[1] As of 2008, Lu 蘆 is the 140th most common surname in China, shared by 980,000 people, or 0.079% of the Chinese population.

[3] Lu 蘆 is a relatively new surname by Chinese standard, with a history of about 1,500 years.

It was first recorded during the Xianbei Northern Wei dynasty, when Emperor Xiaowen (reigned 467–499 AD) implemented a drastic policy of sinicization, ordering his own people to adopt Chinese-style surnames.

The Molu (莫蘆) tribe of Xianbei adopted Lu 蘆 as their surname.

[3] During the Ming and Qing dynasties, many people of the Zhuang, Yao, and Miao ethnicities in southern China also adopted the surname.