Chinese surname · rank 157
柯
柯 is read as kē.
Pinyin
kē
Script forms
Simplified and traditional 柯
Basic meaning
axe-handle; stalk, bough
Five element
Metal
Origin
Time: Ancient surname tradition, before 221 BCE; exact calendar year not pinned by the attached sources
Place: Wu cultural sphere and places named Ke; later ethnic or sinicized branches are separate layers.
Origin note
Ke is best presented as a multi-origin surname: one major tradition links it to an ancestor or branch name in the Wu cultural sphere, while other lines derive from places named Ke or from later adopted Chinese surname forms.
Historical figures
Historical figures to enrich
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