# Du (surname)

Du (Chinese: 杜; pinyin: Dù; Wade–Giles: Tu$^4$) is a Chinese surname. The name is spelled Tu in Taiwan. In Hong Kong it is spelled as To and in Macao as Tou, based on the pronunciation of 杜 in Cantonese. In Singapore and Malaysia, it is spelled as Toh, based on the pronunciation of 杜 in Hokkien. The Vietnamese equivalent of the surname is Đỗ. However, when diacritics are dropped, it can also be from the Vietnamese surnames Dư 余 or Dũ 俞 (for both, the Chinese equivalent is Yu). It is the 129th surname in Hundred Family Surnames and is the 42nd most common surname in Mainland China as of 2020.

## Origin and Branches of Du (杜)

The ancestors of the Du family are known as the Tangdu. The Tangdu resided southeast of Xi'an in Shaanxi province. The Fan (范) and Du clans share a common ancestor. Some members of the Du (杜) family are the Tuoba (拓跋) family of Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei. "Dugu" is the surname of Xianbei.

## Meanings of Du (杜)

* The Chinese name of Pyrus betulifolia, a deciduous tree of the genus pear in the rosaceae.
* A verb: to stop; to prevent; to restrict

## People with this name
### Du

* Du Fu (杜甫) (712–770), Tang dynasty poet, considered one of China's greatest
* Du Yu (杜預) (222–285), Jin dynasty classicist, wrote an influential commentary to the Zuozhuan
* Du Shi (杜詩) (d. 85), Han Dynasty mechanical engineer, credited with the invention of the water-powered blast furnace
* Du Ji (杜畿) (d. 224), Cao Wei official, grandfather of Du Yu
* Du Mu (杜牧) (803–852), Tang dynasty poet
* Lady Du Qiu (杜秋娘) (fl. 807–831), Tang dynasty poet
* Du Ruhui (杜如晦) (585–630), Tang dynasty chancellor
* Du Yan (杜淹) (d. 628), Tang dynasty chancellor, uncle of Du Ruhui
* Du Fuwei (杜伏威) (d. 624), Sui dynasty military leader
* Du Shenquan (杜审权) (d. 870), former Jiedushi during the late Tang Dynasty
* Du Rangneng (杜讓能) (841–893), late Tang dynasty military leader
* Du Jin (杜堇) (ca. 1465–1509), Ming dynasty painter
* Du Hong (杜洪) (d. 905), late Tang dynasty warlord
* Du Wei (杜伟) (1968–2020), Chinese diplomat
* Soon Ja Du, Korean-American shopkeeper convicted in the killing of Latasha Harlins
* Junping Du (杜军平), Chinese computer scientist

### Duh, Taw, To, Toh, Tu

* Woody Duh (杜紫軍), Vice Premier of the Republic of China (2016)
* Taw Sein Ko (杜成誥/杜成浩), Burma's first archaeologist
* Alex To (杜德偉/杜德伟), a singer from Hong Kong
* Johnnie To (杜琪峯/杜琪峰), a film director from Hong Kong
* Chapman To, an actor from Hong Kong
* Tu Cheng-sheng, Taiwanese politician
* Loring W. Tu, Taiwanese-American mathematician
* Toh Chin Chye, (杜进才; 1921–2012), a prominent first generation political leader in Singapore
* Toh Aik Choon (杜亿春; 1927–1990), Singaporean shipbuilding industry businessman
* Sylvia Toh (杜白秋; born 1946/1947), Singaporean newspaper columnist
* Toh Wei Soong (杜维崧; born 1998), Singaporean swimmer
* Toh Ee Wei (杜依蔚; born 2000), Malaysian badminton player

## 都

It was found to be the 330th most common surname, shared by 140,060 people or 0.011% of the population, with the province with the most being Shandong.
* Du Mu (Ming dynasty), (Chinese: 都穆; 1459–1525) was a Chinese poet, scholar and art critic from Suzhou
* Ray Du English (Chinese: 阿滴英文) is a Taiwanese educational YouTube channel hosted by 2 siblings, one of whom is internet personality Ray Du (都省瑞)