Kao
A surname with several possible roots, most likely an East Asian name in modern use, but the historical excerpts here do not explain its origin.
The #5,758 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 51,304 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The provided historical excerpts do not actually discuss the surname Kao itself; they only contain incidental mentions of the letters in unrelated English records and one unrelated philological note. Because of that, there is no solid basis here for a single etymology. In modern onomastic use, Kao can reflect different surnames across East Asian languages, often romanized from Chinese forms such as Gao or from other local names depending on the language and transcription system.
History
The excerpted 19th-century sources do not provide a usable history for this surname. In English-language records, spelling and romanization could vary widely, so Kao may appear as a transcription of different original names rather than one fixed family line. Today it is encountered chiefly as a romanized East Asian surname, especially in diaspora communities.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In English-language genealogy sources, short surnames like Kao are especially tricky because the same spelling can represent more than one original name depending on the family’s language and romanization system.
From the historical record
“1797. Ilarried— Edward Weigh and UaryAmphlettiSt-Ceo. Kao.Sq. iLi63. LoEidon, a. Amps. — t Bapt ' the son of Ampe.' This has been a Cam-”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances