The Seo surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 7,033 people carried this name — #4,998 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 42,000 people counted. That is up 79% from 3,929 in 2000.
Where the name comes from
The origin of the Seo surname
From Korean 서(徐) (Seo).
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Seo» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 75 people named Seo live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in City of Buenos Aires.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 20 people named Seo.
7 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 4 départements, most often Paris.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
20 people named Seo live in Switzerland.
They live in 3 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
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
48 people named Seo is counted in Sweden.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.
Counted, by country
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
Seo in American newspapers,
1904–1913.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 381 pages in all carry the name.
In print
Seo in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1980s.
7,973 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Seo. The most, 2,864, date from the 1900s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 2.1 times its expected share.
Articles, by state
Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Seo.
Who carried it
People named Seo,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Seo Yugu 1764–1845 · civilian official -
Soh Kwang-pom 1859–1897 · politician -
Soh Jaipil 1864–1951 · physician -
Seo Wal-bo 1897–1926 · fighter pilot -
Seo Jeong-ju 1915–2000 · writer
Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 166 lives in all are documented under this name.
In the public record
People named Seo,
in the records of 5 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 States44 records
- U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 27
- U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 9
- U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 4
- Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 3
- New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 1
-
Example: passenger manifest, 1903 Passenger record Francesco SeoArrived at New York in 1912 aboard the Cincinnati from Genoa and Naples, aged 43; country man. From Fisa, Italy.
U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) -
Example: U.S. registration card, 1942 Military record Ev /Ames O. SeoBorn 1910 in Massachusetts. Enlisted 1942 at Belmont; longshoreman from Middlesex County.
U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) -
Example: U.S. burial record, 1864 Burial record In Pom SeoU.S. Army veteran of the Gulf War. Born 1964, died 1998; buried at Tahoma National Cemetery, Washington.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
Showing 3 of 44 records for Seo 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) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).
France5 records
-
Example: French death register, 1930 Death record Louise Marie Josephine SeoBorn 1917 in Leuhan; died 1992 in Leuhan (Finistère).
Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte) -
Example: French death register, 1930 Death record Eun Hee SeoBorn 1963 in Ick San Kun (Corée); died 1993 in Garches (Hauts-de-Seine).
Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte) -
Example: French death register, 1930 Death record Martine Nocette SeoBorn 1947 in Paris; died 1976 in Saint-Quentin (Aisne).
Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
Showing 3 of 5 records for Seo 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).
Canada2 records
-
Example: Canadian cemetery Burial record Albert Jaeman SeoDied 1996; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.
City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
Showing 1 of 2 records for Seo in Canada.
Counts: City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).
Australia2 records
- Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1
- Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 1
-
Example: probate petition, 1848 Probate record Yong Seok SeoMachinist of Heidelberg Hghts, Victoria; died 1988.
Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
Showing 1 of 2 records for Seo 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).
Netherlands1 record
-
Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record Adriaan SeoBuried in 1807 in Rucphen.
Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)
Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Seo.
When the index is not enough
This page says where Seo 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.