Explore the Family Name Du
The meaning of Du
1. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 杜, meaning ‘birchleaf pear’ in Chinese: (i) said to be borne by descendants of Du Kang (杜康), an official noted as a winemaker during the reign of the legendary Huang Di, the ‘Yellow Emperor’ (c.27th century bc). (ii) from the placename Du (杜), the name of a city (located in Shaanxi province) granted to Du Bo (杜伯, the Earl of Du), head of the state of Du (杜), who was eventually killed by King Xuan of Zhou (reigned 827–782 BC). After that, the state of Du (杜) was annexed and the name of the state was adopted as a surname. (iii) adopted as a surname by the Du Gu Hun (獨孤渾) family from the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD). 2. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 都, meaning ‘capital’ in Chinese: (i) from the personal name Zi Du (子都), style name of Gong-Sun Yu, an official in the state of Zheng during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (ii) shortened form of the compound surname Gong Du (公都), which is sometimes traced back to Tian, a prince in the state of Chu who was granted the fief Du (都), or alternatively to Gong Du Zi (公都子), an official in the state of Qi. 3. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 堵, meaning ‘wall’ in ancient Chinese: habitational name from the placename Du (堵), the name of a fief (located in present-day Henan province) granted to Xie Bo, an official in the state of Zheng during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). 4. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 度, meaning ‘measurement of length’ in ancient Chinese: (i) traced back to the inhabitants in the state of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (ii) borne by descendants of officials in charge of regularizing units of length measurement in markets in ancient China. (iii) said to be one of the seven surnames from the Bandun Man, ancestors of today’s Tujia ethnic group in China, who, in the third century bc, lived in southwestern China. 5. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 督, meaning ‘to supervise’ in Chinese: (i) from the second element of the personal name Hua Du (華督), style name of the grandson of the Duke Dai of Song (ruler of the state of Song, died 766 BC). (ii) from the first element of the personal name Du Rong (督戎), an official in the state of Jin during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (iii) from the first element of the placename Du Kang (督亢), the name of a fertile land (located in present-day Henan province) in the state of Yan during Warring States period (475–221 BC). (iv) a surname from the minority ethnic groups in southwestern China during the Eastern Han dynasty (25–220 AD). 6. Vietnamese (Dư): from the Chinese surname 余, see Yu 1. 7. Vietnamese (Dũ): from the Chinese surname 俞, see Yu 3. 8. Vietnamese: from the Chinese surname 游, see You 1. Some characteristic forenames: Chinese Wei, Hong, Jian, Jing, Li, Ping, Yan, Yang, Yong, Bin, Chan, Cheng. Vietnamese Thanh, Quang, Cuong, Dung, Hung, Binh, Minh, Duong, Hao, Hien, Liem, Lien.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Du in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Du has shown a significant increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 6,669th in terms of commonality, but by 2010, it had climbed to the 4,690th spot, representing a positive change of approximately 29.67%. The count of individuals with this surname also soared from 4,670 to 7,566 — an impressive growth of 62.01%. Consequently, the proportion of people named Du per 100,000 U.S. residents rose by nearly half during the same period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,669 | #4,690 | 29.67% |
| Count | 4,670 | 7,566 | 62.01% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.73 | 2.56 | 47.98% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Du
In respect to ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that most bearers of the Du surname identify as Asian/Pacific Islander, with percentages of 94.82% in 2000 and slightly less at 94.71% in 2010. The records for those who identify as having two or more ethnic identities dropped by 35.83% between these years. Meanwhile, the percentage of White individuals with this surname saw a small increase of 4.51%, and Hispanic representation grew by 26.09%. Interestingly, there were no recorded instances of the surname among Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native populations in 2000, but by 2010, these groups represented 0.81% and 0.07% of the Du surname populace respectively.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 94.82% | 94.71% | -0.12% |
| White | 2.66% | 2.78% | 4.51% |
| Hispanic | 0.69% | 0.87% | 26.09% |
| Black | 0% | 0.81% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 1.2% | 0.77% | -35.83% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0.07% | 0% |
Du 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 Du is Chinese, which comprises 74.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Vietnamese (10.5%) and Manchurian & Mongolian (3.8%). Additional ancestries include Korean, French & German, Chinese Dai, Eastern European, and Filipino & Austronesian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Chinese | 74.3% |
| Vietnamese | 10.5% |
| Manchurian & Mongolian | 3.8% |
| Other | 11.4% |
Possible origins of the surname Du
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 Du have recent ancestry locations spanning a few countries, mostly in China, and Vietnam.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Jiangsu, China | 27.80% |
| Guangdong, China | 27.80% |
| Fujian, China | 27.80% |
| Zhejiang, China | 27.80% |
| Shandong, China | 27.80% |
What Du 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 Du is O-F8, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F8 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include O-F11 and N-L665, which are predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Xu, Cao, Lu, Tang, Hu, Cheng, Wang, Chang, Zhou, Zhang.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Du surname are: A4, D4, M7b. These most commonly trace back to individuals of East Asian & Indigenous American and European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Han Chinese
Haplogroup O-Page23 has been found in several populations of the Han Chinese ethnic group. The ancestors of the Han, called the Huaxia, lived in the upriver basin of the Yellow River 5,000-6,000 years ago. As agricultural technology improved, the Huaxia spread east and south, and became the Han Chinese. Over the last 2,000 years, there have been three major migrations of the Han southward. The first of these migrations occurred during the Jin Dynasty from 317 to 420 CE, when nearly one million people moved south. A second migration occurred during the Tang Dynasty, after the An-Shi Rebellion, between 755 and 762 CE. The last migration occurred during the Southern Song Dynasty, from 1127 to 1297 CE, when nearly 5 million people migrated southward. The Pinghua, a branch of Han in which haplogroup O2a2b1a1 is particularly common, may be descendants of indigenous minority groups that adopted Han culture during one such major migration event.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to the Han
Members of haplogroup D are found in both northern and southern Han Chinese populations at low to moderate frequencies. The Han people, who all share the same language and similar cultural practices, are the largest ethnic group in the world, with about 1.2 billion people. Historical evidence shows that Han people are descendants of the ancient Huaxia tribes that come from northern China, and Han language and culture only expanded into southern China in the last 2,000 years. The spread of Han people and culture from northern to southern China was likely driven by warfare and famine in the north.
What do people with the surname Du 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
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Du" Surname 29.1%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Du" Surname 21.7%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Du" Surname 18.6%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Du" Surname 6.8%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Du?
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 Du are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition