Chinese surname

Surname Low

劉 · 羅

Low is a Chinese surname that can stand for 劉/刘 (Liu) in Hokkien and Teochew spelling, or for 羅 (Luo).

Characters for the surname Low

The spelling Low is common in Hokkien, Teochew and Cantonese romanization.

刘

surname; the ancient state of Liu (old senses such as battle-axe are obsolete)

Hokkien lâu / Teochew lao5 / Mandarin liú

attested
劉

surname; the ancient state of Liu (old senses such as battle-axe are obsolete)

Hokkien lâu / Teochew lao5 / Mandarin liú
羅

net for catching birds; gauze; surname

Hokkien lô / Teochew lo5 / Cantonese lo4 / Mandarin luó

attested

劉 all spellings of liú 羅 all spellings of luó

Possible characters for Low

The spelling Low can stand for 2 characters. The spelling alone does not show which one a family uses.

Character	Mandarin reading · romanization of the spelling
劉	liú · Hokkien · Teochew
羅	luó · Hokkien · Cantonese

Other spellings of the same character

Lau 劉Cantonese, Hokkien
Law 羅Cantonese
Lo 羅Cantonese, Hakka
Loh 羅Hokkien, Cantonese, Hakka

About the surname Low

Low spells two different surnames. For 劉 (simplified 刘, Mandarin Liu) it comes from the Hokkien reading lâu and Teochew lao5. For 羅 (Mandarin Luo) it follows the reading lô in Hokkien and Teochew, or lo4 in Cantonese. Both characters are recorded for Malaysians with this spelling, so which one is meant depends on the family.

Sources

Wiktionary: 刘 · en.wiktionary.org · meaning
Wiktionary: 劉 · en.wiktionary.org · meaning
Wiktionary: 羅 · en.wiktionary.org · meaning

Names are shared across communities. The categories on this site are for browsing only: they describe a name and its spelling, not anyone’s ethnicity, religion or background.

Entry ID: mn00703 · Updated 2026-10-26 · Report a mistake