Bai Jia Xing compound surname #31

司徒

司徒 is read as Sītú. It is one of the 60 compound surnames in the expanded Bai Jia Xing sequence.

Pinyin

Sītú

Script forms

Simplified and traditional 司徒

Meaning

office-title surname from the ancient Situ civil-governance office

Five element

Metal

Origin

Time: Zhou-period office-title origin, c. 1046-256 BCE

Place: Zhou court civil-governance office

Origin

司徒 was one of the major royal offices in early state administration, responsible for civil order, population, education, and social norms. Surname traditions treat descendants of office holders as adopting Situ.

Name meaning

The name carries a civil-governance and moral-education flavor rather than a place-name flavor.

Historical figures

司徒映 Situ Ying

Situ Ying was a Tang official, giving the surname a historical bearer.

Reference: 司徒映 Situ Ying