Explore the Family Name Pu

The meaning of Pu

1. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 蒲, meaning ‘bulrush, reedmace’ in Chinese: (i) borne by descendants of the chief of the Western Qiang ethnic groups in northwestern China. It is said that giant bulrushes grew in a pond belonging to this family, which earned them the surname Pu (蒲). (ii) from the first element of Pu Ban (蒲坂), the name of an ancient fief (located in Shanxi province) said to be granted to a descendant of Emperor Shun (c.23rd century bc). 2. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 浦: said to be borne by some descendants of Jiang Tai Gong or Jiang Ziya (c.11th century bc), who made great contributions to the establishment of the Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BC). 3. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 濮: (i) from the placename Pu (濮), the name of a fief (located in Henan province) that was originally granted to an official in the state of Wey during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (ii) from Bai Pu (百濮), the name of an ancient ethnic group in present-day Hubei province during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). 4. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 普, a surname of the Xianbei ethnic group in ancient China, and also a Han Chinese surname adopted by other minority ethnic groups in China. 5. Chinese: alternative Mandarin form of the surnames 卜, 步, 布 and 補, see Bu 2–5. 6. Korean: there is only one Chinese character and one clan for the surname Pu. There is no historical information on the founder of this clan, but there is a legend which tells of three men who appeared from a cave on the north side of Cheju Island’s Halla Mountain. These three men were the founders of the Yang, Ko, and Pu clans. The mythological founder of the Pu clan was Pu Ŭl-la. Shortly after the three men emerged from the cave, a box washed up on the shore of the island. Inside the box were three beautiful women, horses, cows, and agricultural seed. From these beginnings, the three established Cheju Island’s T’amnaguk kingdom and ruled peacefully for centuries. Unlike the descendants of Yang and Ko, however, the descendants of Pu were for the most part content to remain on Cheju Island. A 1930 census revealed that 80% of bearers of the Pu surname were still located on Cheju Island. Pu is considered a rare surname in Korea today. Compare Boo 3. 7. Amerindian (Guatemala): Mayan name, from pu’ ‘blowpipe’, a device used for bird hunting. Some characteristic forenames: Chinese Xiao, Chung Suk, Jing, Li-Chun, Chuan, Feng, Hongbin, Hsiao, Hui Hua, Jian, Jiong, Lijun, Chung, Jeong, Min.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.