The 苏 surname

Su (苏) is one of the common surnames of China. In Taishan, the Su are found among the Hakka of Chixi Town (赤溪镇).^[1]

Origin of the surname[edit]

The Su surname comes mainly from the Ji (己) surname: according to tradition, Kunwu (昆吾), a descendant of Zhuanxu (颛顼; the Gaoyang clan, 高阳氏), was the first to bear the surname Ji (己), and from it later branched the Su, Gu, Wen, Dong and other clans; under King Wu of Zhou, the minister of justice (sikou) Fensheng (忿生) was enfeoffed with the state of Su, and when the state of Su was destroyed by the Di in the Spring and Autumn period, the descendants took the name of the state as their clan name. Others, from ethnic minorities such as the Xianbei Balue (拔略) clan of the Northern Wei, changed their surname to Su. The best known of its ancestral commanderies are Wugong (武功) and Fufeng (扶风), and "Wugong" is a common hall name.^[2]

Coming to Taishan[edit]

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), lists the Su among the surnames of the people of Chixi, and says that the Hakka forebears of Chixi mostly came from Huiyang (惠阳), Jiaying Prefecture (嘉应州), Chaozhou (潮州) and other places in the Yongzheng and Qianlong reigns of the Qing.^[1]

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