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

Woo, 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 Woo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Woo in America

Woo is the 2775th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Woo surname appeared 13,003 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Woo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Woo 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 Woo

The surname "Woo" is believed to have originated in China, specifically in the Guangdong province of southern China. It is a transliteration of the Chinese surname 胡, which can be traced back to the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC) and is one of the oldest Chinese surnames.

The name "Woo" is derived from the ancient Chinese word "Hu," which referred to the nomadic people who lived in the northern and northwestern regions of China. The Hu people were known for their martial prowess and played a significant role in the history of ancient China.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname "Woo" can be found in the "Book of Han," a historical text written during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25–220 AD). The book documents the existence of several prominent individuals with the surname "Hu," which was later transliterated into "Woo" in the English language.

During the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD), the surname "Woo" gained prominence, and several notable figures with this surname emerged. One such individual was Woo Tsung-hsien (629–706 AD), a renowned scholar and poet who served as a high-ranking official in the imperial court.

In the 13th century, a branch of the Woo family migrated to the Korean Peninsula, where the surname was adapted and pronounced as "U" or "Woo." This branch of the family produced several notable figures, including Woo Kwon-hun (1479–1552), a prominent military leader and diplomat during the Joseon Dynasty.

Another notable figure with the surname "Woo" was Woo Tseyan (1609–1688), a Chinese poet and calligrapher who lived during the Qing Dynasty. His works are widely celebrated and have had a lasting influence on Chinese literature and calligraphy.

In more recent times, the surname "Woo" has been carried by individuals such as Woo Bong-seo (1888–1958), a Korean independence activist and politician, and Woo Jae-il (1937–2015), a prominent South Korean actor and director.

While the surname "Woo" is most commonly associated with Chinese and Korean heritage, it has also been adopted by individuals from other cultural backgrounds, reflecting the diversity and global reach of this ancient name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Woo

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

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

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

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