Names / Ko
Is Ko a first name or a last name?
Ko is both: a family name in some places and a given name in others. It is mostly a family name in South Korea; mostly a given name in the Netherlands.
How to address someone called Ko
- South Korea. Ko is a family name and is usually written first. Write Dear Mr. Ko or Dear Ms. Ko, or use the full name if you cannot tell which title fits.
- Japan. Ko is used both ways: 24% of people from Japan with this name in our data carry it as a family name. Look at where it sits in the name and how the person signs.
- Netherlands. Ko is a given name. Hi Ko on first-name terms; formally, Mr. or Ms. goes with the family name, not with Ko.
Not sure which part of a full name is which? Check the full name with the country where the person is based.
Ko by country
People recorded in Wikidata who carry Ko as a family name or as a given name, by country of citizenship (547 in total).
| Country | As family name | As given name | Family name share |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 361 | 0 | 100% |
| Japan | 26 | 83 | 24% |
| Netherlands | 1 | 36 | 3% |
| North Korea | 12 | 0 | 100% |
| United States | 9 | 0 | 100% |
| China | 5 | 1 | 83% |
| Canada | 4 | 0 | 100% |
| Hungary | 3 | 0 | 100% |
Wikidata covers notable people, so counts show how the name is used, not how many people carry it.
Ko in the United States
- As a surname: about 13,312 people in the 2010 census, rank 2,708 among US surnames.
Ko as a given name: men or women?
About 15% of people with Ko as a given name in Wikidata are women. This describes the name, not any one person: it is not a safe basis for Mr. or Ms., and the full name without a title is always polite.
More on this naming tradition: How Korean names work.
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