Fu is one of the surnames in the forest of surnames of the Chinese nation. According to the 2007 national census data of the Ministry of Public Security, there are about 940,000 residents with the surname Fu, accounting for about 0.075% of the national population. If we count the compatriots in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and overseas Fu family members together, the current Fu family population is no less than one million.

Several historical researches have shown that Fu family obtained the surname because of an official, and was the queen of Luqing. None of the available documents can state when and for what reason (Ji) Ya traveled to Qin and served as Fu Xiling. However, it is worth affirming that Fu's surname will not be earlier than the "late Warring States period” (about the thirteenth to nineteenth years of Qin Shihuang, that is, 234 BC-AD), as there was no records of the surname “Fu Shi” in the important historical book “World Edition” (“The Eight Kinds of Surnames in the World", Notes from the Han and Song Dynasties, Qing Qin Jiamo, etc., Commercial Press, 1957).

Find out more historical research in “Origin of Surname: Foo”:

Reference to Ouyang Xiu of the Song Dynasty

Fu Clan are actually the posterity of Hou Ji (后稷) (called Qi 『弃』by name but literally and traditionally known by his position as Lord of Agriculture who lived before the first legendary Xia Dynasty in China (2070BC to 1600BC), the 4th generation descendant of Huang Di (黄帝) (the 1st legendary Emperor who was believed to have ruled China around 4500 - 5000 years ago.) Another fourteen generations later, King Wen (周文王), (leader of Zhou Kingdom in the Shang Dynasty (1600BC - 1046BC) begot the Duke of Zhou (周公) (who was later bestowed the title of the Duke of Lu State after overthrow of the Shang Dynasty by his elder brother King Wu (周武王), the founding Emperor of the Zhou Dynasty (1046BC - 221BC).

The Duke of Zhou begot Bo Qin (伯禽) and sent perforce his son to the State of Lu (now Shandong Province) to receive the title of Duke of Lu, as he, the Duke of Zhou was assisting King Cheng (周成王) as Regent King to run the state affairs of Zhou Court.

Thirty three generations later, the Duke of Lu, called Qing Gong (顷公) (the last Duke of Lu who ruled the State of Lu from (273BC to 249BC) had a grandson called Gong Ya (公雅) who served in the Qin State (770BC - 222BC) as an official in charge of the Imperial Seal (a seal in Chinese is called Fu 符). He was conferred the surname of Fu by Qin Emperor.

Find out more historical research in “Preface to Origin of Fu Clan” or in Chinese, “符氏起源前言”: