Woo
A surname that can be English in origin, but is also especially common in Chinese romanization, where it represents several different Chinese surnames.
The #2,775 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 23,744 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The English surname can be a shortened or altered form of a name beginning with Wood- or a very short surname recorded in older English sources, but the historical material here is too thin to pin down one secure derivation. In Chinese use, Woo is a romanization used for several surnames, most commonly reflecting Cantonese-style spellings of characters such as Hu and Wu in older transcription systems. Because the same spelling can arise from different languages and different Chinese characters, the surname’s literal meaning depends on the family line.
History
In English records, Woo appears only rarely and is often hard to separate from similar-looking names or abbreviated spellings. In the United States today, most bearers of Woo are likely to be from Chinese or Chinese-diaspora families, reflecting immigration and older romanization practices rather than a single English surname line.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same spelling, Woo, can represent more than one Chinese surname depending on dialect and romanization tradition.
From the historical record
“WOO WOMBWELL. An estate and chapelry in the W. Riding of Yorkshire, still the property of the Baronet, who claims from Robert de Worabwell, temp. King Stephen. A branch removed into Kent in the XV. century, and built Wombwell Hall, near Northtleet. Pliilipott Vill. Cant. It seems probable that two families in…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom