Surname Qu originated from the name of a place.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, king Wu of State of Chu conferred his son Xia with Qu Yi as feud to commend his outstanding service in the court, therefore the people used the name Qu Xia to address Xia. The offspring of Xia adopted Qu as their surnames thereafter.

The royal family of State of Chu was descendants of Zhuanxu, the grandson of Emperor Huangdi, therefore Qu is also offspring of Emperor Huangdi. During the resign of North Wei Dynasty, the people with surname of Qutu adopted Qu as their surname.

Qu Yuan, the patriotic poet of the State of Chu in the Warring States Period is the most noted one among people surnamed Qu. His works Li Sao and Chu Ci are still read widely today. On May 5th every year, dragon boat races are held across the country in memory of Qu Yuan. The great litterateur Qu Dajun and scholar Qu Xia in Qing Dynasty are also well-known.

By People's Daily Online