The 胡 surname

Hu (胡) is one of the surnames of Taishan, descended mainly from Hu Gong Man (胡公满) of the state of Chen, of the Gui (妫) surname. Hengjiang Village (横江村), Doushan Town (斗山镇), Taishan, has the Yanyi Hu Gong Ancestral Hall (燕翼胡公祠); and the Gee How Oak Tin General Association of the Americas (美洲至孝笃亲总公所), made up of the Chen, Hu and Yuan surnames, held a reunion convention in Taishan in 2013.^[1][2][3]

Origin of the surname[edit]

As summarized in the “Treatise on Clans” of the Comprehensive Treatises (《通志·氏族略》), the origins of the Hu surname fall into three groups: surnames taken from a posthumous name, surnames taken from a state, and other surnames changed to Hu. Gui Man (妫满), the first ruler enfeoffed at the state of Chen in the Western Zhou, had the posthumous name “Hu Gong” (Duke Hu), and some of his descendants took the posthumous name as their surname; in the Spring and Autumn period there were two states of Hu in present-day Anhui and Henan, of the Gui (归) and the Ji (姬) surnames, whose people took the name of the state as their surname; besides these, some bearers of compound surnames such as Humu (胡毋) changed to the single surname Hu. The best-known ancestral commandery of the Hu surname is Anding Commandery (安定郡).^[1]

Coming to Taishan[edit]

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

Ancestral halls and emigrant magazines[edit]

• Yanyi Hu Gong Ancestral Hall: in Hengjiang Village, Doushan Town; the local village committee lists it, together with the Wenxin Lin Gong Ancestral Hall (文信林公祠) of the same village, among the cultural relics it inspects regularly.^[2]
• Gee How Oak Tin Association (至孝笃亲公所): the Gee How Oak Tin General Association of the Americas is made up of the Chen, Hu and Yuan surnames; the three surnames all honor Emperor Shun as their ancestor, take their name from “zhixiao” (utmost filial piety) and “duqin” (devotion to kin), and have more than 20 branch associations in the United States, Canada and Mexico. From October 29 to November 2, 2013, the association's 32nd reunion convention was held in Taishan.^[3]