝江，zhījiāng）, before conquest by the Chu state（楚国／楚國，chǔ guó）. The surname explanation is adoption of the former state’s name.[4]
These alternative traditions are not a demonstrated pedigree for every modern Luo family.
A separate route is recorded in the Book of Wei: the compound surname Chiluo（叱罗／叱羅，chìluó）changed to Luo in its Northern Wei（北魏，běi wèi）surname list. This describes a surname change, distinct from taking an ancient state’s name.[5]
Luo, Lo and Law in Recorded Names
These records attach different Roman-letter forms to the same surname. The Mandarin readings explain the Chinese names without replacing the original personal spellings.
| 表現形式 | Named example | Record context |
|---|---|---|
| Luo | Luo Zhenyu（罗振玉／羅振玉，luó zhènyù） | The Mandarin dictionary records the scholar’s name and its reading.[6] |
| Lo | Lo Ping-cheung（罗秉祥／羅秉祥，luó bǐngxiáng） | His university-hosted CV begins with LO, PING-CHEUNG and 羅秉祥.[7] |
| Law | Law Kar-ying（罗家英／羅家英，luó jiāyīng） | The Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra supplies Chinese and English profile headings for him.[8] |
Other Characters Behind Luo or Lo
The fourth-tone Luo surname（骆／駱，luò）is different from 罗／羅. Without tone marks, the Mandarin forms look identical in Roman letters even though the characters and tones differ.[1][3]
Lo also appears as a spelling of the road Lu surname（路，lù）. Thus, finding Lo in an English index is a reason to check the original Chinese name, rather than automatically supplying 羅.[10]
How to Compare Luo Family Records
- Copy the original surname and full Chinese personal name, distinguishing 罗／羅 from 骆／駱.
- Keep each document’s Luo, Lo or Law spelling and add other search forms separately.
- Compare relatives, dates and hometowns before combining entries.
- Follow connected generations before attaching your household to an ancient state or named historical lineage.
FAQs About the Luo Surname
Are Luo, Lo and Law the Same Surname?
They can all represent 罗／羅. Actual personal records confirm those forms, but Lo can also represent another Chinese surname, so the character remains essential.[6][7][8][10]
Does the Net Meaning Explain How the Name Began?
It explains one meaning of 羅. The traditional surname account instead concerns an ancient state’s name, so the two explanations should be kept separate.[1][4]
Are 罗 and 骆 the Same Surname?
No. 罗／羅 is read luó with a second tone; 骆／駱 is read luò with a fourth tone. An unmarked Luo spelling conceals that difference.[1][3]
出典
[1] Ministry of Education. Revised Mandarin Chinese Dictionary: 羅
[2] Ministry of Education. Revised Mandarin Chinese Dictionary: 罗 and 羅
[3] Ministry of Education. Revised Mandarin Chinese Dictionary: 駱
[4] Zheng Qiao, reproduced in Gu Jin Tu Shu Ji Cheng. Tong Zhi: Luo State and Surname Accounts
[5] Wei Shou. Book of Wei, Chapter 113: Surname Changes
[6] Ministry of Education. Revised Mandarin Chinese Dictionary: Luo Zhenyu
[7] Lo Ping-cheung, Hong Kong Baptist University. Curriculum Vitae: LO, PING-CHEUNG 羅秉祥
[8] Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra. Law Kar-ying: Chinese and English Profile Versions
[9] Ministry of Public Security, reproduced by Cemingzi. 2019 National Names Report
[10] Words.hk, reproduced by Jyutjyu. Cantonese Surname Entry: 路 and Lo