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

Vo, 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 Vo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vo in America

Vo is the 960th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vo surname appeared 36,236 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 12 people would have the surname Vo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vo 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 Vo

The surname "Vo" is believed to have originated in Vietnam, deriving from the Vietnamese word "vo" which means "ginger." It is thought to have been a descriptive name, given to individuals who may have cultivated or traded in ginger.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "Vo" can be found in the Annals of Dai Viet, a historical text dating back to the 13th century. This text mentions a scholar named Vo Van Ngan, who lived during the Tran Dynasty (1225-1400).

During the 15th century, the name "Vo" appeared in several Vietnamese administrative records, indicating that individuals with this surname held positions within the imperial bureaucracy. Notably, a man named Vo Van Trinh (born around 1420) served as a high-ranking official under the Le Dynasty.

As Vietnamese people migrated to different parts of the world, the name "Vo" spread to other countries. In France, for instance, there are records of a Vietnamese refugee named Vo Thi Kim Lien (1924-2005), who played a significant role in advocating for the Vietnamese community in Paris.

In the United States, one of the earliest documented individuals with the surname "Vo" was Vo Dinh Cuong (1924-2008), a South Vietnamese military officer who later became a prominent member of the Vietnamese-American community in California.

Another notable figure with the surname "Vo" is the Vietnamese-American author and poet Vo Quy (born 1948), known for his works exploring themes of diaspora and cultural identity.

In Australia, the name "Vo" can be traced back to the late 20th century, when Vietnamese refugees began settling in the country. One notable individual is Vo Van Ai (born 1954), a human rights activist and founder of the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights.

Throughout history, the surname "Vo" has also been associated with various place names and older spellings. For example, the village of Vo Tranh in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, and the commune of Vo Cuong in Hai Duong Province, both derive their names from individuals with the surname "Vo."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vo

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

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

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

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