Yau is a surname. It is a romanisation of multiple surnames in Cantonese speaking regions (including Hong Kong) based on different varieties of Chinese, as well as a surname in other cultures.

Among respondents to the 2000 United States Census, Yau was the 394th-most common surname among Asian Pacific Americans, and 10,881th-most common overall, with 2,686 bearers (93.9% of whom identified as Asian/Pacific Islander).[1]

Cantonese romanisation of 丘

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  • Shing-Tung Yau (丘成桐; born 1949), Chinese-born American mathematician
  • Stephen Shing-Toung Yau (丘成栋; born 1952), Hong Kong-born American mathematician, brother of Shing-Tung Yau
  • Algernon Yau (丘應樺; born 1959), Hong Kong businessperson and polictican
  • Alan Yau (丘德威; born 1962), Hong Kong-born British restaurateur
  • Yau Kin Wai (丘健威; born 1973), Hong Kong football defender

Cantonese romanisation of 邱

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  • Yau Leung (邱良; 1941–1997), Hong Kong street photographer
  • Yau Lop Poon (邱立本; born 1950), Hong Kong journalist
  • Edward Yau (邱騰華; born 1960), Hong Kong government official
  • Herman Yau (邱禮濤; born 1961), Hong Kong film director
  • Chingmy Yau (邱淑貞; born 1968), Hong Kong actress
  • Benny Yau (邱穟恆; born 1980), Hong Kong-born Canadian television presenter
  • Yung Yau (邱勇), Hong Kong housing studies professor
  • Stanley Yau (邱士縉), member of Hong Kong boy band Mirror
  • Tiger Yau (邱傲然), member of Hong Kong boy band Mirror

Cantonese romanisation of 尤

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  • Yau Lit (尢列; 1864–1936), Chinese revolutionary
  • Carrie Yau (尤曾家麗; born 1955), Hong Kong government official

Cantonese romanisation of 游

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  • King-Wai Yau (游景威; born 1948), Chinese-born American neuroscientist
  • Patrick Yau (游達志; born 1964), Hong Kong film director
  • Yau Nai-hoi (游乃海; born 1968), Hong Kong screenwriter
  • Yau Kam Leung (游錦良; born 1985), Hong Kong football defender
  • Neo Yau (游學修; born 1990), Hong Kong actor
  • Yau Wai-ching (游蕙禎; born 1991), Hong Kong politician

Mandarin romanisation of 姚

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Yau is the spelling in Gwoyeu Romatzyh (a less common-system of transcribing Mandarin Chinese) of the surname spelled Yào in the more widespread pinyin system.

  • Horng-Tzer Yau (姚鴻澤; born 1959), Taiwanese-born American mathematician
  • John Yau (born 1950), American poet of Chinese descent

Other

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People with a non-Chinese surname Yau, or whose names as written in Chinese characters are not available:

References

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  1. ^ "Most common last names for Asians and Pacific Islanders in the U.S." Mongabay. Retrieved 8 January 2018.