Explore the Family Name Po

The meaning of Po

1. Italian: habitational name from Po in Fivizzano, Massa or Po Bandino in Citta della Pieve, Perugia, or possibly in some cases from the river so named. 2. Spanish: habitational name from any of several places called Poo, in northwest Spain. 3. Portuguese (Pó): habitational name from Pó, a town in Portugal. 4. Chinese: alternative Mandarin form of the surname 薄 and 伯, see Bo 2 and 3. 5. Chinese: Cantonese form of the surnames 蒲 and 浦, see Pu 1 and 2. 6. Chinese: Cantonese form of the surnames 保 and 暴, see Bao 3 and 4. 7. Chinese: Teochew, Hokkien or Taiwanese form of the surname 傅, see Fu 1. This pronunciation is found in eastern Guangdong, Fujian, and Taiwan, from where some people migrated to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and other parts of Southeast Asia. 8. Chinese: Cantonese form of the surnames 步 and 布 and a variant Romanization of the surname 卜, see Bu 2–4. 9. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 柏, see Bai 2. 10. Cambodian: written ប៉ោ, of Chinese origin, but unexplained etymology (probably corresponding to one of the surnames above). 11. Burmese (Karen): from a personal name usually forming part of a compound name, from hpo ‘little; child’. Compare Poe 2. — Note: Since Karens do not have hereditary surnames, this name was registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US. 12. Burmese: from a personal name usually forming part of a compound name, from po ‘to be in excess’. — Note: Since Burmese do not have hereditary surnames, this name was registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US. Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Elvira, Fernando, Alfredo, Claudio, Edilberto, Guadalupe, Joaquin, Juanito, Ramon, Rosario, Silvia, Vicente. Italian Antonio, Carlo, Julieta. Chinese Chin, Ching, Eng, Hong, Hou, Lai Kuen, Pok, Sin, Wen, Wong. Southeast Asian Hoi, Que, Sokhom, Tat, Than, Thy, Tuyet.

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