Luo
A common Chinese surname, most often written Luo in pinyin and tied to several ancient Chinese lineages and place-based origins.
The #3,564 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 30,859 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Luo is a Chinese surname, usually representing the modern Mandarin pinyin spelling of the Chinese family name 罗/羅. The character is traditionally associated with an ancient state and later with place-based and lineage-based naming in Chinese history. In English-language sources, Luo is simply the standard Romanization of that surname rather than an independent Anglo-Saxon or European surname.
History
The surname has been borne by many families in China for centuries and is now widely encountered in mainland China, Taiwan, and among overseas Chinese communities. In older Western sources it may appear in different Romanizations, depending on the dialect and transcription system used. The name is common enough in the United States to rank in the census, largely reflecting modern Chinese immigration and diaspora.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In pinyin, Luo is the standard spelling for 罗/羅, but older English records may render the same surname in several different ways depending on local pronunciation.
From the historical record
“(Hallivrell). ' Item, the i4ih day {Maj, luo) paied to dne in rewarde for bringing bDBie Ball the Klagn dog that wai loate In the foncM of Walthani V-' '■ Piiry”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances