Cho surname meaning
A Korean surname (조) written 趙 or 曺, linked with Chinese Zhao; also a romanization of several other Chinese surnames.
Confidence: Disputed. More than one origin is plausible, or sources disagree. We show the conflict rather than pick a cute answer.
The short story
Cho is primarily a Korean surname written 조 and historically using the Chinese characters 趙 or 曺. The 趙 form is the Korean counterpart of Chinese Zhao, a surname tied to the ancient state of Zhao; Korean clan histories record many Cho lineages from the early Goryeo period, while the Changnyeong Cho clan uses 曺. In Chinese contexts, Latin Cho can also romanize several other surnames (among them Cao, Zhou, and Zhao) depending on dialect. Place is the closest catalog type for the Zhao-state lead familiar from Chinese surname typology. Confidence is disputed because multiple characters and romanizations converge as American Cho.
Also seen as: Cho, Jo, Joe, Zhao, 趙
- Ancestry / DAFN entry for Cho (Korean 趙/曺; multiple Chinese romanizations including Zu, Zuo, Zhuo, Cao, Chu, Zou, Chao, Zhou, Zhao)
- Wikipedia “Cho (Korean surname)” (趙 and 曺 clans)
- Names2020_LastNames_RaceHispanic_Top1000.xlsx (2020 Census)