Du () is a

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

. The name is spelled ''Tu'' 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 nort ...

, in

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 city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

it is translated as ''To'', in

Macao Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

it is spelled as ''Tou'', the pronunciation of 杜 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 are ...

. The Vietnamese equivalent of the surname is

Đỗ Đỗ is a Vietnamese family name. According to Lê Trung Hoa, a Vietnamese scholar, approximately 1.4 percent of Vietnamese people have this surname (2005).Lê Trung Hoa (2005). Họ và tên người Việt Nam, (Hà Nội), Việt Nam: NXB Khoa h ...

. However, when diacritics are dropped, it can also be from the Vietnamese surnames Dư 余 or Dũ 俞 (Chinese equivalent is both Yu). It is the 129th surname in ''

Hundred Family Surnames The ''Hundred Family Surnames'' (), commonly known as ''Bai Jia Xing'', also translated as ''Hundreds of Chinese Surnames'', is a classic Chinese text composed of common Chinese surnames. An unknown author compiled the book during the Song dyn ...

'' and is the 42nd most common surname in Mainland China as of 2020.

Origin and Branches of ''Du'' (杜)

The ancestors of the ''Du'' family are known as the Tangdu. The Tangdu resided southeast of

Xi'an Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by #Name, other names, is the list of capitals in China, capital of Shaanxi, Shaanxi Province. A Sub-provincial division#Sub-provincial municipalities, sub-provincial city o ...

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...

province. The '' Fan'' (范) and ''Du'' clans share a common ancestor. Some members of the ''Du'' (杜) family are the

Tuoba The Tuoba (reconstructed Middle Chinese pronunciation: *''tʰak-bɛt''), also known as the Taugast or Tabgach ( otk, 𐱃𐰉𐰍𐰲 ''Tabγač''), was a Xianbei clan in Imperial China.Wei Shou. '' Book of Wei''. Vol. 1 During the Sixteen King ...

(拓跋) family of

Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei ((北)魏孝文帝) (October 13, 467 – April 26, 499), personal name né Tuoba Hong (拓拔宏), later Yuan Hong (元宏), was an emperor of the Northern Wei from September 20, 471 to April 26, 499. Under the r ...

. "Dugu" is the surname of

Xianbei The Xianbei (; ) were a Proto-Mongolic ancient nomadic people that once resided in the eastern Eurasian steppes in what is today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Northeastern China. They originated from the Donghu people who splintered into the ...

Meanings of ''Du'' (杜)

* The Chinese name of

Pyrus betulifolia ''Pyrus betulifolia'', known as the Birchleaf pear in English and Tang li in Chinese, is a deciduous wild pear tree native to the leafy forests of northern and central China and Tibet. It can grow 10 meters high in optimal conditions. Formidable ...

, a deciduous tree of the genus pear in the rosaceae. * A verb: to stop; to prevent; to restrict

People with this name

Du

Du Fu Du Fu (; 712–770) was a Tang dynasty poet and politician. Along with his elder contemporary and friend Li Bai (Li Po), he is frequently called the greatest of the Chinese poets.Ebrey, 103. His greatest ambition was to serve his country as ...

(杜甫) (712–770),

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 ...

poet, considered one of China's greatest *

Du Yu Du Yu (223– January or February 285), courtesy name Yuankai, was a Chinese classicist, military general, and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the late Three Kingdoms period and early Jin dynasty. Life Du Yu was from Duling County ( ...

(杜預) (222–285), Jin dynasty classicist, wrote an influential commentary to the '' Zuozhuan'' *

Du Ji Du Ji (early 160s – 224), courtesy name Bohou, was an official who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He later served as a high-ranking official in the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. He had the reputation of be ...

(杜畿) (d. 224),

Cao Wei Wei ( Hanzi: 魏; pinyin: ''Wèi'' <

Middle Chinese

: *''ŋjwei^C'' <

official, grandfather of Du Yu *

Du Mu Du Mu (; 803–852) was a Chinese calligrapher, poet, and politician who lived during the late Tang dynasty. His courtesy name was Muzhi (), and art name Fanchuan (). He is best known for his lyrical and romantic quatrains. Regarded as a majo ...

(杜牧) (803–852), Tang dynasty poet *

Lady Du Qiu Du Qiuniang or Lady Du Qiu (''fl.'' AD 807–831) was a Tang dynasty Chinese poet. She is the only female poet to be included in the famous anthology ''Three Hundred Tang Poems''. Life Born in Jinling (modern Nanjing), she became a concubine of t ...

(杜秋娘) (fl. 807–831), Tang dynasty poet *

Du Ruhui Du Ruhui (585–630), courtesy name Keming, posthumously known as Duke Cheng of Lai, was a Chinese official who served as a chancellor under Emperor Taizong in the early Tang dynasty. He and his colleague, Fang Xuanling, were often described as ...

(杜如晦) (585–630), Tang dynasty chancellor *

Du Yan Du Yan (died 628), courtesy name Zhili, posthumously known as Duke Xiang of Anji, was a Chinese official who served as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Taizong in the Tang dynasty. His more famous nephew, Du Ruhui, was also a chancellor. ...

(杜淹) (d. 628), Tang dynasty chancellor, uncle of Du Ruhui *

Du Fuwei Du Fuwei (598?-624), known during service to Tang Dynasty as Li Fuwei (), was an agrarian leader who rose against the rule of Emperor Yang of Sui at the end of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty. At one point, he had ambitions to take over the region ...

(杜伏威) (d. 624), Sui dynasty military leader * Du Wei (杜伟) (1968–2020), Chinese diplomat *

Soon Ja Du Latasha Harlins (January 1, 1976 – March 16, 1991) was an African-American girl who was fatally shot at age 15 by Soon Ja Du ( ko, 두순자) after Latasha knocked Soon Ja Du to the ground, a 51-year-old Korean-American convenience store owner ...

, Korean-American shopkeeper convicted in the

killing of Latasha Harlins Latasha Harlins (January 1, 1976 – March 16, 1991) was an African-American girl who was fatally shot at age 15 by Soon Ja Du ( ko, 두순자) after Latasha knocked Soon Ja Du to the ground, a 51-year-old Korean-American convenience store owner ...

Duh, Taw, To, Toh, Tu

Woody Duh Woody Duh Tyzz-jiun (; born 23 October 1959) is a Taiwanese politician, who was the Vice Premier of the Republic of China from 1 February 2016 to 20 May 2016. He was the Governor of Fujian Province. He was the Minister of Economic Affairs (MOEA ...

(杜紫軍), Vice Premier of the Republic of China (2016) *

Taw Sein Ko Taw Sein Ko, CIE, ISO ( my, တော်စိန်ကို; ; 7 December 1864 – 29 May 1930) was Burma's first recorded archaeologist. Personal life He was born in Moulmein (present-day Mawlamyine, Mon State) in 1864. He was the son of ...

(杜成誥/杜成浩), Burma's first archaeologist *

Alex To Alex To (born Alejandro Delfino on 10 February 1962) is a Hong Kong- and Taiwan-based singer and actor. He is the winner of the 4th annual New Talent Singing Awards in 1985. He has released numerous albums throughout his career and mainly ha ...

(杜德偉/杜德伟), a singer from

Johnnie To Johnnie To Kei-fung (born 22 April 1955) is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter and film producer. Popular in his native Hong Kong, To has also found acclaim overseas. Intensely prolific, To has made films in a variety of genres, though in ...

(杜琪峯/杜琪峰), a film director from

Chapman To Chapman To (, born 8 June 1972), born Edward Ng Cheuk-cheung (), is a Hong Kong actor. He is best known for his roles in films such as ''Infernal Affairs'' and '' Initial D''. He is also the founder of his own multimedia platform known as "Chapman ...

, an actor from Hong Kong *

Tu Cheng-sheng Tu Cheng-sheng (; born 10 June 1944) is a Taiwanese politician and historian. Tu served as the Minister of Education of the Republic of China during Chen Shui-bian's second term as President.

, Taiwanese politician *

Toh Chin Chye Toh Chin Chye ( zh, s=杜进才, p=Dù Jìncái; 10 December 1921 – 3 February 2012) was a Singaporean politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore between 1959 and 1968. Toh is widely recognised as one of the founding fa ...

, (杜进才; 1921–2012), a prominent first generation political leader in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

* Toh Aik Choon (; 1927–1990), Singaporean shipbuilding industry businessman * Sylvia Toh (; born 1946/1947), Singaporean newspaper columnist *

Toh Wei Soong Toh Wei Soong (; born 11 September 1998) is a Singaporean freestyle and butterfly swimmer. He was a bronze medallist in the S7 50 metre Freestyle at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and a two-time gold medallist at the 2018 Asian Para Games for ...

(杜维崧; born 1998), Singaporean swimmer *

Toh Ee Wei Toh Ee Wei (; born 18 September 2000) is a Malaysian badminton player from Malacca. She was the girls' doubles silver medalist at the 2018 Asian and World Junior Championships. She also won the 2016 World Junior bronze medal in the mixed doub ...

(; born 2000), Malaysian badminton player

都

It was found to be the 330th most common surname, shared by 140,060 people or 0.011% of the population, with the province with the most being

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...

. * Du Mu (Ming dynasty), (Chinese: 都穆; 1459–1525) was a Chinese poet, scholar and art critic from Suzhou * Ray Du English (Chinese: 阿滴英文) is a Taiwanese educational YouTube channel hosted by 2 siblings, one of whom is internet personality Ray Du (都省瑞)

References

External links

Origin of the surname Du, Tu, Do
{{DEFAULTSORT:Du (Surname) Chinese-language surnames Individual Chinese surnames