Find out how popular the last name Koo is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Koo.

Koo, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Koo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Koo in America

Koo is the 6843rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Koo surname appeared 4,923 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Koo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Koo to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Koo

The surname "Koo" is believed to have originated from China, specifically from the Guangdong and Fujian provinces, where it was commonly used during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1912). The name is derived from the Chinese character "谷" (gǔ), which means "valley" or "small ravine." It is thought that the name was initially given to families who lived in or near valleys or small ravines.

Historical records indicate that the surname "Koo" can be traced back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279), where it appeared in various governmental and administrative documents. One notable mention is in the "Xingshi Hengyan" (行實衡眼), a historical text compiled during the Ming Dynasty, which lists several prominent "Koo" families from the Guangdong region.

The earliest recorded example of the name "Koo" is found in the "Jinshi Zhi" (金石志), a collection of inscriptions and writings from the Tang Dynasty (618-907). This text mentions a scholar named "Koo Yingzhi" (谷應之) who lived during the 8th century.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname "Koo." For instance, Koo Hung-ming (1891-1965) was a renowned Chinese philosopher, writer, and diplomat during the early 20th century. Another significant figure was Koo Chen-fu (1888-1924), a prominent Chinese diplomat and politician who played a crucial role in the establishment of the League of Nations.

Other notable individuals with the surname "Koo" include Koo Kwang-mo (1892-1969), a Korean independence activist and politician; Koo Hui-sun (1914-1994), a South Korean politician and diplomat; and Koo Hee-je (1918-2001), a South Korean writer and academic.

It is worth noting that the surname "Koo" has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout China, such as Koo County (谷縣) in Henan Province and Koo Village (谷村) in Guangdong Province. These place names often reflect the geographical features of the region, further reinforcing the connection between the surname and its etymological roots.

While the surname "Koo" has a rich history and significance within Chinese and Korean cultures, it is important to recognize that this information is based on historical records and may not reflect the most up-to-date data or interpretations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Koo

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Koo.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Koo was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Koo has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Koo was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Koo, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!