The lineage traces back to the Ge clan, with Bo Yi and Ge Ying as its earliest ancestors. During the Ming dynasty, the Zhuge clan—originating from areas such as Pingyang Prefecture, Hongtong County, and Zhaocheng County—was among those relocated en masse to other regions under imperial decree at the Great Locust Tree in Hongtong. By the late Qing period, their descendants had spread across numerous provinces, including Henan, Shandong, Hebei, Beijing, Shaanxi, Gansu, Anhui, Jiangsu, Hubei, Hunan, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Heilongjiang, and Shanxi. The earliest recorded mention of the Zhuge surname appears in the Han‑dynasty text “Fengsu Tong: Surname Chapter.”
[Origins of the Surname] There are four main sources of this surname: ① It originates from the Ge clan. According to the “Records of the Three Kingdoms, Biography of Zhuge Jin” in the “Book of Wu,” the ancestors of the Zhuge clan were originally surnamed Ge, hailing from the various counties of Langya—today’s Zhucheng County in Shandong Province—and later migrated to Yangdu, which is now Yishui County in Shandong. Since there was already a family bearing the surname Ge in Yangdu, contemporaries referred to those who had moved there as the Zhuge clan, thus adopting the name. ② It derives from a phonetic distortion of the Zhan‑Ge surname. As recorded in the “Comprehensive Gazetteer: Clans and Surnames” and the “Genealogical Records,” the descendants of the Xiong clan bore the surname Zhan‑Ge; over time, due to a mispronunciation in the Qi dialect, Zhan‑Ge came to be regarded as a double surname, Zhuge. ③ It arose when a surname was formed by combining a family name with the name of a fiefdom. According to the “Customs and Etiquette,” during the late Qin period, after Chen Sheng’s rebellion, the general Ge Ying repeatedly distinguished himself in battle but was ultimately slain on the basis of false accusations. In the Western Han, Emperor Wen enfeoffed Ge Ying’s grandson as the Marquis of Zhuxian County, and his descendants thereafter adopted the surname Zhuge, blending the name of their fiefdom, Zhuxian, with their ancestral surname, Ge. Thus, the Zhan‑Ge surname underwent a phonetic transformation into Zhuge. ④ It also stems from the Ge surname. Legend has it that upon his death, Yu the Great bequeathed the throne to his trusted aide, Bo Yi. Bo Yi withdrew to live in seclusion south of Mount Ji, while Yu’s son, Qi, established the first slave‑holding state—the Xia dynasty. According to the “Book of Wu,” in gratitude for Bo Yi’s selfless act of yielding the throne, Qi enfeoffed Bo Yi’s son in the State of Ge. After Cheng Tang destroyed the State of Ge, the descendants of Duke Ge fled to settle in Zhucheng (now southwest of present‑day Zhucheng County in Shandong). Because Zhucheng had long been inhabited by people of the Ge surname, in order to distinguish themselves from the descendants of Duke Ge, they appended the place name “Zhu” to the family name “Ge,” thereby establishing the surname Zhuge, meaning “Ge of Zhuxian County.”
[Clan Hometown] The principal ancestral home of the Zhuge clan is Langya Commandery. Langya Commandery originally corresponded to the Langya settlement in the State of Qi during the Spring and Autumn period. In the late Spring and Autumn era, King Goujian of Yue relocated his capital there. During the Qin unification of the six states (221 BCE), Emperor Qin Shi Huang established Langya Commandery, which encompassed roughly the areas of present-day Zhucheng County, Jiaonan County, and Linyi County in southeastern Shandong Province. Its administrative center was located at Langya (now northwest of Langya Terrace in Jiaonan County).
[Clan Hall Names] The main clan halls of the Zhuge surname are San Gu Tang and Wo Long Tang. San Gu Tang and Wo Long Tang: At the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, Liu Bei visited Zhuge Liang three times at his thatched cottage and appointed him as his chancellor. Initially, Zhuge Liang lived in seclusion in Nanyang, comparing himself to Guan Zhong and Le Yi; his residence was known as Wolong Ridge, and he was respectfully called “Mr. Wolong.”
[Family Hall Couplets] The principal couplets of the Zhuge clan read as follows: “A rare talent fit to assist the emperor” (referring to Zhuge Liang); “A family of martyrs” (referring to Zhuge Zhan). “Sima was a loyal minister of Wu” (referring to Zhuge Jin); “The Recluse Dragon was, in truth, a peerless genius of the realm” (referring to Zhuge Liang). “In Kuaiji, his achievements were such that even high‑ranking officials were awed” (referring to Zhuge Hui); “A master of literary works, renowned from youth, few could rival him” (referring to Zhuge Ying). “With the wondrous Eight Formations, their brilliance shines like treasures cherished by the imperial kin” (referring to Zhuge Liang and Zhuge Zhan); “Esteemed throughout the Three Wu, their gentle grace yields jade as fine as that of Lantian” (referring to Zhuge Jin and Zhuge Ke).
[Notable Figures] The “Great Dictionary of Chinese Personal Names” records 26 instances of the Zhuge surname, while the “Great Dictionary of Personal Names Throughout Chinese History” lists 36. Among the historical figures bearing the Zhuge surname are: during the Western Han, Zhuge Feng, who served as Grand Censor; in the Three Kingdoms period, Zhuge Liang of Shu Han, a native of Yangdu and titled Marquis of Wuxiang; in the Tang dynasty, Zhuge Shuang, from Bochang; and in the Song dynasty, Zhuge Gao, from Xuancheng, who was a master pen‑maker.
[Population] According to the results of the Fourth National Population Census, there are 16 people surnamed Zhuge in Shanxi Province.
[Altar Cabinet] The ancestral tablets of the Zhuge clan are enshrined in Altar Cabinet No. 10 of the Ancestral Hall beneath the Great Locust Tree.
[Genealogy] The main genealogical records of the Zhuge surname include: “Four Volumes of the Genealogical Register of the Zhuge Clan of Jiulong, Jinhua, Zhejiang” (held by the Cultural Relics Administration of Jinhua City, Zhejiang); and “Four Volumes of the Genealogical Register of the Langya Zhuge Clan of Lanxi, Zhejiang” (located in Shuiting Township, Lanxi, Zhejiang).
[Generation Names] Beginning with the twenty-sixth-generation descendant of Zhuge Liang, who bears the character “Ren,” the subsequent eighty generations are recorded in a five‑character regulated verse: “Ren, Xing, Ning, Xiang, Rui; An, Yuan, Fu, Gui, Chang. Loyalty and solemnity, strictness and reverence—virtue shines forth. Intelligence and wisdom, clarity and insight; literary principles, respect and composure. Filial piety and fraternal love, trustworthiness and harmony; benevolence and kindness, upholding proper conduct. Authority and constancy, opening the tripod of Jin; purity and excellence, cultivating worthy men. Frugality and yielding, honoring generosity and broad-mindedness; humility and respect, flourishing in peace and prosperity. Enjoying integrity, diligent in conduct; reverent and cautious, reaping health and well‑being. Kindness and benevolence, multiplying virtue and talent; brilliance and splendor, eternally bringing auspicious aid.”