The Ku surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,888 people carried this name — #6,877 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 60,200 people counted. That is up 30% from 3,755 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Ku surname

Borrowed from Korean 구(具) (gu).

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

In the Nordic population registers

38 people named Ku is counted in Sweden.

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

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 38

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

Ku in American newspapers,
1899.

Newspaper page from The Central Presbyterian carrying the name Ku
The Central Presbyterian 1899-08-09

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 3,678 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Ku in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

14,624 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Ku. The most, 2,981, date from the 1910s.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 4,559
Victoria 3,819
Queensland 3,245
South Australia 1,868
Tasmania 569
Western Australia 472
ACT (Canberra) 42
Northern Territory 9

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

In the public record

People named Ku,
in the records of 4 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 States112 records

112 records of the Ku name in the United States
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 56
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 49
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 5
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 1
  • Sacramento County historic burials 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record James M. Ku

    Born 1921 in Hawaii. Enlisted 1942; woodworker from Hawaii. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1966, buried at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record Isaac Alei Ku

    U.S. Navy veteran. Born 1935, died 1982; buried at Hoolehua Veterans Cemetery (Molokai), Kaunakakai, 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 Ong S. Ku

    Born 1894 in China. Registered as a foreign national in San Francisco, California, under the Alien Registration Act of 1940.

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

Showing 3 of 112 records for Ku 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. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). 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).

Canada4 records

4 records of the Ku name in Canada
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 2
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 1
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Hang Yuen Ku

    Buried in 1983 at Burnsland Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 58.

    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 Lai Ku

    Died 1936; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Lim Ku

    Died 1925; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

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

Showing 3 of 4 records for Ku in Canada.

Counts: 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. · 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).

Netherlands3 records

3 records of the Ku name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 2
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Pieter Jacobus Ku

    Died 1850 in Veenhuizen (Norg); born 1823 in 's-Gravenhage.

    Open Archives, Drents Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Ying Lien Ku

    In the population register of 's-Gravenhage; born 1903 in Tchekiang.

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

    In the population register of Winkel; born 1860 in Winkel.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Archief Alkmaar (CC BY 4.0)

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).

France2 records

2 records of the Ku 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 You Ku

    Born 1915 in Laos; died 1996 in Cholet (Maine-et-Loire).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Ku 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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Ku.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Ku 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.

See the Ku volume
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