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

Seow, 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 Seow surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Seow in America

Seow is the 68122nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Seow surname appeared 289 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Seow.

We can also compare 2010 data for Seow 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 Seow

The surname "SEOW" is believed to have originated in China, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). It is a romanized spelling of the Chinese surname "蕭" (Xiāo), which is derived from the ancient state of Xiao during the Spring and Autumn period (770-476 BC).

In ancient Chinese records, the name "蕭" (Xiāo) is mentioned in historical texts such as the "Shiji" (Records of the Grand Historian) by Sima Qian, which chronicles the lives of prominent figures and events during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD). The surname is also found in the "Hou Han Shu" (Book of the Later Han), a historical text compiled in the 5th century AD.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname "蕭" (Xiāo) was Xiao Ye (508-555 AD), a renowned writer, calligrapher, and statesman during the Liang Dynasty. Another notable figure was Xiao Gang (503-551 AD), a prominent military general who played a crucial role in the establishment of the Liang Dynasty.

During the Tang Dynasty, the surname "蕭" (Xiāo) gained further prominence with individuals such as Xiao Yu (619-676 AD), a talented poet and statesman, and Xiao Sun (639-691 AD), a renowned Buddhist monk and translator who contributed significantly to the spread of Buddhism in China.

In more recent history, the surname "SEOW" has been carried by notable individuals such as Seow Peck Leng (1927-2021), a Singaporean businessman and philanthropist who founded the Seow Group of companies, and Seow Thiam Ai (1915-2007), a prominent Malaysian artist and educator who played a significant role in the development of modern art in Malaysia.

It is worth noting that the spelling "SEOW" is a romanized version of the Chinese surname "蕭" (Xiāo), which is commonly used in regions with significant Chinese populations, such as Singapore, Malaysia, and parts of Southeast Asia. The romanization of Chinese surnames can vary depending on the dialect and transliteration system used, leading to different spellings like "Sew," "Siu," or "Xiao."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Seow

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

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

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

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