According to tradition, there are two main sources of the Lou 楼 surname: 1. From the
State of Qǐ (杞) during the
Zhou dynasty.
King Wu of Zhou enfeoffed
Duke Donglou at Qi (in modern
Qi County, Kaifeng,
Henan province). Duke Donglou's son and successor was
Duke Xilou. The state was later moved to
Shandong and destroyed by
King Hui of Chu. Some descendants of dukes Donglou and Xilou adopted Lou 楼, the second character in their names, as their surname. This source of Lou began around 800 BC, and is a branch of
Si, the ducal surname of Qi. 2. From the
State of Jin during the
Spring and Autumn period. Zhao Ying (
赵婴), a son of the powerful minister
Zhao Cui (
趙衰; died 622 BC), was enfeoffed at the settlement of Lou 楼 (in modern
Yonghe County,
Shanxi province). Zhao Ying was thereafter also called Lou Ying, and his descendants adopted Lou 楼 as their surname. As the Zhao clan was a branch of the ancient surname of
Ying, this source of Lou is a sublineage of Ying. It branched off the
Zhao surname about 2,600 years ago. ==Later adoption==