Ou
A Chinese surname most often written Ou in pinyin, with several possible historical characters and regional traditions behind it.
The #7,891 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 73,581 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Ou is primarily a Chinese surname written with different characters in different lineages, so its exact original meaning depends on the family. In many cases it represents a traditional Chinese surname later romanized as Ou in pinyin or related systems. Because multiple Chinese characters can be rendered this way, the name is best treated as a shared romanization rather than a single fixed etymology.
History
The surname is found among Chinese communities in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, and in diaspora communities worldwide. In English-language records it often appears in pinyin as Ou, though older or alternate romanizations may vary by dialect and place of migration. Because the same spelling can reflect more than one Chinese family line, historical tracing usually requires the original character.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In Roman letters, Ou can represent more than one Chinese surname character, so two people spelled the same in English may not share the same ancestral line.