Explore the Family Name Co

The meaning of Co

1. Vietnamese (Cổ): from the Chinese surname 古, see Gu 1. 2. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 許, possibly based on its Teochew or Hokkien pronunciation, see Xu 2. Some bearers have migrated to the Philippines. 3. Spanish and Catalan: unexplained. Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Cristina, Victoriano, Jose, Rogelio, Rosalinda, Alicia, Asuncion, Cayetano, Cesar, Conchita, Eduardo, Esteban. Vietnamese Hien, Dung, Ha To, Hanh, Hoa, Hue, Kiet, Lien, Linh, Long, Nhon, Quyen.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Co in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname 'Co' saw an uptick in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In terms of ranking, it climbed from position 15,652 to 11,846, a relative increase of 24.32%. The number of individuals with this surname also increased during this period, growing by 54.14% from 1,714 to 2,642. This resulted in a growth of 40.62% in the proportion of individuals named 'Co' per 100,000 people, moving from 0.64 to 0.9.

20002010Change
Rank#15,652#11,84624.32%
Count1,7142,64254.14%
Proportion per 100k0.640.940.62%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Co

The ethnicity associated with the surname 'Co' varied slightly over the decade, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. A significant majority identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, although the percentage decreased slightly from 79.58% to 78.35%. The individuals who identified as White remained relatively stable at around 10%, while those identifying as Hispanic saw a slight increase from 3.97% to 4.5%. Interestingly, there was a new emergence of individuals with the 'Co' surname identifying as Black in 2010, which was not recorded in 2000. Meanwhile, the category of 'Two or more races' dropped to zero in 2010, after accounting for 3.21% in 2000. No individuals with the 'Co' surname identified as American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander79.58%78.35%-1.55%
White10.97%10.79%-1.64%
Hispanic3.97%4.5%13.35%
Black0%3.18%0%
Two or More Races3.21%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%

Co ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Co is Chinese, which comprises 43.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Filipino & Austronesian (22.7%) and British & Irish (9.8%). Additional ancestries include Vietnamese, French & German, Spanish & Portuguese, Italian, and Eastern European.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Chinese43.9%
Filipino & Austronesian22.7%
British & Irish9.8%
Other23.6%
Co

Possible origins of the surname Co

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Co have recent ancestry locations in China and the Philippines.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Fujian, China66.70%
Guangdong, China66.70%
Shanghai, China62.80%
Jiangsu, China61.50%
Zhejiang, China60.30%

What Co haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Co is O-F2415, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F2415 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include E-M183 and O-F2859, which are predominantly found among people with European and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Co surname are: D, H, R. These most commonly trace back to individuals of East Asian & Indigenous American and European ancestry.

coPaternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Cham

One of the many populations harboring members of haplogroup O1b1a1a1a1 is the Cham ethnic group, a group of people who speak Austronesian languages in Mainland Southeast Asia. Austronesian languages make up a language family that is extremely large and widespread, comprising over 350 million people on islands such as Madagascar, Easter Island, and many others. However, Austronesian languages are less common on mainland Asia, with a notable exception being the Chamic language. Research suggests that ancestors of the Cham people migrated from Southeast Asian islands to the mainland around the year 500 BCE, and that early Cham populations quickly began mixing with indigenous southern Vietnamese populations. As a result, the Chamic language now has words that were borrowed from languages spoken by indigenous Vietnamese people. It is likely that an ancestral Kinh population was one of the populations that mixed with the Cham people shortly after their migration to mainland Asia.

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Co have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Co

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Co" Surname 40.0%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Co

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Co" Surname 38.5%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Co

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Co" Surname 23.1%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Co

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Co" Surname 10.4%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Co?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Co are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease

ε4 variant

Alzheimer's disease is characterized by memory loss, cognitive decline, and personality changes. Late-onset Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of Alzheimer's disease, developing after age 65. Many factors, including genetics, can influence a person's chances of developing the condition. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the most common genetic variant associated with late-onset Alzheimer's disease: the ε4 variant in the APOE gene. Learn more about Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease

Chinese 18.2%

23andMe Users 25.5%