Su is the

pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese fo ...

romanization Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, a ...

of the common Chinese surname written in

simplified characters Simplified Chinese characters are standardized Chinese characters used in mainland China, Malaysia and Singapore, as prescribed by the ''Table of General Standard Chinese Characters''. Along with traditional Chinese characters, they are on ...

and traditionally. It was listed 42nd among the

Song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetiti ...

-era list of the '' Hundred Family Surnames''. In 2019 it was the 46th most common surname in mainland China.

Romanizations

The Wade form of the name is identical to the pinyin, but it is also sometimes irregularly romanized as Soo. and are also romanized So and Sou in

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding a ...

; Soh and Souw in Southern Min dialects; Soh in Teochew; and Thu in Gan. This Chinese name is also the source of the

Vietnamese surname Traditional Vietnamese personal names generally consist of three parts, used in Eastern name order. * A family name (normally patrilineal, The father’s family name may be combined with the mother's family name to form a compound family name) ...

Tô Tô or To is a Vietnamese surname. It was formerly written in chữ Nôm as . It derived from the Chinese surname Su, which is written identically to the chữ Nôm in traditional characters but as in modern simplified characters. List of person ...

(

Chữ Nôm Chữ Nôm (, ; ) is a logographic writing system formerly used to write the Vietnamese language. It uses Chinese characters ('' Chữ Hán'') to represent Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary and some native Vietnamese words, with other words represent ...

: ); the Korean surname , which is romanized So; the Japanese surname , which is also romanized So; and the Filipino/Tagalog surname So. Also, the Filipino family name "Solon" is a Hispanicized version of So. The Solon clan coming from Cebu are famous for their ancestors who were government officials. The Solons were originally from Canton.

Distribution

Su was the 41st-most-common Chinese surname in the mainland during the 1982 census and the 45th-most-common in the 2007 report on household registrations released by the

Chinese Ministry of Public Security The Ministry of Public Security () is a Ministries of the People's Republic of China, government ministry of the China, People's Republic of China responsible for public security, public and political security. It oversees more than 1.9 mil ...

. It has been listed as the 23rd-most-common Chinese surname in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...

. Su is a somewhat common surname in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, listed 5,897th during the 1990 census and 3,835th during the year 2000 one. US Census Bureau. Op. cit. Public Broadcasting Service.
How Popular Is Your Last Name?
Accessed 6 Apr 2012. The other romanizations are less popular: So (8527 & 5167), Soo (17545 & 22160), Sou (77891 & 30226), Thu (49039 & 64912), and Soh (unlisted & 40074); Souw had fewer than one hundred resident bearers in the United States during both censuses and was unlisted both times.

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultu ...

does not release surname lists from its censuses, but Su and So were both listed among the 200-most-common peculiarly Chinese-Canadian surnames in a 2010 survey of the Registered Persons Database of all current and former

Canadian health card Healthcare in Canada is delivered through the provincial and territorial systems of publicly funded health care, informally called Medicare. It is guided by the provisions of the ''Canada Health Act'' of 1984, and is universal. The 2002 Royal ...

recipients in the province of

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Character decomposition

The character was formed by the addition of the grass radical () to the character ( s , ''sū'', "revive"), itself a combination of the characters for "fish" ( t , s , ''yú'') and "grain" (, ''hé'').

Origins

The original pronunciation of 穌 has been reconstructed as ''*s.ŋˤa'' in

Old Chinese Old Chinese, also called Archaic Chinese in older works, is the oldest attested stage of Chinese, and the ancestor of all modern varieties of Chinese. The earliest examples of Chinese are divinatory inscriptions on oracle bones from around 12 ...

, but this had already developed into ''su'' by the time of

Middle Chinese Middle Chinese (formerly known as Ancient Chinese) or the Qieyun system (QYS) is the historical variety of Chinese recorded in the '' Qieyun'', a rime dictionary first published in 601 and followed by several revised and expanded editions. The ...

.Baxter, Wm. H. & Sagart, Laurent. '' '', p. 126. 2011. Accessed 11 October 2011. The addition of the grass radical suggests its original meaning was its use describing varieties of the mint perilla, but its general meaning today is as an abbreviation for Suzhou and replacement for a related word meaning "revive". As with many Chinese surnames, however, there are a variety of separate legends and origins told about the current bearers of the name. One origin derives from Fan, purported to be the eldest grandson of the six great-great-great-great-grandsons of the Yellow Emperor and said to have lived in Kunwu (), the northeast region of Yuncheng in Shanxi. During the Xia dynasty, King Huai or

Fen A fen is a type of peat-accumulating wetland fed by mineral-rich ground or surface water. It is one of the main types of wetlands along with marshes, swamps, and bogs. Bogs and fens, both peat-forming ecosystems, are also known as mires ...

gave Yousu (}, modern Suling (^?) in

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is a ...

) to the rulers of Kunwu as a fief and they established it as the State of Su. This perished in the late

Shang dynasty The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty founded by Tang of Shang (Cheng Tang) that ruled in the Yellow River valley in the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty a ...

whose fall was traditionally blamed upon the beautiful concubine

Su Daji Daji () was the favourite consort of King Zhou of Shang, the last king of the Shang dynasty in ancient China. In legends and fictions, she is portrayed as a malevolent fox spirit who kills and impersonates the real Daji. Her identification as a f ...

,but its rulers and people took the state's name as their clan name and moved elsewhere. Another derives from Su Chasheng who was Minister of Justice under King Wu of the

Zhou dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ; Old Chinese ( B&S): *''tiw'') was a royal dynasty of China that followed the Shang dynasty. Having lasted 789 years, the Zhou dynasty was the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history. The military control of China by th ...

and revived the former region of Su as his fief, with a new capital city at

Wen Wen, wen, or WEN may refer to: * WEN, New York Stock Exchange symbol for Wendy's/Arby's Group * WEN, Amtrak station code for Columbia Station in Wenatchee, Washington, United States * WEN, ICAO airline designator for WestJet Encore * Wen (surnam ...

(modern Wen County in

). He is also considered to be the ancestor of the

family. Prior to the Qin dynasty, the Su clan mainly resided in Henan and

Hebei Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, and ...

, but, during the

Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in History of China#Ancient China, ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded ...

, one group moved southward into

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The p ...

and

Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangx ...

and another west into Shaanxi. Under the Qin and Han, this Shaanxi clan became a prominent and distinguished family while a third group of clans moved east into Shandong. Another origin was from a Han-era ethnic group in Liaodong, whose family name Wuyuanyousu () was later shortened into Su during the Northern Wei. Large numbers of Su moved into

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of t ...

and

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its ...

during the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

. During the Northern Song, they moved further southward to

Guizhou Guizhou (; Postal romanization, formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in the Southwest China, southwest region of the China, People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the pr ...

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020 ...

, and

Guangxi Guangxi (; ; alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam ...

. Their current relative popularity in Taiwan began following migrations during the

Ming The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han pe ...

and Qing. In the Philippines, the rare family name ''Solon'' derives from the surname ''So''/''Su''.

Notable people with the surname Su

Historical

* Su Daji, the beautiful concubine traditionally blamed for the fall of the

Su Wu Su Wu (; 140 BC - 60 BC ) was a Chinese diplomat and politician of the Western Han dynasty. He is known in Chinese history for making the best of his mission into foreign territory. During his mission he was captured and then detained for ...

, a Western Han dynasty official * Su Ze, an Eastern Han dynasty official * Su Wei or Wuwei, a Sui-era official * Su Liangsi, Duke of Wen, chancellor to Emperor Ruizong during the

* Su Dingfang,

Tang Tang or TANG most often refers to: * Tang dynasty * Tang (drink mix) Tang or TANG may also refer to: Chinese states and dynasties * Jin (Chinese state) (11th century – 376 BC), a state during the Spring and Autumn period, called Tang (唐) ...

-era general * The Three Sus ( Chinese: , ''San Sū''), the Chinese poets Su Shi, Su Xun, and Su Zhe * Su Song, famous Song dynasty scientist who invented the world's first endless power chain drive and hydro-mechanical astronomical clock tower. *

Soh Kwang-pom Soh Kwang-pom or Seo Gwang-beom (8 November 1859 – 17 July 1897) (Hangul: 서광범, Hanja: 徐光範) was a Korean reformist and politician of Korea's late Joseon Dynasty. Soh Kwang-Pom, sometimes Pom Kwang Soh or known by his English name: ...

, Korean reformist of the late Joseon dynasty * Soh Jaipil, Korean independence activist and medical doctor *

Soh Hang-suen Soh Hang-suen (10 October 1951 – 12 June 2013), (alternatively romanised as So Hung-shuen), was a Hong Kong actress. Soh worked for TVB Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) is a television broadcasting company based in Hong Kong SAR. ...

, Hong Kong Actress * Su Shi, an ancient Chinese poet

Modern

* John So, former Lord Mayor of Melbourne * Louisa So, Hong Kong actress * Wesley So, Chinese Filipino chess prodigy * William So,

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...

singer and actor *

Soh Hang Suen Soh Hang-suen (10 October 1951 – 12 June 2013), (alternatively romanised as So Hung-shuen), was a Hong Kong actress. Soh worked for TVB Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) is a television broadcasting company based in Hong Kong SAR. ...

, former Hong Kong TVB actress * Alec Su, Taiwanese singer and actor * Su Bingqi, archaeologist *

Su Buqing Su Buqing, also spelled Su Buchin (; September 23, 1902 – March 17, 2003), was a Chinese mathematician, educator and poet. He was the founder of differential geometry in China, and served as president of Fudan University and honorary chairman ...

, mathematician * Su Chi, Minister of Mainland Affairs Council of the Republic of China *

Su Chih-fen Su Chih-fen (; born 10 July 1953) is a Taiwanese politician. She was the Magistrate of Yunlin County from 20 December 2005 until 25 December 2014. Yunlin County Magistrate Yunlin County Magistrate election Su was elected as the Magistrate of ...

, Magistrate of Yunlin County * So Ji Sub, South Korean Actor * Su Chin-shou, Hui chief of staff to General

Ma Zhancang Ma Zhancang (, Xiao'erjing: ) was a Hui Chinese Muslim general of the New 36th Division (National Revolutionary Army), who served under Generals Ma Zhongying and Ma Hushan. At the Battle of Kashgar (1933), he repulsed an attack of Uighurs led ...

* Su Chun-jung, Deputy Minister of Directorate-General of Personnel Administration of the Republic of China * Su Jain-rong, Minister of Finance of the Republic of China * Jen Su, TV presenter * Lisa Su, CEO & President of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) * Su Li-chiung, former Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare of the Republic of China * Su Tseng-chang, Premier of the Republic of China * Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi (Su Xuming), Thai billionaire businessman *

Su Yunying Su Yunying (; born 8 April 1991), also known as Sue Su, is a Chinese singer-songwriter of Li ethnicity. Su was born and raised in Sanya, Hainan. Su rose to prominence in 2015 on Sing My Song, performing her own written debut song called "Ye ...

, Chinese singer * Phillipa Soo, American actress and singer * Kelvin Soo, Managing Director of Furley Bioextracts (FBIO) * Su Shanshan, Chinese singer, actress, and member of Chinese idol group SNH48 * Oakley Neil H T Caesar-Su, known professionally as Central Cee, British rapper and songwriter ;Tô (Vietnamese name of Su) *

Tô Hiến Thành Tô Hiến Thành ( Hán tự: 蘇憲誠) (died 1179) was an official in the royal court of Lý Anh Tông and Lý Cao Tông, the sixth and seventh emperors of the Lý dynasty. Being a capable official of Lý Anh Tông who helped the emperor in ...

, a Vietnamese official under the Lý dynasty * Tô Trung Từ, a high ranking general and attempted usurper of the Lý dynasty ;Soh (English name of Su) *

Soh Chin Aun Datuk Wira Soh Chin Ann (or Soh Chin Aun due to misspelling by Malaysian media; ; born 28 July 1950) is a Malaysian former footballer. He was affectionately known as ''Tauke'' or '' Towkay'' ( en, Boss) by his teammates and fans. RSSSF and I ...

, Malaysian Footballer *

Shigeru Soh (born 9 January 1953 in Usuki, Ōita) is a retired long-distance runner from Japan, who represented his native country at two Summer Olympics: 1976 and 1984. He won the 1985 edition of the Tokyo Marathon. His twin brother Takeshi So is also a ...

, Japanese long-distance runner, twin brother of Takeshi *

Takeshi Soh is a retired long-distance runner from Japan, who represented his native country at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Athletics at the 1984 Summer Olympics, Los Angeles, California. He won the 1976 edition of the Košice Peace Marathon in Czechoslovaki ...

, Japanese long-distance runner, twin brother of Shigeru *

June-Young Soh June-Young Soh (born 15 January 1965) is a South Korean director/musician who made his worldwide debut in Shanghai Mercedes-Benz Arena (Shanghai), Mercedes-Benz Arena with the musical ''The Lost Garden'' on 8 June 2013. His current work'CHASA' is ...

, South Korean director and musician * Cavin Soh, Singaporean actor * Elson Soh, Singaporean singer *

Debra W. Soh Debra W. Soh is a Canadian columnist, author, and former academic sex researcher. Education and research Soh holds a Doctor of Philosophy, Ph.D. degree in neuroscience from York University in Toronto. Her dissertation was titled ''Functional ...

, Canadian neuroscientist and science journalist *

Soh Rui Yong Soh Rui Yong (born 6 August 1991) is a Singaporean national long-distance runner, and holder of four national records: 5,000m, 10,000m, half marathon and marathon. In 2017, Soh became the first Singaporean male marathoner to win back-to-back SEA ...

, Singaporean long-distance runner *

Soh Wooi Yik Soh Wooi Yik (, born 17 February 1998) is a Malaysian badminton player. He was part of the Malaysian 2015 and 2016 BWF World Junior Championships team, and has helped Malaysia clinch a silver medal in mixed team after being defeated by China in ...

, Malaysian badminton player * Chunghee Sarah Soh, South Korean-born American anthropologist * Benny Soh, Singaporean film actor *

Eugene Soh Eugene may refer to: People and fictional characters * Eugene (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Eugene (actress) (born 1981), Kim Yoo-jin, South Korean actress and former member of the sin ...

, Singaporean tech artist, Founder of Mind Palace

World Federation of Soh Associations

Over 1,000 representatives of Soh Clan Associations from around the world meet every two years at the Congress of the World Federation of Soh Associations. Participants hail from China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, America and Europe. The first congress was held in Manila in 1994.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Su (Surname) Chinese-language surnames Individual Chinese surnames ko:소주 가씨