Taishan surnames

The 罗 surname

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Translated from the Chinese article, which is the one that is edited (read it in Chinese).

Luo (罗) is one of the major surnames of southern China. In Taishan, the places where Luo families live that appear in the sources available are Tianchou Village (田稠村) in Doushan Town (斗山镇) and the area around Tiantou (田头) in Chixi Town (赤溪镇); those of the latter are Hakka.[1][2][3]

Origin of the surname[edit]

The main source of the Luo surname is the Yun (妘) surname, descendants of Zhurong (祝融): in the Zhou period there was a state of Luo, first enfeoffed at Yicheng (宜城, present-day Yicheng, Hubei), which later moved to Zhijiang (枝江) and was destroyed by Chu in the Spring and Autumn period, and its people took the state's name as their surname. There are also accounts that the surname comes from "Luoshi" (罗氏), a Western Zhou office in charge of catching birds, and from changes of surname among ethnic minorities such as the Xianbei Chiluo (叱罗) clan. The best known of its ancestral commanderies is Yuzhang (豫章), and its hall names include Yuzhang Tang (豫章堂), Changsha Tang (长沙堂) and others.[1]

Luo Gui and the migration south from Zhuji Lane[edit]

The collective migration south of the residents of Zhuji Lane (珠玑巷) recorded in the genealogies of Cantonese families was led by the gongsheng Luo Gui (罗贵). Luo Gui moved to Langdi Village (朗底村) in Xinhui (新会), present-day Liangxi Village (良溪村) in Tangxia (棠下), Jiangmen; the village has a Luo Grand Ancestral Hall (罗氏大宗祠) built in the 46th year of Kangxi of the Qing (1707) and Luo Gui's tomb, built in the Qianlong period of the Qing, and Liangxi is therefore called "the Later Zhuji Lane" (后珠玑巷).[4] On Luo Gui's ancestry there are differing accounts, such as that he was a descendant of Luo Congyan (罗从彦) or a descendant of Luo Yangui (罗彦瑰).[5] The sources available contain no clear record of how the lineage of the Luo of Taishan is related to Luo Gui's line.

Across Taishan[edit]

Tianchou, Doushan

According to the chapter on the Zhao in Origins of Taishan's Surnames (《台山姓氏源流》), when Zhongbao Gong (仲宝公) of the Zhao moved to Tianchou Village (originally called Tianliao Village, 田寮村, now part of Doushan Town), the Bai lived in the east of the village and the Luo in the west. As the Zhao grew ever stronger, the Bai moved east and founded Fuhua Village (伏华村) of their own; the Luo, though they did not move away, gradually declined.[2]

Tiantou, Chixi

In Daxiang Village (大巷村) of Tiantou Village, Chixi Town, the surnames long settled there are Zeng, Li and Luo; the ancestors of the Luo and others moved there after the Zeng from various parts of Xinning County (新宁县), and the village has a Luo ancestral hall (罗氏宗祠). In Dingfeng Village (定丰村), also part of Tiantou Village, the surnames long settled there are Wu, Luo and Zhong.[3][6] Surname Culture of Chixi (《赤溪姓氏文化》), compiled by the Chixi Hakka Culture Research Society of Taishan (台山市赤溪客家文化研究会), also lists the Luo as one of the Hakka surnames of Chixi Town.[7]

How the Luo in other parts of Taishan came to Taishan and where they live is yet to be added. Family members who know more are welcome to edit this article.

References

  1. "Luo (surname)", Chinese Wikipedia 「羅姓」，维基百科
  2. Zhao Longzhu, "Zhao", in "Origins of Taishan's Surnames" (vol. 1), compiled by the Committee for Cultural and Historical Materials of the Taishan CPPCC. Reposted on the Taishan Classmates website in the thread "[Shared] Origins of Taishan's Surnames", 2007 赵龙柱：「赵氏」，载《台山姓氏源流》（第一册），台山市政协文史资料委员会编。转载于台山同学网「[分享]台山姓氏源流」，2007年
  3. "Natural Villages of Chixi Town - Daxiang Village, Tiantou Village", website of the Chixi Town People's Government, Taishan, 2025 「赤溪镇自然村落情况-田头村大巷村」，台山市赤溪镇人民政府网站，2025年
  4. Huang Renfu, "The Southward Migration of the People of Zhuji Lane and the Origins of the People of Taishan", Xinning Magazine, 2014, no. 1, Taishan Xinning Magazine Office, p. 17 黄仁夫：「珠玑巷人南迁与台山人的来由」，《新宁杂志》2014年第1期，台山市新宁杂志社，第17页
  5. Luo Xunsen, "A Study of the Origins of Luo Gui, Leader of the Song-Dynasty Migration South from Zhuji Lane", Luoshi Jiayuan website, 2008 罗训森：「宋代珠玑巷南迁领袖罗贵源流研究」，罗氏家园，2008年
  6. "Natural Villages of Chixi Town - Dingfeng Village, Tiantou Village", website of the Chixi Town People's Government, Taishan, 2026 「赤溪镇自然村落情况-田头村定丰村」，台山市赤溪镇人民政府网站，2026年
  7. Chixi Hakka Culture Research Society of Taishan, ed., "Surname Culture of Chixi", 2025, table of contents. On the Chixi Hakka Culture website 台山市赤溪客家文化研究会编：《赤溪姓氏文化》，2025年，目录。载赤溪客家文化网

Last edited 2026-10-19 08:38 · Written together by this site’s users: anybody signed in can edit it, and every version is kept under History.