Explanation of the Luo Clan Totem

Meaning

The original meaning of Luo (罗) is a net used for catching birds.

In oracle‑bone script, the top of the character shows a flying bird, while the lower part depicts a person spreading a net with both hands.

The imagery conveys a bird being trapped and unable to fly away — a classic associative‑meaning pictograph.

Origin

The ancient emperor Zhuanxu had a great‑grandson named Chongli, who served as the Fire Officer (Fire Minister) during the reign of Emperor Ku.

He performed his duties with great merit, illuminating and harmonizing the world, and was therefore granted the title Zhurong, the God of Fire.

After Chongli was executed, his younger brother Wuhui succeeded him as Fire Officer and also bore the title Zhurong.

A branch of Zhurong’s descendants was enfeoffed in the early Western Zhou period to establish the State of Luo, ruled by a viscount.

• The first capital of Luo was located west of modern Yicheng, Hubei.

• Later, the state moved to the northeast of present‑day Zhijiang, Hubei.

• It then relocated again to the northeast of modern Xiangyin, Hunan.

• Around 690 BCE, the State of Luo was conquered by the State of Chu.

The descendants of the fallen state adopted Luo as their surname, taking the name of their former country.

Ancestral Founder of the Surname

Zhurong, the Fire God (grandson of Emperor Zhuanxu)

Ancestral Homelands

• Luoshan, Henan

• Yicheng, Hubei

• Xiangyin, Hunan

Prominent Clans / Halls

• Yuzhang, Changsha, Xiangyang

• Zunyao Hall

Modern Ranking / Population

• 20th most common surname in China

• Approximately 12.6 million people

Ranking in the Song Dynasty’s Hundred Family Surnames

• 75th

Existing Genealogies

• 546 volumes preserved today