Explanation of the Zhu Clan Totem

Meaning

The original meaning of Zhu (朱) is tree.

Because the heartwood of certain trees is red, these were called “red‑heart wood”, belonging to the pine‑cypress family.

In oracle‑bone and bronze inscriptions, a dot is placed at the center of the 木 (wood) radical to indicate this distinctive red core.

Origin

The ancient emperor Zhuanxu had a great‑grandson named Luzhong, who had six sons.

The fifth son, An, bore the Cao surname.

In the early Western Zhou period, An’s descendant Xie was enfeoffed in Zhu, where he established the State of Zhu, a vassal state under the State of Lu.

• The capital of Zhu was located at Nanzou Village, southeast of present‑day Qufu, Shandong.

• In 614 BCE, Duke Wen of Zhu moved the capital to Yi (modern Zouxian, Shandong).

• By the mid‑Warring States period, Zhu was conquered by the State of Chu.

The descendants of the former ruling house adopted Zhu as their surname, taking the name of their state.

Later, the place‑name component 邾 was simplified to 朱, forming the modern surname.

Ancestral Founders of the Surname

• Zhu Xiangshi

• Zhu Xingjing

• Zhu Zhen

Ancestral Homelands

• Zhecheng, Henan

• Zouxian, Shandong

Prominent Clans / Halls

• Wu Commandery, Pei Commandery, Henan

• White Deer Hall

Modern Ranking / Population

• 14th most common surname in China

• Approximately 17 million people

Ranking in the Song Dynasty’s Hundred Family Surnames

• 17th

Existing Genealogies

• 986 volumes