The Chinese family name Mo (莫) is pronounced in Mandarin as "Mò" (4th tone), in Cantonese as "Mok6" (6th tone), and in Hmong as "Moua", "Mua", or "Muas". The surname is often romanized as Mok where Cantonese speakers are prominent. According to a study of Mu Ying's Name record, the surname came to be when descendants of the antediluvian ruler Zhuanxu abbreviated the name of his city, Moyangcheng (莫陽城; in modern day Pingxiang County, Hebei) and took it as their surname.
| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Region of origin | China |
As Chinese family names go, Mo is relatively rare, ranked 168th in the Hundred Family Surnames. In 2004, there were an estimated 73,000 people with the surname of Mo abroad and 15,400,000 Mo's in China.
When not used as a surname, 'Mo' (莫) means 'do not'.
Famous people surnamed 莫
Artists
- Karen Mok (莫文蔚), Actress and Singer, Hong Kong
- Max Mok Siu-Chung (莫少聰), Hong Kong Actor
- Hoyan Mok (莫可欣), Winner of Miss Hong Kong Pageant (1993)
Business
- Charles Mok (莫乃光), early Internet entrepreneur and ICT advocate in Hong Kong
- Andres A. Mok, Internet entrepreneur and co-founder of Cribs4students.com
Production
- Ken Mok, Executive Producer of ANTM
- May Mok (莫美華), Sound (editor, mixer, designer, effects editor) and adr recordist
- Mok TzeMing, New Zealand Writers
Politics
- Mạc Đăng Dung (莫登庸), the founder of the Mac Dynasty, Vietnam
- Mo Xuanqing (莫宣卿), the youngest Number One Scholar (in the imperial examination) in Chinese history
- Mo Yueding (莫月鼎), Shenxiao Taoist Sect, in Song Dynasty and Yuan Dynasty
- Mo Teh-hui (莫德惠), Minister of Agricultural and Business (Republic of China)
- Ta Mok, Khmer Rouge South-Western Zone commander
Sports
- Mo Huilan (莫慧兰), Chinese gymnast Silver Medal, 1996 Olympic Games (Atlanta)
See also
References
- Citation: Mok, Norman (2004). "History of the Mok Surname" (http://www2.normie.org:81/chineseroots/Mok/MokHistory.php). Retrieved Apr. 6, 2006.