How common is the surname Ko?

13,312 people in the United States had the surname Ko in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 23,193 Americans. It ranked 2,708th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Ko?

Goh Kun, Acting President of South Korea from March to May 2004, Prime Minister of South Korea from, followed by Taejo.

Where is the surname Ko most common?

Wikidata records people named Ko in Goguryeo and South Korea.

Is the surname Ko getting more or less common?

More common. 10,483 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 13,312 in 2010, up 27%.

The surname Ko

A Chinese surname, carried by 13,312 people in the United States.

1 syllable Soundex K000

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Ko is more common than 98.3% of them.

Origin

Chinese origin

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

One of 193 Chinese surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 13,312 people named Ko in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 23,193 Americans. That is up 27% since 2000, when the Census counted 10,483.

#2,708

rank among US surnames

13,312

people in 2010

4.5

per 100,000 Americans

+27%

change since 2000 (was #3,152)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#2,699	Alba	13,347	23,132
#2,700	Shank	13,343	23,139
#2,701	Traylor	13,341	23,143
#2,703	Tam	13,327	23,167
#2,704	Bales	13,326	23,169
#2,705	Bourgeois	13,325	23,170
#2,706	Carrington	13,320	23,179

Who is named Ko

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

94% of people named Ko identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, 2.9% as white (not Hispanic) and 2.4% as two or more races.

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

The Census suppresses very small shares to protect privacy; Black, Native American are not shown.

Compare: most common surnames among Asian and Pacific Islander Americans.

Famous Kos

3 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

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, 47–165
Mobon
1st century king of the Goguryeo dynasty of Korea, 30–53

Notable Kos come mostly from Goguryeo (2) and South Korea (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Ko

Ko has the Soundex code K000, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code K000.

Other Chinese surnames

All 193 Chinese surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Ko come from?: From Mandarin 柯 (Kʻo¹), 葛 (Ko²), Cantonese 高 (gou1), Korean 고(高) (Go), etc.
How common is the surname Ko?: 13,312 people in the United States had the surname Ko in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 23,193 Americans. It ranked 2,708th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Ko?: In the 2010 Census, 94% of people named Ko identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, and 2.9% as white (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Ko?: Goh Kun, Acting President of South Korea from March to May 2004, Prime Minister of South Korea from, followed by Taejo.
Where is the surname Ko most common?: Wikidata records people named Ko in Goguryeo and South Korea.
Is the surname Ko getting more or less common?: More common. 10,483 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 13,312 in 2010, up 27%.