Soo, also spelled Su, is a Korean family name, a single-syllable Korean given name, and an element in many two-syllable Korean given names. Of Sino-Korean origin, its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write it.

Family name

As a family name, Soo may be written with two different hanja, each indicating different lineages. The 2000 South Korean Census found a total of 199 people and 54 households with these family names. The more common name means "water" (; 물 수). The surviving '' bon-gwan'' (origin of a clan lineage, not necessarily the actual residence of the clan members) as of 2000 included Gangneung, Gangwon Province (46 people and 12 households);

Gangnam Gangnam or Kangnam may refer to: Places Stations Other uses * Kangnam (singer) (born 1987), a member of the South Korean hip hop group M.I.B. * Kangnam University, a university in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea See also * "Gangnam Sty ...

, Seoul (41 people and 9 households);

Gimhae Gimhae () is a city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is the seat of the large Gimhae Kim clan, one of the largest Kim clans in Korea. The Gimhae Kims claim descent from the ancient royal house of Geumgwan Gaya, which was based in Gim ...

, South Gyeongsang Province (17 people and four households); Gosan (today Wanju County), North Jeolla Province (11 people and three households); and nine people with other or unknown ''bon-gwan''. According to the ''Joseon Ssijok Tongbo'' (조선씨족통보; 朝鮮氏族統譜), the name originated in Wuxing (today Wuxing District,

Huzhou Huzhou (, ; Huzhounese: ''ghou² cieu¹'') is a prefecture-level city in northern Zhejiang province (Hangzhou–Jiaxing–Huzhou Plain, China). Lying south of the Lake Tai, it borders Jiaxing to the east, Hangzhou to the south, and the provinc ...

), Zhejiang, China. The less common name means "shore" or "bank" (; 물가 수). For the 75 people with this family name, the surviving ''bon-gwan'' as of 2000 included Dalseong County,

Daegu Daegu (, , literally 'large hill', 대구광역시), formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; it is ...

(46 people and 15 households);

Miryang Miryang (perhaps pronounced as Milbeol using Idu script), formerly also spelled as 推火郡 (probably pronounced as Milbeol or Miribeol using Idu script), Milbeol (密伐) and Milseong (密城), is a city in Gyeongsangnam-do Province, South Korea ...

, South Gyeongsang Province (24 people and eight households); and five people with other or unknown ''bon-gwan''.

Given name

There are 67 hanja with the reading "soo", and variant forms of seven of those, on the South Korean government's official list of hanja which may be registered for use in given names; they are listed in the table at right. People with the given name Soo include: * Go Soo (born 1978), South Korean actor Korean names which begin with this element include: * Soo-kyung *

Soo-geun Soo-geun, also spelled Swoo-geun, is a Korean masculine given name. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 34 hanja with the reading " soo" and 18 hanja with the reading "geun" on the South Korean ...

* Su-mi * Soo-min * Su-bin * Soo-ah * Soo-yeon * Soo-young * Soo-jung *

Su-ji Su-ji, also spelled Soo-ji, is a Korean unisex given name. it is primarily used by women. The meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 67 hanja with the reading " su" and 46 hanja with the reading " ...

Soo-jin Soo-jin, also spelled Su-jin or Sue-jin, is a Korean unisex given name. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 67 hanja with the reading "soo" and 48 hanja with the reading "jin" on the South Ko ...

* Soo-hyun * Soo-hee Korean names which end with this element include: *

Deok-su Deok-su (pronounced ), also spelled Deok-soo, Duk-soo, or Duck-soo, is a Korean given male name. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There is one hanja with the reading "deok" (, meaning "morality") and ...

* Dong-soo * Sung-soo * Young-soo *

Yi-soo Yi-soo, also spelled Yi-su or Lee-soo, is a Korean unisex given name. Its meaning depends on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 35 hanja with the reading "yi" and 67 hanja with the reading "soo" on the South Korean govern ...

* In-soo *

Eun-soo Eun-soo, also spelled Eun-su, or Un-soo, is a Korean unisex given name. Its meaning depends on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 26 hanja with the reading "''eun''" and 67 hanja with the reading "'' soo''" on the South ...

* Jung-soo * Jong-soo * Ji-su *

Jin-soo Jin-soo is a Korean unisex given name. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 48 hanja with the reading "jin" and 67 hanja with the reading "soo" on the South Korean government's official list of ...

* Kwang-su * Man-soo * Myung-soo * Min-soo * Moon-soo * Beom-soo *

Chul-soo Chul-soo, also spelled Cheol-su, Cheol-soo, Chol-su, or Chol-soo, is a Korean masculine given name. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 11 hanja with the reading " chul" and 67 hanja with the r ...

* Tae-soo *

Hye-su Hye-su, also spelled Hye-soo, is a Korean feminine given name. Its meaning depends on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 16 hanja with the reading " hye" and 67 hanja with the reading " su" on the South Korean government ...

Hyun-soo Hyun-soo, also spelled Hyun-su, is a Korean unisex given name. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 35 hanja with the reading " hyun" and 67 hanja with the reading " soo" on the South Korean gov ...

Kyung-soo Kyung-soo, also spelled Kyoung-soo, is a Korean masculine given name. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 54 hanja with the reading "kyung" and 67 hanja with the reading " soo" on the South Kor ...

References

{{given name, type=both Korean-language surnames Korean given names Chinese given names