Explore the Family Name Do

The meaning of Do

1. Vietnamese (Đỗ): from the Chinese surname 杜, see Du 1. 2. Vietnamese (Đồ): from the Chinese surname 涂 (or 塗), see Tu 1. 3. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 杜, see Du 1. 4. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 卓, see Zhuo 1. This form is possibly based on the Teochew, Hokkien, and Taiwanese pronunciation of the name, which can be heard in eastern Guangdong, Fujian, and Taiwan, from where some people migrated to Singapore, Malaysia, and elsewhere in Southeast Asia. 5. Korean: variant of To 7. Some characteristic forenames: Vietnamese Hung, Minh, Thanh, Hien, Long, Dung, Anh, Tuan, Hoang, Hai, Quang, Son. Chinese Hong, Hang, Chi, Sang, Dong, Chan, Han, Ho, Bai, Chien, Lai, Man.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname 'Do' has seen a significant increase from 2000 to 2010. In the year 2000, 'Do' was ranked as the 1551st most popular surname, while in 2010, it climbed to the 1159th position, marking a rise by 25.27%. The count, too, witnessed a substantial growth by 42.73% — from 21,230 instances in 2000 to 30,301 in 2010. This surge is reflected in the proportion of people with the surname per 100k population, which went up by 30.5%, from 7.87 in 2000 to 10.27 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#1,551#1,15925.27%
Count21,23030,30142.73%
Proportion per 100k7.8710.2730.5%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Do

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that nearly 94.78% of those bearing the surname 'Do' identified as Asian/Pacific Islander in 2010, a slight decrease from 94.86% in 2000. Notable changes were observed in the identities of Two or More Races and American Indian and Alaskan Native, decreasing by 21.90% and 50.00% respectively. However, the percentage of Whites and Hispanics with the 'Do' surname increased by 18.78% and 34.38% respectively. Meanwhile, there was a marginal decrease in the Black community, down by 5.13% between 2000 and 2010.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander94.86%94.78%-0.08%
White1.97%2.34%18.78%
Two or More Races2.1%1.64%-21.9%
Hispanic0.64%0.86%34.38%
Black0.39%0.37%-5.13%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.04%0.02%-50%

Do 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 Do is Vietnamese, which comprises 77.1% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Chinese (7.2%) and British & Irish (4.0%). Additional ancestries include Korean, French & German, Chinese Dai, Eastern European, and Indonesian, Thai, Khmer & Myanma.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Vietnamese77.1%
Chinese7.2%
British & Irish4.0%
Other11.7%
Do

Possible origins of the surname Do

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 Do have recent ancestry locations in Viet Nam and China.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam85.90%
Hanoi, Viet Nam84.70%
Thua Thien Hue, Viet Nam82.70%
Da Nang, Viet Nam64.90%
Kien Giang, Viet Nam48.40%

What Do 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 Do is O-F2758, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F2758 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include O-F8 and O-F46, which are predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Tran, Dang, Nguyen, Ngo, Huynh, Phan, Pham, Trinh, Ng, Duong.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Do surname are: M7b, F1a1, F1a_c. These most commonly trace back to individuals of East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.

doPaternal 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 the ancient people of the Indian subcontinent

While Haplogroup M is widespread throughout South and East Asia, it is more diverse on the Indian sub-continent than anywhere else in the world. The high degree of diversity of M in India is likely tied to its ancient arrival here nearly 50,000 years ago. In addition to M2, which is found throughout the subcontinent, there are dozens of haplogroups branching off of M that exist in India. These branches are often connected to specific regions, tribes, or ethnic groups. For example, haplogroup M18 is found among the Oraon peoples of eastern India and Bangladesh, while haplogroup M41 is common among the Pardhan speakers of eastern India, and haplogroup M31a can be found on the Andaman Islands, just off the southeast coast of India.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Do 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

Do

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Do" Surname 27.3%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Do

Misophonia

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

"Do" Surname 22.4%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Do

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Do" Surname 20.1%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Do

Migraine

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

"Do" Surname 7.3%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Do?

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 Do 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

Vietnamese 20.4%

23andMe Users 25.5%