Qiu
A Chinese surname, most often romanized from the character 邱/丘, meaning a hill or mound.
The #7,520 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 69,789 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Qiu is a Chinese surname most commonly written 邱 or 丘 in Chinese characters. The underlying meaning is “hill,” “mound,” or “earthen rise,” and many surname traditions explain it as a name taken from a place or a landform. In modern romanization it is usually rendered as Qiu in pinyin, with older or alternate spellings varying by dialect and system.
History
Qiu is an established surname in China and among overseas Chinese communities. Because Chinese surnames are usually tied to character forms rather than a single Western-style family line, the same romanization can represent different characters or local pronunciation traditions. In English-language records, it may appear under several spellings depending on dialect and immigration era.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same surname romanization can correspond to more than one Chinese character, so a family named Qiu in English records may not all share the exact same written Chinese surname character.
From the historical record
“lived in the reign of Edward the First \\U ileBcemhint, Su Kilward Aston of Tixull, in the reicn of Qiu>4>n Kli/jilH'th possessed estates of the value of ten thousantl a-yi-ar, in tlu counties of Staflbrd, nciby, Leicester, and Warwick. Hi married Anne, only danghtiT of Sir Thomas I.ucy of Charlv cot, and died in…”
— The Scottish Nation; or, the surnames, families ... of the people of Scotland, vol. 1