Jo (, sometimes written as Cho) is a

Korean family name This is a list of Korean surnames, in Hangul alphabetical order. Note: (S) North–South differences in the Korean language, denotes South Korea. (N) North–South differences in the Korean language, denotes North Korea. The most common Korean fa ...

, traditionally a royal family name in Korea. As of 2000, there were 1,347,730 people by this surname in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

, about 1% of the total population. The name may represent either of the

Hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, wh ...

or .

List of people with the surname

People from the past

Jo Gwangjo Jo Gwangjo (, 23 August 1482 – 10 January 1520), also often called by his pen name Jeong-am (), was Korean Neo-Confucian scholar who pursued radical reforms during the reign of Jungjong of Joseon in the early 16th century. He was framed with ...

(1482-1520), scholar-official of the

Joseon Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

period * Jo Man-yeong (1776-1846), father of

Queen Shinjeong Queen Sinjeong (Hangul: 신정왕후, Hanja: 神貞王后; 21 January 1809 – 4 June 1890), also known as Queen Dowager Hyoyu (효유왕대비), of the Pungyang Jo clan, was the only wife of Crown Prince Hyomyeong and mother of Heonjong of Joseo ...

Cho Man-sik Cho Man-sik ( ko, 조만식; pen-name Kodang; 1 February 1883 – 15 or 18 October 1950) was a nationalist activist in Korea's independence movement. He became involved in the power struggle that enveloped North Korea in the months following t ...

(1883-1950), activist of the Korea's independence movement

People from present times

;Cho *

Alina Cho Alina Cho is an American journalist who was a television correspondent and former host of CNN's "Fashion: Backstage Pass", and is an Editor at Large at Ballantine Bantam Dell, a division of Penguin Random House. Cho is responsible for developing ...

, American journalist *

Arden Cho Arden Lim Cho (born August 16, 1985) is an American actress, singer and model known for portraying Kira Yukimura in the 2011 MTV television series '' Teen Wolf'' and Ingrid Yun in the 2022 Netflix television series '' Partner Track''. Early lif ...

, American actress *

Cho Byung-hwa Cho Byung-Hwa (May 2, 1921 – March 8, 2003) was a major South Korean poet, critic and essayist, known for the accessibility of his writing. As well as his work as a writer and academic, he was also an amateur athlete and painter. Life Cho Byun ...

, South Korean poet, critic and essayist *

Cho Byung-kuk Cho Byung-kuk (; born July 1, 1981) is a South Korean international football player current assistant coach of Indonesia. Career Cho began his professional career in 2002 with K-League club Suwon Samsung Bluewings. He moved to Chunnam Dragon ...

, South Korean football player * Cho Chi-hun, South Korean poet, critic, and activist *

Cho Chikun Cho Chikun ''25th Honinbo'' ''Honorary Meijin'' ( ko, 조치훈; born June 20, 1956) is a professional Go player and a nephew of Cho Namchul. Born in Busan, South Korea, he is affiliated to Nihon Ki-in. His total title tally of 75 titles is th ...

, South Korean Go player *

David Yonggi Cho David Yonggi Cho (14 February 1936 – 14 September 2021 as Paul Yungi Cho) was a South Korean Christian minister. With his mother-in-law Choi Ja-shil, he was a cofounder of the Yoido Full Gospel Church ( Assemblies of God), the world's large ...

, South Korean Christian minister * Erica Cho, American artist *

Frank Cho Frank Cho, born Duk Hyun Cho, (born 1971) is a Korean-American comic strip and comic book writer and illustrator, known for his series ''Liberty Meadows'', as well as for books such as ''Shanna the She-Devil'', ''The Mighty Avengers, Mighty Avenge ...

, Korean-American comic writer *

Henry Cho Henry Cho (born December 30, 1962) is an American stand-up comedian. His work can be heard nationwide several times weekly on SiriusXM Radio's Channel 98, Laugh USA, Sirius Radio's Jeff and Larry's Comedy Roundup Channel 97, and Pandora Radio's ...

, American stand-up comedian * Cho Hunhyun, South Korean Go player * Cho Hye-ri (stage name Wax), South Korean singer *

Cho Hyun Cho Hyun is a football player from South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land ...

, South Korean football player *

Cho Hyun-doo Cho Hyun-Doo is a football player from South Korea. He is currently coaching Suwon Samsung Bluewings youth system. He was a member of the South Korean Youth (U-20) team in early 1990s and went on to play as a professional in the K-League. H ...

, South Korean football player *

Cho Jae-hyun Cho Jae-hyun (born June 30, 1965) is a South Korean film, stage, and TV actor. He is commonly dubbed "director Kim Ki-duk's persona" since Cho has starred as leading and supporting characters in a number of films directed by Kim. Early years a ...

, South Korean actor *

Cho Jae-jin Cho Jae-jin (born 9 July 1981) is a former South Korean football player. Playing career Cho emerged as a national star when he played for South Korean under-23 team in the 2004 Summer Olympics. He scored two goals in a 3–3 draw with Mali ...

, retired South Korean football player * Cho Ja-young (stage name Ah Young), South Korean singer, member of girl group

Dal Shabet Dal Shabet (Hangul: , stylized as Dal★Shabet or Dalshabet) is a South Korean girl group created by E-Tribe under Happy Face Entertainment. The group debuted on January 3, 2011, with the EP ''Supa Dupa Diva'' and with six members: Viki, Serri, ...

John Cho John Cho (born Cho Yo-Han; June 16, 1972) is an American actor known for his roles as Harold Lee in the '' Harold & Kumar'' films, and Hikaru Sulu in the ''Star Trek'' rebooted film series. Early in his career, Cho also starred in the Asian A ...

, Korean-American actor *

Cho Ki-jung Cho Ki-Jung (June 22, 1939 – December 20, 2007) was a South Korean potter who was designated as living treasure by the Gwangju Metropolitan Government in 1986 for his achievement to revive Goryeo celadon. Style and nature of his work He wor ...

, South Korean potter * Cho Kyu-hyun, South Korean singer, member of boy band

Super Junior Super Junior (; stylized in all caps), also known as SJ or SuJu, is a South Korean boy band formed by Lee Soo-man, the founder of SM Entertainment in 2005. They are also dubbed by the media as the "King of Hallyu Wave" due to their prominent ...

Liz Cho Liz Cho is a news anchor at WABC-TV in New York City. She has co-anchored the weekday 4 and 6 p.m. editions of ''Eyewitness News''. Early life and education Cho grew up in Concord, Massachusetts, and has a younger brother, Andrew. She was born ...

, American newscaster *

Margaret Cho Margaret Moran Cho (born December 5, 1968) is an American comedian, actress, LGBT social activist, and musician. She is known for her stand-up routines, through which she critiques social and political problems, especially regarding race and se ...

, American comedian *

Cho Mi-yeon Cho Mi-yeon (; born January 31, 1997), better known mononymously as Miyeon, is a South Korean singer and actress. She is the main vocalist of the South Korean girl group (G)I-dle under Cube Entertainment, and voiced Ahri in the virtual K-pop g ...

, South Korean singer, member of girl group

(G)I-DLE (G)I-dle (), stylized in all caps, is a South Korean girl group formed by Cube Entertainment in 2018. The group consists of five members: Miyeon, Minnie, Soyeon, Yuqi and Shuhua. Originally a sextet, Soojin left the lineup on August 14, 202 ...

* Cho Mi-hye (stage name Miryo), South Korean rapper, member of girl group

Brown Eyed Girls The Brown Eyed Girls (; ) is a South Korean girl group. The group is composed of four members: JeA, Miryo, Narsha, and Gain. They debuted as an R&B/ballad vocal group with "Come Closer (다가와서)" in 2006. They rose to popularity in 2008 ...

* Cho Min-woo, South Korean footballer * Cho Myung-ik (stage name Mikey), South Korean singer, member of boy band

Turbo In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...

Cho Minhaeng Cho Minhaeng is a South Korean scientist in researching physical chemistry, spectroscopy, and microscopy. He was director of the National Creative Research Initiative Center for Coherent Multidimensional Spectroscopy and is founding director of ...

, South Korean scientist *

Cho Nam-chul Cho Namchul (November 30, 1923 – July 2, 2006, alternately Cho Namcheol) was a professional Go player (Baduk in Korean). He died of natural causes in Seoul at the age of 83. Biography Cho was born in a farming village in Buan, North Jeolla ...

(1923–2006), South Korean Go player * Cho Namgi, Chinese 3-star General of Korean descent *

Cho PD Cho Jung-hun (; born January 27, 1976), better known by his stage name Cho PD, is a South Korean record producer, rapper, K-POP entrepreneur. Cho Jung-hun entered the industry as a rapper/producer. He rose to fame through the internet, prior ...

, South Korean record producer and rapper * Raymond Cho, Korean-Canadian politician and Ontario government minister * Sam Cho, Korean-American politician and entrepreneur * Seong-Jin Cho, South Korean classical pianist *

Cho Seung-woo Cho Seung-woo (born March 28, 1980) is a South Korean actor and singer. He is best known for his leading roles in the films '' The Classic'' (2003), '' Marathon'' (2005), '' Tazza: The High Rollers'' (2006), and ''Inside Men'' (2015), as well as ...

, South Korean actor *

Seung-Hui Cho Seung-Hui Cho (, properly Cho Seung-hui; January 18, 1984 – April 16, 2007) was a Korean-born mass murderer responsible for the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007. Cho killed 32 people and wounded 17 others with two semi-automatic pistols on Apr ...

, South Korean mass murderer, responsible for perpetrating the

Virginia Tech shooting The Virginia Tech shooting was a spree shooting that occurred on April 16, 2007, comprising two attacks on the campus of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States. Seung-Hui Cho, an u ...

Cho Seung-youn Cho Seung-youn (, born August 5, 1996), known professionally as Woodz (stylized in all caps), is a South Korean singer-songwriter, rapper, dancer, and record producer. He first rose to fame as the main rapper and sub-vocalist of South Korean-Chi ...

, South Korean singer-songwriter, member of boy band

Uniq uniq is a utility command (computing), command on Unix, Plan 9 from Bell Labs, Plan 9, Inferno (operating system), Inferno, and Unix-like operating systems which, when fed a text file or Standard streams#Standard input (stdin), standard input, o ...

Cho So-hyun Cho So-hyun (, ; born 24 June 1988) is a South Korean footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Women's Super League side Tottenham Hotspur and the South Korean national team. She is widely regarded as one of South Korea's finest ever p ...

, South Korean footballer *

Cho Son-jin Cho Sonjin (born April 18, 1970) is a professional Go player. Cho was born in South Korea, but moved to Japan at age 12 in order to become a professional. He accomplished his goal two years later in 1984. He was promoted to 9 dan in 1998. In ...

, South Korean Go player *

Cho Won-hee Cho Won-hee (, ; born 17 April 1983) is a South Korean former professional footballer, who played as a right-back or a defensive midfielder. Aside of his considerably long playing time with several teams of the K League, he also experienced sp ...

, South Korean former footballer *

Cho Yeo-jeong Cho Yeo-jeong (born February 10, 1981) is a South Korean actress. She is best known internationally for her role in the film ''Parasite'' (2019), which won four Academy Awards and became the first non-English language film to win the award for Be ...

, South Korean actress *

Cho Yong-pil Cho Yong-pil (; born March 21, 1950) is a South Korean singer who is considered one of the most influential figures in Korean popular music. He debuted as a member of the rock band Atkins in 1968 and made his solo debut with the hit single "Co ...

, South Korean singer * Cho Yoon-Kyoung, South Korean interdisciplinary researcher *

Cho Yoon-sun Cho Yoon-sun (born 22 July 1965) is a South Korean lawyer, writer and politician. She formerly served as the South Korean Minister of Gender Equality and Family and later as its Minister of Culture, however she was later jailed after being conv ...

, South Korean politician *

Cho Yoon-jeong Cho Yoon-jeong ( ko, 조윤정, born 2 April 1979) is a retired South Korean tennis player. In her career, she won one doubles title on the WTA Tour, at Seoul in 2004. Her best Grand Slam performance came when she made the third round of the ...

, retired South Korean tennis player * Cho Yoon-woo, South Korean actor *

Cho Zang-hee Zang-Hee Cho, Ph.D., is a Korean neuroscientist who developed the first Ring- PET scanner and the scintillation detector BGO. More recently, Cho developed the first PET-MRI fusion molecular imaging device for neuro-molecular imaging. Educatio ...

, South Korean neuroscientist ; Fictional characters *

Amadeus Cho Amadeus Cho, also known as Brawn, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by American writer Greg Pak and Canadian artist Takeshi Miyazawa, the character first appeared in ''Amazing Fantasy'' vol. 2 #1 ...

, a character in

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

Kimball Cho Kimball Cho is a fictional character portrayed by Tim Kang on the American TV crime drama ''The Mentalist''. Cho is a former senior agent for the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and is currently an FBI special agent. Cho serves as the pol ...

, a character in ''

The Mentalist ''The Mentalist'' is an American drama television series that ran from September 23, 2008, until February 18, 2015, broadcasting 151 episodes over seven seasons, on CBS. Created by Bruno Heller, who was also its executive producer, the show fol ...

'' * Dr. Isabel Cho, one of the four main protagonists in '' Dead Space: Aftermath'' * Cho Cheol-gang, the main antagonist in ''

Crash Landing on You ''Crash Landing on You'' () is a 2019–2020 South Korean television series written by Park Ji-eun, directed by Lee Jeong-hyo and starring Hyun Bin, Son Ye-jin, Seo Ji-hye, and Kim Jung-hyun. It is about a successful South Korean businesswom ...

'' * Cho Sang-woo, a character in ''

Squid Game ''Squid Game'' () is a South Korean survival drama television series created by Hwang Dong-hyuk for Netflix. Its cast includes Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Wi Ha-joon, HoYeon Jung, O Yeong-su, Heo Sung-tae, Anupam Tripathi, and Kim Joo-ryou ...

'' * Jo Yi-seo, the female lead of ''

Itaewon Class ''Itaewon Class'' () is a 2020 South Korean television series starring Park Seo-joon, Kim Da-mi, Yoo Jae-myung, and Kwon Nara. Based on the webtoon of the same name, it is the first series to be produced by the film distribution company Showbox. ...

'' * Teacher Jo, the secretary of the main antagonist in ''

Sky Castle ''Sky Castle'' (; stylized as ''SKY Castle'') is a 2018–2019 South Korean television series starring Yum Jung-ah, Lee Tae-ran, Yoon Se-ah, Oh Na-ra, and Kim Seo-hyung. It aired on JTBC on Fridays and Saturdays, from November 23, 2018, to Febru ...

'' * Jo Yeong and Jo Eun-sup, two characters in '' The King: Eternal Monarch'' ;Jo *

Jo Hye-joo Jo Hye-joo (; born April 18, 1995) is a South Korean actress and model. She began her acting career with the 2017 film ''Wedding''. She is best known for her roles in '' Search: WWW'' (2019) and the coming of age television series '' A Love So B ...

, South Korean actress and model *

Jo Hyeon-woo Jo Hyeon-woo ( ko, 조현우; born 25 September 1991) is a South Korean footballer who plays as goalkeeper for Ulsan Hyundai and the South Korean national team. Early life Jo was raised by his mother and father who was a gymnast in Seoul. Jo ...

, South Korean football goalkeeper *

Jo Hyun-jae Jo Hyun-jae (born May 9, 1980) is a South Korean actor. Jo made his entertainment debut as a singer in the four-member boy band Guardian, which disbanded after releasing their self-titled album in 1998. In 2000, after he drew popularity when he ...

, South Korean actor *

Jo In-sung Zo In-sung (, born July 28, 1981) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his leading roles in the Korean television dramas ''Something Happened in Bali'' (2004), '' Spring Day'' (2005), ''That Winter, the Wind Blows'' (2013), and ''It ...

, South Korean actor * Jo Jinho, South Korean singer, member of boy band

Pentagon In geometry, a pentagon (from the Greek πέντε ''pente'' meaning ''five'' and γωνία ''gonia'' meaning ''angle'') is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon. The sum of the internal angles in a simple pentagon is 540°. A pentagon may be simpl ...

Jo Kwon Jo Kwon ( born on August 28, 1989) is a South Korean singer, television host, actor, entertainer and the leader of South Korean boy band 2AM. He has starred in multiple musicals such as ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' playing the role of King Her ...

, South Korean singer and entertainer, member of boy band 2AM *

Jo Min-su Jo Min-su (; born January 29, 1965) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her role in the Kim Ki-duk film ''Pietà''. Career Jo Min-su graduated from a vocational high school, Gyungbok Girls' Commercial High School, and first entered ...

, South Korean actress *

Jo Myong-rok Jo Myong-lok (12 July 1928 – 6 November 2010) was a North Korean military officer who held the military rank Chasu (Vice Marshal). In 1998, he was appointed First Vice-Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea, Director ...

(1928–2010), North Korean politician * Jo Shin-ae, South Korean actress *

Sumi Jo Sumi Jo, OSI (; ; born 22 November 1962) is a South Korean lyric coloratura soprano known for her Grammy award-winning interpretations of the bel canto repertoire. Life and career Early life and education Jo was born Jo Su-gyeong in Changw ...

, Grammy-award-winning South Korean

coloratura soprano A coloratura soprano is a type of operatic soprano voice that specializes in music that is distinguished by agile runs, leaps and trills. The term '' coloratura'' refers to the elaborate ornamentation of a melody, which is a typical component o ...

Jo Sung-mo Jo Sung-mo (; born March 11, 1977) is a South Korean pop ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, ...

, South Korean singer * Jo Yong-in, South Korean League of Legends player *

Jo Yu-ri Jo Yu-ri (; born October 22, 2001) is a South Korean singer and actress. She is known as a former member of the South Korean–Japanese girl group Iz*One. Following the dissolution of Iz*One in April 2021, she debuted as a solo artist with the s ...

, South Korean singer and actress, former member of girl group

Iz*One Iz*One ( ; ko, 아이즈원, Aijeuwon; ja, アイズワン, Aizuwan; stylized as IZ*ONE) was a South Korean–Japanese girl group formed through the Mnet reality competition show ''Produce 48''. The group was composed of twelve members: Jang ...

* Jo Sung-woo (stage name Code Kunst), South Korean composer * Jo Gwang-il, South Korean rapper and songwriter *

Jo Woo-chan Jo Woo-chan (; born January 20, 2005), is a South Korean rapper. He was a contestant on ''Show Me the Money 6''. He released his first collaborative single, "OGZ", on January 5, 2018. Early life Jo was born on January 20, 2005, in Seoul, Sou ...

, South Korean rapper {{col-end

List of people with the surname

People from the past

People from present times

Notes

See also