Surname Overview
A Rare Surname
Ou, written 瓯 in simplified Chinese and 甌 in traditional Chinese, is pronounced ōu. Its latest ranking is 2,268, with fewer than 1,000 people.
Ou Surname
Surname profileOu / Ou
Origins
Surname from Dong'ou
One account traces the surname to Yao, King of Eastern Yue and a descendant of King Wुjiang of Yue, who guarded Dong'ou; his descendants then adopted Ou as their surname. The old city of Dong'ou lay thirty li southwest of present-day Yongjia, Zhejiang.
Reference: 《瓯 》姓氏_排名_起源_百家姓 - JSON中文网
Descent from King Wुjiang
Another account holds that the Ou lineage descended from King Wुjiang of Yue and belonged to the Si ancestral line.
Historical Records
Historical Attestation
The surname is included in the clan treatise of Zheng Tongzhi as rare. Zheng Qiao identified its bearers as descendants of the King of Dong'ou; Shiji records that Yao was made King of Donghai, established his capital at Dong'ou, and became known as the King of Dong'ou.
Commanderies and Clan Halls
Commandery Associations
The Ou surname's commandery associations are Dongyue and Pingyang.
Notable People
Ou Geng of the Ming Dynasty
Ou Geng, a native of Guixi during the Ming dynasty, served as deputy magistrate of Xinghua County in the Jiajing era.
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