# Ko (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/ko/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from Mandarin.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Chinese |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 13,312 |
| US rank (2010) | 2,708 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 23,193 people |
| Change since 2000 | +27% (10,483 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From Mandarin 柯 (Kʻo¹), 葛 (Ko²), Cantonese 高 (gou1), Korean 고(高) (Go), etc.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Ko in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 2.9% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 0.8% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 94% |
| Two or more races | 2.4% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Ko in Goguryeo and South Korea.

## People named Ko

- Goh Kun, Acting President of South Korea from March to May 2004, Prime Minister of South Korea from
- Taejo, 1st/2nd century Korean Goguryeo dynasty king
- Mobon, 1st century king of the Goguryeo dynasty of Korea

## Similar surnames

Koo, Koh, Keogh, Koy, Key, Kay, Kee, Kaye, Kehoe, Kuo, Kao, Ku.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.