徐XuSurname
Xú
Xu (徐) means 'gentle,' 'slow,' or 'calm,' reflecting qualities of patience and composure. It is associated with the ancient state of Xu, symbolizing stability and tradition. The surname conveys a sense of steady progress and enduring heritage.
Xú
Mainland China · Taiwan
Tsui
Guangdong · Hong Kong
Koh
Fujian · Taiwan · SE Asia
Hui
Meizhou · Taiwan · SE Asia
Population Ranking
#12
Estimated Over 9 million people
Position among top 100 Chinese surnames
Geographic Distribution
Henan, Shandong, Zhejiang
Five Element Analysis
Wood
growth, vitality, and kindness
Origin & Evolution
From Chu State royalty to global diaspora — a 3,000-year journey
Zhou Dynasty
周朝·c. 1046 – 256 BC
Origin from the ancient Xu state (徐国) in the Huai River valley, founded by descendants of Boyi. The state reached great power under King Xu Yan in the 10th century BC before being absorbed by Chu and Wu.
Han Dynasty
汉朝·206 BC – 220 CE
After Xu state fell, its people took Xu (徐) as their surname. The name spread through Shandong, Jiangsu, and Anhui, with several clans producing Han-era officials and scholars.
Tang & Song
唐宋·618 – 1279
Southward migration planted Xu strongholds in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi. The surname became closely associated with the Lower Yangtze literary and commercial elite.
Ming & Qing
明清·1368 – 1912
Xu clans flourished across the Jiangnan region. Xu Xiake's journeys across China produced the era's greatest geographical work, and Xu Guangqi introduced Western science with Jesuit Matteo Ricci.
Modern Era
现代·1912 – Today
Xu is now the eleventh most common Chinese surname with over 20 million people, concentrated in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui, and widely distributed overseas.
Commandery
Gaoyang Commandery (高阳郡) — Modern-day Baoding area, Hebei Province
Hall Title
高阳堂 (Gaoyang Hall)
The principal hall name 'Donghai Hall' (东海堂) refers to the ancient Donghai commandery on the Jiangsu coast, long regarded as the ancestral seat of the Xu lineage.
Ancestral Hall

Xu Clan Ancestral Hall in Gaoyang, Hebei — The traditional ancestral seat of the Xu clan, honoring generations of scholarly achievement.
Clan Motto & Family Tradition
高阳世泽,耕读传家 — The Gaoyang heritage; the tradition of farming and learning.
Famous People with Surname Xu
Xu Fu
徐福
c. 255 – 195 BC
Court SorcererQin dynasty alchemist whom Emperor Qin Shi Huang dispatched east across the sea with thousands of youths in search of the elixir of immortality.
Xu Xiake
徐霞客
1587 – 1641
GeographerMing traveler whose 30-year journeys produced the 'Travel Diaries', China's most celebrated work of geography and nature writing.
Xu Beihong
徐悲鸿
1895 – 1953
PainterPioneer of modern Chinese painting whose vigorous ink horses fused Western realism with traditional brushwork.
Tone Compatibility
Xu (Xú) is a 2nd tone (rising) surname. In Chinese naming, balanced tonal patterns create harmonious-sounding names.
Recommended Patterns
peaceful and secure
vast and auspicious
ambition that soars
Patterns to Avoid
Each digit is a tone (1=level, 2=rising, 3=dipping, 4=falling). The first is the surname tone; the next two are the given name's tones.
Example Names with Xu
Your Xu Family Legend
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