Explanation of the Zhou Clan Totem

Meaning

Zhou (周) means complete or all‑encompassing.

In ancient script, the character 周 is composed of 用 and 口.

Its original meaning relates to encircling and connecting.

The character resembles the image of wells and water channels, flowing into one another and forming a continuous passage for water.

Origin

Hou Ji, son of Emperor Ku, was enfeoffed at Tai, and his descendants became the agricultural clan of the Ji lineage.

His later descendant Gugong Danfu (also known as King Tai of Zhou) was forced by the Di tribes to migrate with his people to Zhouyuan, at the foot of Mount Qi in present‑day Shaanxi. From this point onward, they were known as the Zhou clan.

Gugong Danfu’s great‑grandson Ji Fa overthrew the Shang Dynasty and established the Western Zhou Dynasty.

In 770 BCE, during the reign of King Ping, the capital was moved to Luoyang, marking the beginning of the Eastern Zhou.

King Ping had a son named Ji Lie, who was enfeoffed in Runan. By the time of his 18th‑generation descendant Yong, the family adopted Zhou as their surname.

Later, during the reign of King Nan of Zhou, the 24th king after King Ping, the Zhou royal house was conquered by the State of Qin in 256 BCE. The royal family, led by King Nan, relocated to Danhu (modern Ruzhou), where they continued to use Zhou as their surname.

Ancestral Founders of the Surname

• King Nan of Zhou (Ji Yan)

• Hou Ji

Ancestral Homelands

• Zhouyuan, Qishan, Shaanxi

• Runan, Henan

• Ruzhou, Henan

Prominent Clans / Halls

• Runan, Chenliu

• Ailian Hall, Xiliu Hall

Modern Ranking / Population

• 10th most common surname in China

• Approximately 25.2 million