| Mo | |
|---|---|
| Family name | |
| Region of origin | China |
|
The Chinese family name Mo (莫) is pronounced in Mandarin as "Mò" (4th tone), in Cantonese as "Mok6" (6th tone), in Hmong as "Moua", "Mua", or "Muas"and in Vietnamese as "Mạc". 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.
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'.