Yoo — also spelled Ryu or Yu or You or Ryoo — is the English transcription of several Korean surnames written as 유 or 류 in Hangul. Some of the family names written as Yoo are derived from the Chinese surnames 劉 or 柳 (Liu) and 兪 (Yu). As of 2000, roughly a million people are surnamed Yoo in South Korea, making up approximately 2% of the population. Of those, the most common is Ryu (Hanja:柳, Hangul:류), with more than six hundred thousand holders, whereas Yu (Hanja:兪, Hangul:유) accounts for about one hundred thousand.
The family name Yoo can be represented by any of the four Hanja: 柳(류), 劉, 兪 and 庾, each with a different meaning. In Korean, only the character 柳 specifically refers to 류 (Ryu) or 유 (Yoo), whereas the characters 劉, 兪 and 庾 refers to 유 (Yu) and is spelled as such; because of its First Initial Sound Rule (두음 법칙).
Surname: Hanja: 劉 / 刘, Hangul:유,류 Pinyin: Liú. A very common surname, as it was used by the ruling family of the Han Dynasty.
Notable 柳 (Ryu) clans include the Munhwa Ryoo and the Pungsan Ryoo.
According to Chinese legend, Yoo is an ancient Chinese surname. The ancestors of the surname were closely linked with the ancient sage-king named Yu Shun. In Korea, the Yoo lineage traces to the Xia, Han, and Joseon dynasties. Holders of the surname Yu or Yoo had a reputation for charity and diligence. Some sources indicate the existence of as many as 230 clans, but only about twenty have been be positively documented, several of Chinese origin.
The largest Ryu clan, the Munhwa Ryu, was founded by a man named Ch’a Tal. Ch’a’s fifth great-grandfather had been involved in an attempt to overthrow the Silla king. To avoid prosecution, the ancestor fled to Munhwa and changed his surname, first to that of his maternal grandmother, Yang, and then to Ryoo. Many years later, Ch’a Tal assisted Wang Kŏn to establish the Koryŏ Kingdom. Ch’a was recognized for his support and was rewarded accordingly. However, the historic claims that the Ch'a clans are derived from the same progenitor as Ryu Ch'a-dal have been disproven. The Munhwa Ryoo clan, along with the Andong Kwŏn clan, possess one of Korea's oldest clan genealogies. Only the character 柳 is commonly pronounced Ryu or Ryoo (류). (See Munhwa Ryoo) The surname "Ryoo" comes from the character meaning willow tree. Hence, the lineage is also sometimes called "willow Ryoo" (버들 류씨).
Ryoo Cha-dal
Yoo Chang, founder of the "Myogeumdo" (劉) Yoos (sometimes known as the "Gangneung Yoo clan"), who was among the founders of the Joseon Dynasty.
Yu Deuk-gong
Yu Eung-bu, one of the Six martyred ministers during the Joseon Dynasty.
Ryu Gwan-sun
Yu Hyeong-won
Yu Kil-chun, of the Gigye Yoo clan originally from Pohang
Yu Seong-won, one of the Six martyred ministers during the Joseon Dynasty.
Yu Seong-ryong
Yu Su-won, politician and Neo-Confucianism scholar and the early Silhak school philosopher of the Joseon Dynasty.
Il-han New
Yoo Ah-in (stage name), an actor
Yu Anjin, Korean poet
Yoo Ara, an actress and singer, former leader of Hello Venus
Yoo Chae-yeong (stage name), an actress and singer
Yoo Chang-hyun (better known as Ricky), a member of Teen Top
Yoo Dong-geun, an actor
Yoo Hae-jin, an actor
Yoo Ho-jeong, an actress
Yoo Hyun-young (better known as Hyun Young), an actress
Yoo In-na, an actress
Yoo In-young, an actress
Yoo Jae-ha, South Korean singer-songwriter
Yoo Jae-suk, a TV presenter, Host of Running Man and Host-in-chief of Infinite Challenge
Yoo Jeong-yeon (better known as Jeong-yeon), a singer and Twice (band) member
Yoo Ji-ae (better known as Jiae), a singer, a member of Lovelyz
Yoo Ji-tae, an actor and director
Yoo Jun-sang, an actor
Yoo Kihyun, South Korean singer, member of Monsta X (몬스타엑스)
Yoo Sang-Chul, a soccer player
Yoo Seung-ho, an actor
Yoo Seung-yeon (better known as Gong Seung-yeon), an actress
Yoo Si-ah (better known as YooA), a member of girl group Oh My Girl
Yoo Soo-Young (also known as "Shoo"), a singer and actress
Yoo So-young (stage name), an actress and former After School member
Yu Yeon-jung, member of South Korean girl groups I.O.I and Cosmic Girls
Yoo Yeon-seok (stage name), an actor
Yoo Yeon-soo (better known as Ha Yeon-soo), an actress
Yoo Yong-sung, a badminton player
Yoo Young-ho, sculptor
Yoo Young-jae, a member of South Korean band B.A.P
Yoo Young-jin, a songwriter
You Hee-yeol, a singer-songwriter
Yu In-chon, an actor and politician
Ryoo Ryong, a scientist
Ryoo Seung-bum, an actor
Ryoo Seung-wan, a director
Ryu Deok-hwan, an actor
Ryu Hwayoung, an actress and former member of T-ARA
Ryu Hyoyoung, an actress and former member of F-ve Dolls
Ryu Hye-young, an actress
Hyun-Jin Ryu, South Korean baseball player
Ryu Hyun-kyung, an actress
Ryu Jun-yeol, an actor
Ryu Sera, a singer, former member of Nine Muses
Ryu Seung-Min, a professional table tennis player
Ryu Seung-ryong, an actor
Ryu Seung-soo, an actor and writer
Ryu Seung-Woo, a soccer player
Ryu Shikun, a professional Go player
Ryu Si-won, an actor and singer
Ryu So-yeon, a professional golfer
Ryu Soo-young (stage name), an actor
Ryu Su-jeong (better known as Sujeong), a singer, a member of Lovelyz
Ryu Jin (stage name), an actor
Rhyu Si-min, a politician, 2007 presidential candidate of the UNDP Primary
Jae Kuk Ryu, a professional baseball pitcher for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Aaron Yoo, a Korean-American actor
Barom "Rome" Yu, Korean-Australian member of South Korean band C-Clown
Christopher Yoo, a professor of Law, Communication, and Computer and Information Science at the University of Pennsylvania Law School
John Yoo, a professor of law at the University of California, Berkeley, best known for his work from 2001 to 2003 in the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel
Yoo Gun Hyung, a songwriter who co-wrote "Gangnam Style"
