GGood Chinese Name

Chinese surname · rank 11

徐

徐 is read as xú.

Pinyin

xú

Script forms

Simplified and traditional 徐

Basic meaning

slow; gradual; calm

Five element

Pending review

Origin

Time: Xia-Shang-Zhou tradition, c. 2070-221 BCE

Place: Ancient Xu state in the northern Anhui / Jianghuai region, as preserved in the Ruomu and Xu-state tradition.

Origin note

A major Xu tradition traces the surname to the ancient Xu state. Boyi's descendant Ruomu was associated with Xu, in the area later remembered around northern Anhui/Jianghuai. After the state was destroyed, descendants used the state name Xu as their surname.

Historical figures

徐光启 (Xu Guangqi)

1562-1633 CE · Ming scholar-official, scientist and translator

A major late-Ming scholar associated with agriculture, mathematics, astronomy and translation work with Matteo Ricci.

徐霞客 (Xu Xiake)

1587-1641 CE · Ming travel writer and geographer

Remembered for extensive travels and detailed geographic writing, making Xu a surname with a strong exploration and scholarship association.

Sources checked