Tieu as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Tieu

What is the meaning of the name Tieu ?

The baby name Tieu is a Unisex name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /tiəw/ — approx. "TEE-ow" or "tyew" (Vietnamese "Tiêu").

Tieu is Vietnamese in Origin.

Tieu is the diacritic-free Vietnamese form of Tiêu. In Vietnamese onomastics, it is most often a surname - the Sino-Vietnamese reading of the Chinese character 蕭 (Mandarin Xiao) - carried into Vietnam through centuries of Southern Chinese migration and trade, and common among Hoa communities. It also appears as a modern given or middle name, especially in the diaspora where accents are dropped.

Meanings vary by source. As a surname from 蕭, it denotes a toponymic clan name and evokes the herb mugwort and the poetic sense “rustling, autumnal.” As a Vietnamese common noun, tiêu means “pepper,” lending a brisk, spirited image when chosen for a given name; by tone, a different tiêu means “to fade/vanish,” so families usually intend the spice. Variants and related forms include Tiêu, Xiao, Siu, Siew, Seow, Siao, Siaw, and Sio. Often confused is Tiểu (“little”), also romanized Tieu in diaspora.