Soo (Korean name)


Soo, also spelled Su, is a rare Korean family name, a single-syllable Korean given name, and an element in many two-syllable Korean given names. 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". The surviving bon-gwan as of 2000 included Gangneung, Gangwon Province ; Gangnam, Seoul ; Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province ; Gosan, North Jeolla Province ; and nine people with other or unknown bon-gwan. According to the Joseon Ssijok Tongbo, the name originated in Wuxing, Zhejiang, China.
The less common name means "shore" or "bank". For the 75 people with this family name, the surviving bon-gwan as of 2000 included Dalseong County, Daegu ; Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province ; 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:
Korean names which begin with this element include:
Korean names which end with this element include: