Du
A surname found in several cultures, often from a simple particle meaning “of” or from a shortened form of a Chinese family name.
The #4,690 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 40,807 Americans shares it.
Etymology
As a surname, Du can have more than one origin. In French, du is the contraction of de le, meaning “of the” or “from the,” and it appears in surnames and place-based names. In Chinese, Du is a common romanization of several surnames written with different characters, most often 杜. In other European contexts it may also arise as a shortened or altered spelling of longer names or as a surname element taken from a preposition or particle.
History
Because the form is so short, Du is used independently in several naming traditions rather than tracing to one single family line. In the English-speaking world it is most often encountered as a transliteration of Chinese Du, especially in modern immigration records. In Europe, similar-looking forms may be connected to French or other continental naming patterns, but the same spelling can conceal unrelated origins.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same two-letter surname can represent completely different family histories, depending on whether it comes from French, Chinese, or another naming tradition.