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

Oo, 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 Oo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Oo in America

Oo is the 17565th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Oo surname appeared 1,601 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Oo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Oo 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 Oo

The surname "OO" is believed to have originated in China, with records dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE). It is thought to be derived from the Chinese word "wu", which means "black" or "dark". This name was initially used to describe a person's physical appearance or complexion.

One of the earliest known instances of the name "OO" can be found in the "Book of Tang", a historical record compiled in the late 10th century CE. It mentions a scholar named Oo Zhenren, who lived during the Tang Dynasty and was renowned for his expertise in calligraphy and literature.

During the Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE), the name "OO" became more widespread, particularly in the regions of Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces. It is believed that some families adopted this surname due to its association with the imperial family, as the word "wu" was also used to refer to the color black, which was considered a symbol of power and nobility.

In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 CE), the name "OO" gained further recognition with the emergence of several influential figures. One notable example is Oo Xianxian (1516-1593), a renowned scholar and philosopher who made significant contributions to the development of Neo-Confucianism.

Another prominent individual bearing the surname "OO" was Oo Qizhou (1565-1627), a general and military strategist who played a crucial role in suppressing the peasant uprisings during the late Ming Dynasty.

During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912 CE), the name "OO" continued to be prevalent, particularly in the northern regions of China. One noteworthy figure from this period was Oo Renchu (1773-1858), a scholar and poet who was highly regarded for his works on classical Chinese literature.

In modern times, the surname "OO" has spread across various parts of the world due to Chinese immigration and diaspora. Some notable individuals with this surname include Oo Yeong-ming (1917-2001), a Taiwanese novelist and essayist, and Oo Shu-chen (born 1957), a Taiwanese politician and former Vice President of Taiwan.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Oo

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

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 Oo 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 Oo 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 Oo was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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