Yeo is a Chinese, English, and Korean surname.

Origins

As an

English surname English names are personal names used in, or originating in, England. In England, as elsewhere in the English-speaking world, a complete name usually consists of one or more given names, commonly referred to as first names, and a (most commonly ...

, Yeo is a

toponymic surname A toponymic surname or habitational surname or byname is a surname or byname derived from a place name,

meaning "river", either for people who lived near one of the Rivers Yeo, or any river in general. The word comes from

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

, via south-western

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman Conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English pe ...

, , or . Variant spellings include

Yoe Yoe is a borough in York County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,058 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the York–Hanover metropolitan area. History The borough of Yoe was formed in 1893 from portions of southeast ...

and Youe. As a

Chinese surname Chinese surnames are used by Han Chinese and Sinicization, Sinicized ethnic groups in Greater China, Korea, Vietnam and among overseas Chinese communities around the world such as Singapore and Malaysia. Written Chinese names begin with surnames, ...

, Yeo is a spelling of the pronunciation in different

varieties of Chinese There are hundreds of local Chinese language varieties forming a branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages, Sino-Tibetan language family, many of which are not Mutual intelligibility, mutually intelligible. Variation is particularly strong in the m ...

of a number of distinct surnames, listed below by their pronunciation in

Mandarin Chinese Mandarin ( ; zh, s=, t=, p=Guānhuà, l=Mandarin (bureaucrat), officials' speech) is the largest branch of the Sinitic languages. Mandarin varieties are spoken by 70 percent of all Chinese speakers over a large geographical area that stretch ...

: * Yáng ( zh, links=no, first=t, t=, s=杨), spelled Yeo or Yeoh based on its

Hokkien Hokkien ( , ) is a Varieties of Chinese, variety of the Southern Min group of Chinese language, Chinese languages. Native to and originating from the Minnan region in the southeastern part of Fujian in southeastern China, it is also referred ...

pronunciation ( zh, poj=Iûⁿ). * Yáo ( zh, links=no, c=}), spelled Yeo or Yeoh based on its Hokkien pronunciation ( zh, poj=Iâu) * Ráo ( zh, links=no, first=t, t=, s=饶) As a

Korean surname This is a list of Korean surnames, in Hangul alphabetical order. The most common Korean surname (particularly in South Korea) is Kim (Korean name), Kim (), followed by Lee (Korean name), Lee () and Park (Korean surname), Park (). These three sur ...

, the

Revised Romanization of Korean Revised Romanization of Korean () is the official Romanization of Korean, Korean language romanization system in South Korea. It was developed by the National Institute of Korean Language, National Academy of the Korean Language from 1995 and w ...

(RR) spelling Yeo () could correspond to any of three modern surnames: * (). The largest lineage with this surname is the

Hamyang Yeo clan Hamyang Yeo clan () is one of the Korean clans. Their Bon-gwan is in Hamyang County, South Gyeongsang Province. According to the research held in 2015, the number of Hamyang Yeo clan was 34835. Their founder was who was a Hanlin Academy in Tang ...

. * (). The largest lineage with this surname is the

Uiryeong Yeo clan Uiryeong Yeo clan () was one of the Korean clans which is descended from the last king of Baekje, Buyeo Pung. After Buyeo Pung was captured by army of Tang, the prince was forcibly sent to inland China. A descendant of the prince and the founder o ...

. * (). Additionally, two historical Korean surnames are also spelled Yeo in Revised Romanization: * () * (), which originated from the

Buyeo Buyeo (; ; ), also rendered as Puyŏ or Fuyu, was an ancient kingdom that was centered in northern Manchuria in modern-day northeast China. It had ties to the Yemaek people, who are considered to be the ancestors of modern Koreans. Buyeo is ...

kingdom

Statistics

Yeo was the 13th-most common Chinese surname in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

as of 1997 (ranked by English spelling, rather than by Chinese characters). Roughly 36,600 people, or 1.5% of the

Chinese Singaporean Chinese Singaporeans, Singaporean Chinese or Sino-Singaporeans () are Singaporeans of Han Chinese ancestry. Chinese Singaporeans constitute 75.9% of the Singaporean resident population according to the official census, making them the large ...

population, bore the surname Yeo. The 2000 South Korean census found 23,358 households and 65,196 people with the surnames spelled Yeo in Revised Romanization, divided among 17,498 households and 56,692 people for , 5,741 households and 18,146 people for , and 119 people and 358 households for . According to statistics cited by

Patrick Hanks Patrick Wyndham Hanks (24 March 1940 – 1 February 2024) was an English lexicographer, corpus linguist, and onomastician. He edited dictionaries of general language, as well as dictionaries of personal names. Background Hanks was educated a ...

, there were 2,529 people on the island of

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

and 20 on the island of

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

with the surname Yeo as of 2011. In 1881 there had been 1,565 people with the surname in Great Britain, mainly in

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

, while in mid-19th-century Ireland it was found primarily in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

and

Kilkenny Kilkenny ( , meaning 'church of Cainnech of Aghaboe, Cainnech'). is a city in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region and in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinst ...

. The 2010 United States Census found 2,805 people with the surname Yeo, making it the 11,272nd-most-common name in the country. This represented an increase from 2,194 (12,858th-most-common) in the 2000 Census. In the 2010 Census, about 55% of the bearers of the surname identified as Asian, and four-tenths as

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

. It was the 871st-most-common surname among respondents to the 2000 Census who identified as Asian.

People

Chinese surnames

Chinese surnames ( zh, links=no, first=t, t=楊, s=杨) or ( zh, links=no, c=姚): * Alvin Yeo (; 1962–2022), Singaporean lawyer *

Ben Yeo Ben Yeo Chi Lung (born 23 September 1978) is a Singaporean television host, actor and businessman. Career A former model, Yeo was first scouted on ''Snap'', SPH MediaWorks Channel U's talent show. He won the competition and was signed by S ...

(; born 1978), Singaporean actor *

Yeo Bee Yin Yeo Bee Yin (; born 26 May 1983) is a Malaysian politician and field engineer who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Puchong since November 2022. She served as the Minister of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate C ...

(; born 1983), Malaysian politician *

Yeo Cheow Tong Yeo Cheow Tong (; born 22 June 1947) is a former Singaporean politician. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he served in the Cabinet from 1990 to 2006, and was a Member of Parliament (MP) of Hong Kah SMC from 12 December ...

(; born 1947), Singaporean politician * Danny Yeo (; ), Singaporean television host * Edmund Yeo (; born 1984), Malaysian filmmaker *

George Yeo George Yeo Yong-Boon ( zh, s=杨荣文, p=Yáng Róngwén; born 13 September 1954) is a Singaporean former politician and brigadier-general who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs between 2004 and 2011. Yeo served in the Singapore Army an ...

(; born 1954), Singaporean former politician and Air Force brigadier-general *

Gwendoline Yeo Gwendoline See-Hian Yeo (; born 10 July 1977) is an actress based in the United States. Born in Singapore, she moved to California in 1988 and began acting in sitcoms such as '' Grounded for Life'' and '' The Random Years''. Yeo is known for her ...

(; born 1977), Singaporean-born American actress and niece of George Yeo *

Yeo Jia Min Yeo Jia Min (; born 1 February 1999) is a Singaporean badminton player. She is a former World Junior No.1 and the first Singaporean in either the junior or senior categories to made it to the top of the BWF's ranking system. Early life and ed ...

(; born 1999), Singaporean badminton player * Jamie Yeo (; born 1977), Singaporean media personality *

Jerry Yeo Jerry Yeo Wee Lie (born 29 June 1986) is a Singaporean aircraft pilot and former actor and host. He was a full-time Mediacorp artiste from 2007 to 2014. Early life Yeo was educated at Anglican High School and Victoria Junior College. He grad ...

(; born 1986), Singaporean actor *

Joscelin Yeo Joscelin Yeo Wei Ling (; born 2 May 1979) is a former Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) from Nov 2006 to Apr 2011 and a former competitive swimmer from Singapore. Yeo won 40 gold medals at the Southeast Asian Games. She also represented ...

(; born 1979), Singaporean swimmer * Yeo Keng Lian (; died 1960), Chinese-born Singaporean founder of Yeo Hiap Seng *

K. K. Yeo K. K. Yeo or YEO Khiok-Khng (, born 1960), is a Malaysian-born U.S. Chinese scholar of the New Testament. He is known for his work in cross-cultural hermeneutics, public and global theologies. Biography Yeo was born and raised in a small coas ...

(; born 1952), Malaysian-born American bible scholar *

Kuei Pin Yeo Kuei Pin Yeo is a classical pianist and educator from Indonesia. She earned Indonesia's first doctorate in music. Early life She was born in Jakarta, Indonesia and later earned a full scholarship to the Manhattan School of Music in New York ...

(; ), Indonesian classical pianist *

Yeo Ning Hong Yeo Ning Hong ( zh, s=杨林丰, p=Yáng Línfēng; born 3 November 1943) is a Singaporean chemist and former politician. He served as Minister for Defence from 1991 to 1994, and Minister for Communications from 1984 to 1991. A former member ...

(; ), Singaporean politician *

Philip Yeo Noel Philip Yeo Liat Kok ( Chinese: 杨烈国; born 1946), DUNU (First Class), is the Chairman oEconomic Development Innovations SingaporeAdvanced MedTech HoldingsanAccuron Technologies From April 2007 to March 2018, Yeo was Chairman of Standa ...

(, born 1946), Singaporean bureaucrat *

Richard Yeo (scientist) Richard Yeo Swee Chye () is an American scientist with 17 U.S. patents, best known for his research on disposable diapers. Research Disposable diapers Yeo co-invented US patent 5,356,626: "Synthetic fecal fluid compound." At the time, Yeo was a ...

(; ), Chinese American scientist best known for his research on disposable diapers * Vivien Yeo (; born 1984), Malaysian actress *

Yeo Yann Yann Yeo Yann Yann (born 20 February 1977) is a Malaysian actress. She has worked in theatre, television, and film. Her credits include '' Singapore Dreaming'', ''Thunderstorm'', ''881'', ''Ilo Ilo'' and ''Wet Season''. She is a pioneer-graduate ...

(; born 1977), Malaysian actress

Korean surnames

Korean surnames (): * Yeo Bong-hun (; born 1994), South Korean football midfielder * Yeo Bum-kyu (; born 1962), South Korean football midfielder * Yeo One (born Yeo Chang-gu; ; 1996), South Korean singer and actor * Mu Jin-sung (born Yeo Eui-ju; ; 1988), South Korean actor * Yeo In-hyeok (; ), South Korean a cappella singer *

Yeo Hoe-hyun Yeo Hoe-hyun (hangul The Korean alphabet is the modern writing system for the Korean language. In North Korea, the alphabet is known as (), and in South Korea, it is known as (). The letters for the five basic consonants reflect the sha ...

(; born 1994), South Korean actor *

Yeo Hong-chul Yeo Hong-Chul (; born 28 May 1971 in Gwangju) is a retired South Korean gymnast. He participated in three Olympics, winning a silver medal, and retired after the 2000 Summer Olympics. Career Yeo won the silver medal in the vault event at the 19 ...

(; born 1971), South Korean gymnast *

Yeo Hoon-min Yeo Hoon-min (; born August 16, 1991), also known by his stage name Hoon, is a South Korean singer and actor. He is best known as a member of South Korean boy band U-KISS under NH Media. He joined the group in February 2011 after the departure ...

(; born 1991), South Korean singer, former member of U-KISS * Yeo Hyo-jin (; born 1983), South Korean football defender * Yeo Hyun-soo (; born 1982), South Korean actor *

Yeo Jin-goo Yeo Jin-goo (, born August 13, 1997) is a South Korean actor. Yeo began his career as a child actor, debuting in the film ''Sad Movie'' (2005). Nicknamed "Nation's Little Sister, Nation's Little Brother", he went on to play the younger characte ...

(; born 1997), South Korean actor *

Yeo Kab-soon Yeo Kab-soon (; born May 8, 1974) is a South Korean Shooting sport, sport shooter who competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics. She was born in Seoul. References 1974 births Living people Sport shooters from Seoul South Korean fe ...

(; born 1971), South Korean sport shooter * Yeo Min-jeong (; ), South Korean voice actress * Yeo Myung-yong (; born 1987), South Korean football goalkeeper * Yeo Oh-hyun (; born 1978), South Korean volleyball player * Yeo Ok (), Korean woman poet of the Gojoseon kingdom (which fell in 108 BC) * Yeo Reum (; born 1989), South Korean football midfielder * Yeo Sang-yeop (; born 1984), South Korean speed skater * Yeo Seung-won (; born 1984), South Korean football forward * Yeo Sung-hae (; born 1987), South Korean football defender * Yeo U-gil (; 1567–1632), Joseon Dynasty scholar-official * Yŏ Ŭi-son (; ), Joseon Dynasty civil minister * Vittoria Yeo (; born 1980), South Korean soprano * Yeo Woon-hyung (; 1886–1947), Korean politician *

Yeo Woon-kay Yeo Woon-kay (; February 25, 1940 – May 22, 2009) was a South Korean actress and television personality. She was best known for Korean films such as ''War of Money'', '' Bad Family'' and ''My Lovely Sam Soon''. Yeo began acting while in high ...

(; 1940–2009), South Korean actress *

Yeo Woon-kon Yeo Woon-kon (born 4 September 1974) is a field hockey player from South Korea, who was a member of the Men's National Team that won the silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. In the final the South Koreans were beaten by the Dutch ...

(; born 1974), South Korean field hockey player

Other

People with other surnames spelled Yeo, or people for whom the Chinese characters of their names are not available: * Alby Yeo (1929–2014), Australian rules footballer * Alfred Yeo (British politician) (1863–1928), British politician and businessman * Alfred Yeo (Australian politician) (1890–1976), member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly * Angela Yeo (born 1984), American professional bodybuilder * Brian Yeo (born 1944), English former footballer * Caitlin Yeo (), Australian film score composer * Dylan Yeo (born 1986), Canadian ice hockey player * Douglas Yeo (born 1955), American symphony trombonist and professor * Edward Roe Yeo (1742–1782), British politician, Member of Parliament for Coventry *

Elliot Yeo Elliot Yeo (born 1 October 1993) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for the Brisbane Lions between 2012 and 2013. Yeo won a premiership ...

(born 1993), Australian football player for the West Coast Eagles *

Frank Ash Yeo Frank Ash Yeo (18 August 1832 – 4 March 1888) was a British industrialist and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician. Yeo was born at Bideford, Devon, the son of Thomas Yeo and his wife Elizabeth Woollacott. He was educated at Bideford Schoo ...

(1832–1888), British industrialist and Liberal politician * Gerald Francis Yeo (1845–1909), Irish physiologist * Harriet Yeo (), British trade unionist *

Isaah Yeo Isaah Patrick Ferguson-Yeo (born 6 November 1994) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who co-captains and plays as a forward for the Penrith Panthers in the NRL and captains New South Wales in State of Origin and Australia a ...

(born 1994), Australian Rugby League player *

Iva Yeo Iva Yeo (born June 5, 1939 in Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. She was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1988 to 1990, representing the Winnipeg riding of Sturgeon Creek for the Manitoba Liberal Party ...

(born 1939), Canadian politician in Manitoba * James Yeo (shipbuilder) (1789–1868), Cornish-born shipbuilder, merchant, farmer and political figure in Prince Edward Island * James Yeo (politician) (1827–1903), merchant, ship builder, ship owner, and Canadian Member of Parliament for Prince Edward Island *

James Lucas Yeo Sir James Lucas Yeo, KCB, KBA (7 October 1782 – 21 August 1818) was a Royal Navy officer who served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812. Born in Southampton, Hampshire, he joined the British navy at the age ...

(1782–1818), British naval commander who served in the War of 1812 * John Yeo (1837–1924), Canadian parliamentarian * Jonathan Yeo (born 1970), British portraitist *

Joseph Yeo Joseph Henry Lim Yeo (born September 7, 1983) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Manila Stars of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). He was drafted third overall by the Coca-Cola Tigers in 2006. Amateur career ...

(born 1983), Filipino professional basketball player * Justin Yeo, Australian rugby league player * Leonard Yeo (English politician) (died 1586), Member of Parliament for Totnes *

Lindsay Yeo Lindsay Gilbert Yeo (1946 – 12 November 2024) was a New Zealand radio broadcaster. He was best known for hosting the 2ZB breakfast show in Wellington between 1972 and 1995, and for his creation of the children's character "Buzz O'Bumble". B ...

(), New Zealand radio host *

Mike Yeo Michael Yeo (born July 31, 1973) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and coach. Yeo is currently an assistant coach with the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is the former head coach of the Minnesota Wild ...

(born 1974), American ice hockey coach *

Norman Yeo Norman Wyatt Yeo (21 June 1886 – 1 June 1950) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon and University in the Victorian Football League. Family The son of Rev. Henry Yeo, and Sarah Ann Yeo, née Allan, Norman Wyatt Yeo was ...

(1886–1950), Australian rules footballer * Peter Yeo (born 1947), Australian rules footballer * Peter M. Yeo (born 1963), American diplomat * Richard Yeo (–1779), British medalist and Chief Engraver at the Royal Mint * Rick Yeo (), Canadian ice hockey coach *

Simon Yeo Simon John Yeo (born 10 October 1973 ) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward from 1997 to 2011 and is currently player-coach at Mossley. Yeo a former member of the British Army is most well known for his time at ...

(born 1973), English former footballer *

Tim Yeo Timothy Stephen Kenneth Yeo (born 20 March 1945) is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he was the Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of South Suffolk between the 1983 United Kingdom general election and tha ...

(born 1945), British politician and Member of Parliament * Walter Yeo (1890–1960), English World War I sailor and early plastic surgery patient * William Yeo (1896–1972), Australian ex-service leader, farmer, and soldier

References

{{surname, Yeo English-language surnames Chinese-language surnames Korean-language surnames Multiple Chinese surnames