Explore the Family Name Bo
The meaning of Bo
1. Norwegian (Bø): cognate of Bøe (see Boe). 2. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 薄, meaning ‘thin’ in Chinese: (i) from Bo (薄), the name of an ancient state (located in the borderline between Henan and Shandong province). (ii) from the placename Bo (薄), the name of a fief (located in the borderline between Henan and Shandong province) granted to an official in the state of Song during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (iii) said to be borne by descendants of Bo Yi (薄疑), a famous person in the state of Wey during the Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BC). (iv) said to be borne by descendants of the Bo Gu (薄姑) family, nobles during the Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BC). (v) adopted as a surname by the Bo Xi (薄奚) family from the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD). (vi) traced back to the Qiang minority ethnic groups in ancient northwestern China. 3. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 伯, meaning ‘oldest brother’, often used as a personal name with this sense. It comes from the name of Bo Yi (伯益), a famous adviser to Emperor Yao (c.24th century bc) and Emperor Shun (c.23rd century bc). 4. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 博, meaning ‘vast’ in Chinese: from the placename Bo (博), an ancient city (located in present-day northeastern Liaocheng in Shandong province). 5. Burmese: from a title for a military officer and also for someone who distinguished himself in the struggle for independence of Burma, used as part of the male name proper. — Note: Since Burmese do not have hereditary surnames, this name was registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US. 6. Vietnamese (Bồ): from the Chinese surname 蒲, see Pu 1. 7. Cambodian: written បូរ or បូ, corresponding to the Khmer word meaning ‘ribbon; colored headband’. Some characteristic forenames: Vietnamese Dat, Bay Van, Binh, Chau Minh, Dai, Hiep Van, Hung, Khien, Nguyen, Sau, Sen Thi. Chinese Zhang, Fan, Heang, Heng, Jiang, Li, Peng, Won, Yan. Southeast Asian Chea, Quanz, Soeun. Scandinavian Olav, Stig.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Bo in the United States?
The surname Bo has seen quite the growth in popularity according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, it ranked 25,775 in terms of surname prevalence but jumped substantially to 19,911 by 2010. This represents a positive change of about 22.75 percent. Similarly, the number of individuals with the surname Bo increased from 897 in 2000 to 1,348 in 2010, a growth rate of over 50 percent. The proportion of individuals with this surname per 100,000 people also increased from 0.33 to 0.46 during the same period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #25,775 | #19,911 | 22.75% |
| Count | 897 | 1,348 | 50.28% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.33 | 0.46 | 39.39% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Bo
Shifting towards the ethnic identity tied to the surname Bo, Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that most bearers of this surname identify as Asian/Pacific Islander. These individuals constituted 51.06 percent of the Bo population in 2000, and their percentage rose to 55.64 percent in 2010. Conversely, the proportion identifying as White decreased from 38.68 percent to 33.83 percent over the same decade. There was a slight increase in those identifying as Hispanic, from 3.90 percent to 4.23 percent, and Black, from 3.68 percent to 4.45 percent. No change was observed in those identifying as two or more races or American Indian and Alaskan Native, with both categories remaining at zero.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 51.06% | 55.64% | 8.97% |
| White | 38.68% | 33.83% | -12.54% |
| Black | 3.68% | 4.45% | 20.92% |
| Hispanic | 3.9% | 4.23% | 8.46% |
| Two or More Races | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |