Chinese surname · rank 150

涂

涂 is read as tú.

Pinyin

tú

Script forms

Simplified 涂 · Traditional 塗

Basic meaning

to apply or smear; mud or shallow beach; road/path in variant usage; ancient water name

Five element

Water

Origin

Time: Southern Song textual attestation for the water-name explanation; Xia-period date only as later clan-origin tradition.; Xia-dynasty tradition, c. 2070-1600 BCE

Place: Tongzhi records Hongzhou. Some modern summaries identify ancient Tu water with the later Chu River area in eastern Anhui/Jiangsu, while Tu-shan locations are traditionally disputed.

Origin note

A conservative entry should say that Tu is recorded as a surname connected with water names, and that later surname/genealogy sources also connect it with the Tu-shan clan. Avoid presenting the Xia-period story as a proven historical event.

Historical figures

Historical figures to enrich

This surname page is ready for a fame-ranked figure list. Later passes can add generals, poets, rulers, artists, scholars and modern public figures with source links.

Sources checked

Han Dian: Tu - basic meanings, surname listing, and detailed entry for old water-name sense
Chinese Text Project: Tongzhi, vol. 27, Shi zu lue - direct surname-source line that Tu people of Hongzhou took the surname because of water
23Mofang surname library: Tu - Tu-shan / Si-surname tradition and related written forms
Jiapu.tv: Tu surname source summary - secondary genealogy summary citing both Tu-shan tradition and Tongzhi water-name tradition

涂 🔊

Origin note

Historical figures

Historical figures to enrich

Sources checked

涂