2000
#1,296
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,956
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.25
Uncommon Last name
Vo
A Vietnamese surname derived from the Chinese surname Wu, meaning "military" or "martial."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 51,798 Americans carry the last name Vo. That puts it at #751 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 15.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vo surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Vo with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
52K
1 in 6,617
Census rank
#751
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
15.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
45K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 45,170 bearers of the surname Vo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 15.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 751st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vo, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and White (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vo
Among Census respondents with the surname Vo, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and White (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Vo bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Vo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.5% · 43,139
- Two or more races2.0% · 894
- White1.4% · 625
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 422
- Black or African American0.2% · 82
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vo
Vo appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#960
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 36,236
+11,280 bearers (+45.2%)
Per 100,000 12.28
Rank movement Up 336 places
2020
#751
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 45,170
+8,934 bearers (+24.7%)
Per 100,000 15.11
Rank movement Up 209 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,296 | 24,956 | 9.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #960 | 36,236 | 12.28 | +11,280 bearers (+45.2%) | Up 336 places |
| 2020 | #751 | 45,170 | 15.11 | +8,934 bearers (+24.7%) | Up 209 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Vo surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #960 | #751 | 21.8% |
| Count | 36,236 | 45,170 | 24.7% |
| Per 100K | 12.28 | 15.11 | 23.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vo bearers went from 36,236 to 45,170 (+24.7% change). The surname moved up 209 positions in the national ranking, going from #960 to #751.
FAQ
Vo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vo?
Name Census estimates that about 51,798 living Americans carry the surname Vo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,617 residents.
How common is Vo?
Vo ranks #751 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 15.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 15 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 45,170 people with the surname Vo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (51,798), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 15.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 15.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 15 of them to have the surname Vo.
Has Vo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vo went from 36,236 recorded bearers to 45,170. That is an increase of 8,934 (+24.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #960 to #751.
What does the Census say about the background of Vo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vo, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and White (1.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Vo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (43,139 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (95.5%), Two or More Races (2.0%), White (1.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Vo (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Vo mean?
A Vietnamese surname derived from the Chinese surname Wu, meaning "military" or "martial." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Vo (15.11 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Vo?
Find out how many people have the last name Vo on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.