The Au surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 7,148 people carried this name — #4,919 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 41,300 people counted. That is up 16% from 6,177 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Au surname

Borrowed from Cantonese 歐／欧 (ou1) or 區／区 (ou1) (Doublet of Ao), or from German Au.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Au» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 44 people named Au.

Most of them — 41 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 2 départements, most often French Polynesia.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 41
French Polynesia 2
Paris 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

37 people named Au live in Switzerland.

They live in 5 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 17
Vaud 7
Geneva 6
Aargau 4
Bern 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In Poland’s population register

34 people named Au have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 51 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 4 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Warmian-Masurian.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Warmian-Masurian 21
Masovian 6
Lubusz 5
Greater Poland 2

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In the Nordic population registers

61 people named Au is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 61

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In print

Au in American newspapers,
1905–1920.

Newspaper page from The Washington Times carrying the name Au
The Washington Times 1905-07-02
Newspaper page from Great Falls Daily Tribune carrying the name Au
Great Falls Daily Tribune 1920-02-29
Newspaper page from Le Messager carrying the name Au
Le Messager 1917-03-30

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 8,230 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Au in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

47,022 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Au. The most, 8,787, date from the 1920s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 1.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 13,815
New South Wales 13,787
Queensland 8,460
South Australia 5,319
Western Australia 2,780
Tasmania 2,532
ACT (Canberra) 159
Northern Territory 30

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Au.

Who carried it

People named Au,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Adam von Au
    Adam von Au 1869–1942 · politician
  • Alajos Au 1837–1895 · composer
  • Jacob Au 1897–2000
  • C. Au 1915– · badminton player
  • Eberhard Au 1921–1996 · engineer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped — Adam von Au: Unknown authorUnknown author, CC BY 3.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0) · 27 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Au,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States293 records

293 records of the Au name in the United States
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 130
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 91
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 25
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 21
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 18
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 6
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 2
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Harry B. Au

    Born 1920 in Georgia. Enlisted 1942 at Fort McPherson Atlanta; stenographer from Walker County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1982, buried at Chattanooga National Cemetery, Tennessee.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Catharina Au

    Arrived at New York in 1850 aboard the Westphalia from Bremen, aged 50; farmer. From Hanover, Germany; bound for Wisconsin.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Keith Warren Au

    Born 1948; from Lucas, Ohio. U.S. Marine Corps, tracked vehicle repairer; died in an accident 1970 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 293 records for Au in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Germany91 records

91 records of the Au name in Germany
  • Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919 90
  • German emigration and citizenship files 1
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Heinrich Au

    Born 1892; from Opfen, Altenkirchen. Reported dead in the Prussian casualty list of 2 January 1917.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Josef Au

    Naturalised at Allmendshofen in 1862.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Albert Au

    From Pentz, Demmin. Reported dead in the Prussian casualty list of 23 August 1916 (Infantry Regiment No. 140).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 3 of 91 records for Au in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0) · Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Canada22 records

22 records of the Au name in Canada
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 10
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 6
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 4
  • Halifax municipal cemeteries 2
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Donald W. Au

    Died 1985, aged 47; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Suit Mui Au

    Buried in 1999 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 88.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Leung Au

    Buried in 1996 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 73.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 22 records for Au in Canada.

Counts: City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

France12 records

12 records of the Au name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record To Nu Au

    Born 1945 in Vietnam; died 1999 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Chun On Au

    Born 1953 in Cambodia; died 2001 in Nantua (Ain).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Chhieng Au

    Born 1908 in Cambodia; died 1992 in Férolles-Attilly (Seine-et-Marne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 12 records for Au in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Australia3 records

3 records of the Au name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 1
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Hoa Duong Au

    Of Altona North, Victoria; died 2000.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record C. E. Au

    Australian Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 2 of 3 records for Au in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Au name in the Netherlands Dutch population registers
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Rachel Au

    In the population register of Amsterdam; born 1849 in Amsterdam.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Amsterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Au.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Au is.
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Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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