Explore the Family Name Wo
The meaning of Wo
Chinese: 1. Mandarin form of the surname 沃, meaning ‘fertile’ in Chinese: (i) said to be traced back to Wo Ding (沃丁), the name of a son of the fourth king Tai Jia during the Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BC). (ii) from the placename Wo (沃), the name of a county (located in Beijing) during the Tang dynasty (618–907 AD). (iii) said to be borne by some descendants of Song Weizi, founder of the state of Song (established in around 11th century bc). 2. Cantonese form of the surname 和, see He 3. 3. variant Romanization of the surnames 吳 and 武, see Wu 1 and 3.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Wo in the United States?
According to the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the Wo surname has slightly declined over a decade. In 2000, the surname was ranked at 42,830 and fell to 47,791 in 2010, representing an 11.58% decrease. The count of individuals with this surname also dropped by nearly 7%, from 476 in 2000 to 443 in 2010. Accordingly, the proportion of this surname per 100k people decreased by 16.67%, suggesting fewer people have this last name compared to other surnames.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #42,830 | #47,791 | -11.58% |
| Count | 476 | 443 | -6.93% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.18 | 0.15 | -16.67% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Wo
In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals a change in the ethnic identity associated with the Wo surname from 2000 to 2010. A majority of individuals with this surname identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, although there was a 6.39% decrease in this group over the ten years. Notably, those identifying as White increased by 50%, and there was a new presence of Hispanic and American Indian and Alaskan Native identities in 2010 that were not recorded in 2000. The proportion of individuals identifying as two or more races and Black decreased slightly by 15.65% and 1.59% respectively.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 81.51% | 76.3% | -6.39% |
| White | 10.08% | 15.12% | 50% |
| Two or More Races | 2.94% | 2.48% | -15.65% |
| Black | 2.52% | 2.48% | -1.59% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 2.03% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 1.58% | 0% |