Chinese surname · rank 26

许

许 is read as xǔ.

Pinyin

xǔ

Script forms

Simplified 许 · Traditional 許

Basic meaning

allow; promise; praise; place name

Five element

Earth

Origin

Time: Western Zhou to Spring and Autumn Xu-state tradition; Western Zhou to Spring and Autumn tradition, 1046-476 BCE

Place: State of Xu, originally associated with the Xuchang area in Henan Province

Origin note

A major Xu surname tradition traces the surname to the ancient state of Xu. The state is originally associated with the Xuchang area in today's Henan Province, while later Spring and Autumn records show Xu under pressure from neighboring states. In surname use, Xu should therefore be read as a state/place surname layer first; the modern meanings 'allow' or 'promise' belong to the character meaning layer, not the origin story.

Historical figures

许慎 (Xu Shen)

c. 58-c. 148 CE · Eastern Han dictionary scholar

Compiler of Shuowen Jiezi, one of the foundational works for the study of Chinese characters.

许由 (Xu You)

legendary antiquity · legendary recluse

A famous recluse in early Chinese moral and political legend, often used as a symbol of refusing worldly power.

Sources checked

Han Dian: Xu - basic meanings, surname listing, and Zhou vassal state note placing ancient Xu east of today's Xuchang
Chinese Text Project: Zuozhuan, Duke Yin 11 - specific Spring and Autumn Xu-state passage: attack/entry into Xu, Xu Zhuang Gong fleeing, Xu Shu placed in eastern Xu, and Xu described as a Great Yue descendant
Xuchang Civil Affairs Bureau: Xu state local-history summary - Wen Shu enfeoffment tradition, Xu state explanation, and local placement around old Xuchang/Xu county area
Henan CPPCC: Xu surname origin in Xuchang - surname-origin summary connecting Wen Shu's Xu state in eastern Xuchang with descendants using the state name as surname

许 🔊

Origin note

Historical figures

许慎 (Xu Shen)

许由 (Xu You)

Sources checked

许