Hsu (許 / 徐)
2 Taiwanese surnames carry the spelling Hsu.
許 Hsü
- Zhuyin
- ㄒㄩˇ
- Pinyin
- xǔ
- Wade-Giles
- Hsü
- Further spellings of 許
- Hsu, Shiu, Syu, Xu
- Taiwanese Hokkien (Tâi-lô)
- Khóo Khóo is the colloquial (白讀) reading, while the character's literary (文讀) reading is hí or hú.
- Hakka (Sixian)
- hi³¹
- Rank in Taiwan
- 11th most common surname, roughly 2.31% of the population (2023 Ministry of the Interior figures)
What the character means
'To permit, to promise'; it also carries the senses 'place' and 'about, approximately'.
Where the surname comes from
Tradition traces it to the state of Xu (許) near present-day Xuchang, Henan, which King Cheng of Zhou granted to Xu Wenshu (許文叔), a descendant of Bo Yi (伯夷) of the Jiang (姜) clan. Once Chu destroyed Xu, its people took the state's name. Hall name (堂號): 高陽堂.
Saying it 我姓許 — wǒ xìng xǔ (ㄨㄛˇ ㄒㄧㄥˋ ㄒㄩˇ), "my family name is 許"
徐 Hsü
- Zhuyin
- ㄒㄩˊ
- Pinyin
- xú
- Wade-Giles
- Hsü
- Further spellings of 徐
- Hsu, Shiu, Syu, Xu
- Taiwanese Hokkien (Tâi-lô)
- Tshî
- Hakka (Sixian)
- qi¹¹
- Rank in Taiwan
- 20th most common surname, roughly 1.26% of the population (2023 Ministry of the Interior figures)
What the character means
'Slowly, gently'; it is also the name of an ancient state and a short form for Xuzhou.
Where the surname comes from
Tradition traces it to the state of Xu (徐) in the Huai River region, granted to Ruomu (若木), son of Boyi (伯益) of the Ying (嬴) clan. When Wu conquered Xu in 512 BCE, its people took the state's name. Hall name (堂號): 東海堂.
Saying it 我姓徐 — wǒ xìng xú (ㄨㄛˇ ㄒㄧㄥˋ ㄒㄩˊ), "my family name is 徐"
Sources: rank and share, 內政部 全國姓名統計分析 (Ministry of the Interior, National Name Statistics), data as of 2023-06-30. Taiwanese Hokkien readings, 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 (MOE Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi), 百家姓 appendix. Hakka, 教育部臺灣客語辭典 (MOE Dictionary of Taiwan Hakka), 百家姓表, Sixian (四縣腔).