Chinese surname

Surname Yew

尤 · 姚

Yew is a Chinese surname that can stand for 尤 (You) in Hokkien and Teochew spelling, or 姚 (Yao) in Cantonese spelling.

Characters for the surname Yew

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

尤

outstanding, special; especially; surname

Hokkien iû / Teochew iu5 / Mandarin yóu

attested
姚

handsome; elegant; surname

Cantonese jiu4 / Mandarin yáo

attested

尤 all spellings of yóu 姚 all spellings of yáo

Possible characters for Yew

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

Character	Mandarin reading · romanization of the spelling
尤	yóu · Hokkien · Teochew
姚	yáo · Cantonese

Other spellings of the same character

Yeo 姚Hokkien, Teochew
Yeow 姚Cantonese, Hakka, Hokkien
Yiu 姚Cantonese

About the surname Yew

Yew spells two different surnames. For 尤 (Mandarin You) it comes from the Hokkien reading iû and Teochew iu5. For 姚 (Mandarin Yao) it follows the Cantonese reading jiu4, also spelled Yeow. Both characters are recorded for Malaysians with this spelling, so which one is meant depends on the family.

Sources

Wiktionary: 尤 · en.wiktionary.org · meaning
Wiktionary: 姚 · 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: mn00823 · Updated 2026-10-25 · Report a mistake