Key events in the history of the Xu (徐) surname
10 dated events in the history of the Xu (徐) surname, as recorded in Chinese sources.
During the reign of King Mu of Western Zhou (西周穆王)
Xu Yan Wang (徐偃王) practiced benevolence and righteousness, receiving tribute from thirty-two states; later, his military campaign against the Zhou capital failed, and he retired to live in seclusion in Pengcheng (彭城).
Western Zhou dynasty
King Mu of Zhou enfeoffed Zong (宗), son of Xu Yan Wang (徐偃王), as the 'Zi' (子) ruler of Xu (徐), continuing the Xu state’s hereditary rank of Zi (子).
512 BCE
The state of Xu (徐) was destroyed by the state of Wu (吴).
Before the Qin dynasty (秦代以前)
The Xu (徐) surname was primarily distributed in Anhui (安徽), Jiangsu (江苏), and Shandong (山东) provinces.
Han dynasty (汉朝)
The Xu (徐) surname had spread throughout the Yellow River (黄河) basin, though its main areas of activity remained the Huai River (淮河) and Jiangnan (江南) regions.
Wei-Jin period (魏晋时期)
The Xu (徐) surname began large-scale southward migration, mainly settling in Zhejiang (浙江).
Song dynasty (宋朝)
The Xu (徐) surname migrated to Jiangxi (江西) and Fujian (福建) provinces; Jiangxi (江西) became the province with the largest Xu (徐) population.
Yuan dynasty (元朝)
The Xu (徐) surname was active in Meizhou (梅州) and Haifeng (海丰) counties in Guangdong (广东).
Ming dynasty (明朝)
Zhejiang (浙江) became the province with the largest Xu (徐) population, accounting for 35.1% of the total Xu (徐) population nationwide.
2018
The Xu (徐) surname ranked as the eleventh most populous surname on the Chinese mainland.