mok

Mok is a term used as both a surname and, less commonly, a given name in East Asian communities and among the global Chinese diaspora. In Cantonese-speaking areas, Mok is a common romanization of the Chinese surname 莫; in Mandarin, the same character is usually rendered as Mo. The name is found among people of Chinese heritage in Hong Kong, Macau, Guangdong, Singapore, Malaysia, and in Western countries with Chinese communities.

As a surname, Mok appears across a range of professions and communities, including arts, academia, politics, and sports, and it also appears in fictional works where characters bear the name. Because of differing transliteration systems, Mok can be encountered alongside related spellings such as Mo, Mu, or Mook, depending on language and regional conventions. Such variations reflect broader patterns of migration and multicultural contact rather than a single standardized form.

In some contexts, Mok may also be used as a given name or nickname, though it remains substantially more common as a surname. The usage and prominence of the name can vary by country, community, and historical period, influenced by migration, intermarriage, and changes in transliteration practices.

Overall, Mok represents a transliteration-based surname with Chinese roots that is widely distributed in East and Southeast Asia and among global Chinese communities, while also appearing in cultural and literary contexts as a personal name. See also discussions of related surnames and alternative spellings to understand regional variations in pronunciation and writing.