The Ko surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 13,312 people carried this name — #2,708 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 22,200 people counted. That is up 27% from 10,483 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Ko surname

From Mandarin 柯 (Kʻo¹), 葛 (Ko²), Cantonese 高 (gou1), Korean 고(高) (Go), etc.

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

In Switzerland’s population statistics

50 people named Ko live in Switzerland.

They live in 6 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 14
Lucerne 7
Basel-Stadt 6
Aargau 3
Zug 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 the Nordic population registers

42 people named Ko is counted in Sweden.

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

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 42

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

Ko in American newspapers,
1909.

Newspaper page from East Mississippi Times carrying the name Ko
East Mississippi Times 1909-12-03

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 4,736 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Ko in Australian newspapers,
1820s–1990s.

34,035 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Ko. The most, 6,470, date from the 1910s.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 12,472
Victoria 8,461
Queensland 6,189
South Australia 3,830
Western Australia 1,437
Tasmania 1,342
ACT (Canberra) 171
Northern Territory 29

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

Who carried it

People named Ko,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Minjung d. 48 · monarch
  • Gogugwon d. 371 · ruler
  • Ko Songin d. 2007 · yakuza
  • King Dongmyeong of Goguryeo -57–-18 · monarch
  • Yuri -37–18 · ruler
  • Daemusin 4–44 · politician

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Ko,
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 States233 records

233 records of the Ko name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 122
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 95
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 8
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 5
  • Sacramento County historic burials 2
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Jimmie Ko

    Born 1912. Enlisted 1943 at New York City; bookkeeper from New York County, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain)
  2. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record Benjamin W. Ko

    U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Born 1931, died 1995; buried at Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery, Kaneohe, Hawaii.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. The receipt card sent under the U.S. Alien Registration Act of 1940
    Example: U.S. alien registration card, 1940s
    Alien registration Yun K. Ko

    Born 1902 in China. Registered as a foreign national in San Diego, California, under the Alien Registration Act of 1940.

    U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain)

Showing 3 of 233 records for Ko in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain); Alien Registration Receipt Card, Form AR-3, photo by Bobjgalindo via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0).

Canada42 records

42 records of the Ko name in Canada
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 31
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 9
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 1
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record James Ko

    Buried in 1978 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 76.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Bak Ten Ko

    Died 1960; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Man Ko

    Died 1927 in Glace Bay, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 42 records for Ko in Canada.

Counts: City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Netherlands10 records

10 records of the Ko name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 9
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Djee Swie Ko

    Died 1953 in 's-Gravenhage, aged 50.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Johanna Ko

    In the population register of Brouwershaven; born 1798 in Rotterdam.

    Open Archives, Zeeuws Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Jacob Ko

    In the population register of Alkmaar; born 1853 in Alkmaar.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Archief Alkmaar (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 10 records for Ko in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Australia3 records

3 records of the Ko name in Australia
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 2
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Wai On Ko

    Driver of West Footscray, Victoria; died 1995.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Boon Chen Ko

    Architect of North Balwyn, Victoria; died 1999.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 3 records for Ko in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

France2 records

2 records of the Ko 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 Cha Lan Ko

    Born 1943 in China; died 1999 in La Garenne-Colombes (Hauts-de-Seine).

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

    Born 1918 in Cat Ba Hai-Phong (Nord Vietnam); died 1999 in Mantes-la-Jolie (Yvelines).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

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).

Germany2 records

2 records of the Ko name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Johann Ko

    From Leipzig. Reported wounded in the Saxon casualty list of 15 March 1915 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 107).

    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 German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Joseph Ko

    From Dieburg. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 24 October 1914 (Infantry Regiment No. 168).

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

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

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Ko.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Ko is.
A volume says what happened to it.

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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