Koh (surname)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
LanguagesChinese (often Southern Min), German (via Serbo-Croatian), Korean
Derivation
- Chinese (許): probably toponymic, from the state of Xǔ
- German: occupational, from Koch meaning "cook"
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Koh is a surname in various cultures. Its languages of origin include Chinese, German (via its Serbo-Croatian spelling), and Korean.
Koh may be a spelling of a number of Chinese surnames, listed below by their spelling in Hanyu Pinyin, which reflects the Standard Mandarin pronunciation:[1]
- Xǔ (許/许), spelled Koh based on its pronunciation in various Southern Min dialects. The surname is frequently spelled this way in Malaysia and Singapore, where many descendants of Chinese migrants can trace their roots to Southern Min-speaking areas of China, namely Fujian and eastern Guangdong.[2] Other spellings of the Southern Min pronunciation include Co, Ko, and Kho.
- Gāo (高), spelled Koh based on its Cantonese pronunciation
- Gù (顧/顾), spelled Koh based on its pronunciation in various Southern Min dialects
- Gū (辜), spelled Koh based on its pronunciation in various Southern Min dialects
- Gŭ (古), spelled Koh based on its pronunciation in various Southern Min dialects
- Ke (柯), spelled Koh based on its pronunciation in multiple varieties of Chinese including Hakka and Southern Min
- Kòu (寇), spelled Koh based on its pronunciation in multiple varieties of Chinese including Mandarin and Southern Min
- Huáng (黃), spelled Koh based on its pronunciation in various Southern Min dialects[citation needed]
- Hao (郝), spelled Koh based on its pronunciation in various Southern Min dialects[citation needed]
The surname Koh found among descendants of the Germans of Yugoslavia originated from the German surname Koch. The surname Kuhač is similarly derived.[3]
As a Korean surname, Koh is a variant spelling of the surname most commonly spelled as Ko (based on its McCune–Reischauer transcription; Korean: 고; Hanja: 高; RR: Go).[4][5]