Kou
Kòu (寇) is a Chinese surname. It originates as a title denoting status as a police officer, and is a shortened for of Sikou (司寇). A 2013 study found it was the 240th most common surname, shared by 380,000 people or 0.029% of the population, with the province with the most people being Henan.
- Hmong
- Japanese
Meaning & Origin of Kou
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Kòu (寇) is a Chinese surname. It originates as a title denoting status as a police officer, and is a shortened for of Sikou (司寇). A 2013 study found it was the 240th most common surname, shared by 380,000 people or 0.029% of the population, with the province with the most people being Henan.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Hmong
- Japanese
The Story of Kou
American parents first put Kou on the record books as a baby boy name in 1979, with 6 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1992, when 48 Kous were born — ranking #1,750 that year. About 47% of every Kou on record arrived during the 1980s, its defining decade. Kou last appeared in the published SSA data in 2017, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 691 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1970s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Kou
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Kou. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Kō
Names that sound like Kou
Phonetically similar names — useful when Kou is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Kou
What does the name Kou mean?
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How popular is Kou in 2026?
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Is Kou a unisex name?
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About the name Kou
Kou is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1979 and has accumulated 691 births in the dataset. Kou's peak popularity came in 1992 when it ranked #1,750. Use the chart and map above to compare Kou's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1992 →
- Names of the 1990s →
- Names starting with "K" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.