Yau (surname)

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.

In the Hausa language and Northern Nigeria, Niger and Ghana culture, the name "Yau" or its variant forms "Ya'u" and Arma Ya'u is a common male name and surname and it is a derivative of the Arabic name Zakariya the father of John the Baptist (Yahya), often used as a shortened form. It's a popular name among the Hausa people and other communities in Northern Nigeria, often used as a first name for boys. The name is pronounced as "YAH-oo".

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).