Won
A short surname with several possible roots, most often treated as an ethnic or transliterated East Asian name in modern use.
The #7,702 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 71,651 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Won has more than one possible origin. In English-language records it may sometimes be a shortened or altered form of another surname, but the historical excerpts provided here do not supply a secure English derivation. In modern use, however, Won is very commonly a transliteration of East Asian surnames, especially Chinese and Korean ones, where the Roman spelling reflects different original characters and meanings.
History
Because the form is short and cross-cultural, the surname can arise independently in different communities. In the United States today it is most often associated with East Asian families, though the spelling also appears in scattered records elsewhere. The evidence provided here does not identify a single medieval or early modern family line behind the name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A very small spelling like Won can hide several unrelated surnames from different language traditions, all written the same way in English.
From the historical record
“Mr. Penny, whose father was rolling in wealth, Kick'd down all his fortune his dad won, Large Mr. Le Fever's the picture of health, Mr. Goodenough is but a bad one. Mr. Cruickshank stept into three thousand a year,”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)