Siu
A surname of several possible origins, most often treated as a Chinese family name in modern usage, though older Irish sources also connect similar spellings to nickname forms.
The #6,892 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 63,306 Americans shares it.
Etymology
In modern use, Siu is most commonly a romanized Chinese surname, with different Chinese characters and meanings behind the same spelling depending on dialect and family line. The historical surname books provided here do not give a secure single derivation; one excerpt instead points to an Irish nickname-based name, treating it as a shortened form related to diminutives like Sillie and comparing it with forms such as Silcock. Because the spelling can reflect different origins in different communities, it is best treated as a shared romanized form rather than one fixed etymology.
History
The excerpts do not offer a clean headword entry for Siu itself, but they do show that similar-looking surname forms were discussed in older British surname studies as nickname derivatives. In contemporary English-speaking countries, Siu is well known as a Chinese surname, especially in diaspora communities, while the same spelling may also appear in other linguistic contexts through different romanization systems. As a result, family history for this surname usually depends on the specific ancestral language and region.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because multiple Chinese surnames can be romanized as Siu depending on dialect and spelling system, two families with the same English spelling may have completely different original characters and meanings.
From the historical record
“RalplideAnu,™.SiU(Hi,3oBdw. L R. Robert de Arru. N. Richard de Arru. m Edw. I. B6B. Thoma* Ai™*,co,Vork, isto. W. ii, 1776. Mamed^Thofnof Cofnn and”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances