Surname Dou - Meaning and Origin
all surnames with 'D'
Dou: What does the surname Dou mean?
The last name Dou is of Chinese origin and has been used as a surname for many centuries. According to the "Survey of Surnames in China" (by Wan Jiaxing and Meng Hua), the surname Dou is most commonly found in Fujian, Guangdong, and Zhejiang provinces. It is one of the most commonly seen surnames in China, ranking as the 34th most common.
The name Dou has a range of meanings and interpretations depending on which Chinese characters were used. Most common meanings include "filial piety" or "to support"; other interpretations would include "capacious" or "to have". While it's impossible to pinpoint a definitive source for the name, the character for Dou was often seen in classic Chinese literature as symbolising a spirit of devotion and covenant.
The surname was also given to those who claimed descent from Dou Yi, an official from the state of Sichuan in the fourth century BC. This belief is evidenced by the many memorials to Dou Yi that are found throughout China, such as the one erected by Tang Dynasty Emperor Xuanzong in 738 AD near the extending Fu River.
Today, the Dou surname is a widely spread name throughout China and Chinese-speaking communities around the world. Its multiple meanings make it a prestigious surname, symbolic of family loyalty, filial piety, and steadfastness.
Order DNA origin analysisDou: Where does the name Dou come from?
The last name Dou is most commonly found in East Asian countries such as China, Korea and Japan. Chinese-speaking areas also feature the name in places like Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
In China, the last name Dou is the 10th most-common last name, with an estimated 9 million people with the last name. In Korea, the last name Dou is a common Korean surname and appears to have originated during the Later Silla period spanning from the 9th to the 10th century.
The first recorded use of the last name was during the Song Dynasty in China, when a man by the name of Dou Jiande (竇建德) reigned as the leader of one of the earliest Chinese rebel forces in the northern region of the country.
In Russia, the last name Dou was carried by the Dou family of Siberian explorers, beginning with Cossack, Stephan P. Dou, who settled near Tomsk in the 17th century.
The name Dou has been adopted by people of a variety of ethnicities around the world, including those of Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Kazakhstan, Turkish, French, American and British descent.
Variations of the surname Dou
The surname Dou has several variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin.
The most common variant of the surname is spelled D'ou, which is a French variant and is also seen as D'Ou, D'où, DOU, Doù, and DOUX. This last variant is mainly found in France and parts of Canada and other French-influenced countries.
In Chinese Han characters, the surname is spelled 窦, though there are various levels of transliteration between the two languages depending on the rules and regulations of local forces.
A variant of the surname in East Asia is Dou, which is sometimes spelled as Tou, Toua, Tao or To. It is commonly found in places such as Taiwan, China, Singapore, Korea, and Japan.
The surname Dou is also seen spelled as Dow in Scotland and Ireland, though its origins are unknown.
Moreover, the surname Dou is also seen asDouglas, as in Douglas Douglas/Duglas from Scotland.
Variants of the surname Dou can be seen throughout Europe, Asia, and North America. Spelling may change, but the ancestor carrying the surname is in most cases the same.
Famous people with the name Dou
- Douglas MacArthur: renowned American General, WWII hero, and followed General Pershing in the Philippines.
- Angie Douglas: Filipino-American actress and singer.
- Jackie Dou: Chinese actress.
- Guo Dou: Chinese legendary scholar.
- William Dou: 16th-century French senator.
- George Dou: American soccer player.
- Mickey Dou: professional Overwatch player.
- Chen Dou: Chinese professional tennis player.
- Jan Dou: Dutch footballer.
- Terry Dou: former Greek basketball player.
- Mark Dou: American actor.
- Flora Dou: British painter.
- Yang Dou: classical Chinese poet.
- Frederic Dou: 18th-century Swiss-French composer.
- John Dou: British politician and peer.
- François-Xavier Dou: French diplomat.
- Alexander Dou: Greek shipping entrepreneur.
- Agota Dou: Hungarian fencer.
- Théodore Dou: French physicist.
- Boyd Dou: South African cricketer.