Vo surname meaning
A Vietnamese surname (Võ/Vũ) from the Sino-Vietnamese reading of 武, “martial,” with a separate Cantonese Chinese route as a form of Hé (和).
Confidence: Disputed. More than one origin is plausible, or sources disagree. We show the conflict rather than pick a cute answer.
The short story
Vo is the common US spelling of Vietnamese Võ, closely tied to Vũ. Both reflect the Sino-Vietnamese reading of 武, a character glossed as martial or military, and southern Vietnamese usage historically shifted Vũ to Võ under a naming taboo. Ancestry also records a separate Cantonese Chinese Vo as a form of Hé (和), so the Latin spelling can hide more than one family history. Related forms include Võ, Vũ, and Vu. The catalog uses nickname with disputed confidence because the martial gloss fits a descriptive byname, while the competing Chinese route and clan traditions keep a single neat story from being secure.
Also seen as: Vo, Võ, Vũ, Vu
- Ancestry surname meaning for Vo (Vietnamese Võ/Vũ and Cantonese Hé routes)
- Wikipedia 'Vũ' / 'Võ' (Sino-Vietnamese 武 and regional Võ/Vũ history)
- Names2020_LastNames_RaceHispanic_Top1000.xlsx (2020 Census)