| Pronunciation | /sʌ/ |
|---|---|
| Gender | Unisex |
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Korean |
| Meaning | Different meanings depending on the hanja used. |
| Other names | |
| Alternative spelling | Suh, Surh, Sur, Seoh, So, Su |
| Seo | |
| Hangul | 서 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Seo |
| McCune–Reischauer | Sŏ |
| IPA | [sʌ] |
| Language(s) | Japanese |
|---|---|
| Origin | |
| Language(s) | Japonic |
| Meaning | Different meanings depending on the kanji used. |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Seno |
Seo is a Korean surname and Japanese surname.
As a Korean surname, Seo is the most frequent romanization, but it may also be romanized as Suh, Surh, Sur, Seoh, So, Su, and Suhr. The surname most commonly represents the hanja 徐. Seo can also be used as a single-syllable Korean given name or an element in many two-syllable Korean given names.[1] The given name meaning differs based on the hanja used to write it. There are 53 hanja with the reading "seo"[2] on the South Korean government's official list of hanja which may be registered for use in given names. The Chinese surname Xú also uses the same 徐 character.
As a Japanese surname, Seo is pronounced in two syllables ("se-o") and most frequently written as 瀬尾 and is shared by 23,000+ individuals in Japan.[3][4] Historically, the Seo clan (瀬尾) was also one of the cadet branches of the Hata clan, an immigrant clan from the kingdom of Silla. The second most common Seo is written as 妹尾 and is shared by 21,000+ individuals in Japan.[5] The remaining variants are used by less than 2,000 individuals each and are generally used by related families.