Surnames are important.
They connect us to our ancestors, define our family lineage, and sometimes even give hints of our occupation. So this list of Korean surnames makes an interesting read!
Korean surnames, like their Japanese counterparts, have their roots in the Chinese language. Although, these surnames are now written in Hangul or “the great script”.
Related: How Korean Names Work
I’ve always found the Korean naming structure interesting. In Korean cultures the surnames are often written first followed by the first name of the individual.
This is done to emphasize the importance of family, history, and our ancestors.
There are a lot of Korean surnames like Park, Lee, Cho, etc. which are monosyllabic. These are also some of the most famous Korean surnames out there.
But if you’re wondering what are some other common surnames, I’ve got this list of Korean surnames ready for you.
I’ve also listed out the meaning of these surnames. Some of these names have their roots in the Chinese language, while others family names of ancient dynasties and cities.
Table of Contents
List Of Korean Surnames
1. Ahn
Meaning – Tranquility
Hangul: 안
2. Bae
Meaning – A Pear. This surname is sometimes also spelled as “Bai”
Hangul: 배
3. Bak
Meaning – Gourd
Hangul – 박
4. Baek
Meaning – White Color
Hangul: 백
5. Bang
Meaning – Room
Hangul: 방
6. Byun
Meaning – Edge or Border. As it’s taken from the Chinese word “Bian” this surname can also mean someone who’s impatient or quick to excitement.
Hangul: 변
7. Cha
Meaning – Chariot
Hangul: 차
8. Chai
Meaning – Firewood
Hangul: 차이
9. Chang
Meaning – Prosperous
Hangul: 창
10. Chay
Meaning – Brushwood
Hangul: 어떤 것
11. Cheong
Meaning – Gentle, meek and quiet
Hangul: 청
12. Chew
Meaning – A common family name in the Zhu state. It was also used by emperors in the Ming Dynasty.
Hangul – 朱, 周
13. Chi
Meaning – Branch
Hangul: 치
14. Chin
Meaning – Ancient, Old
Hangul – 진
15. Cho
Meaning – A city in the Shanxi province
Hangul: 초
16. Choi
Meaning – Lofty, Tall Tower
Hangul: 최
17. Chong
Meaning – Bow Maker
Hangul – 종
18. Chu
Meaning – Red or referring to the Zhu dynasty
Hangul: 추
19. Chun
Meaning – Field
Hangul: 전
20. Do
Meaning – Road or path
Hangul – 도
21. Deung
Meaning – Back
Hangul – 등
22. Dae
Meaning – Greatness
Hangul – 대
23. Gang
Meaning – Ginger
Hangul: 강
24. Gim
Meaning – Gold
Hangul: 김
25. Goe
Meaning – High or Lofty
Hangul – 髙|高
26. Ha
Meaning – Summer
Hangul: 하아
27. Hahm
Meaning – West
Hangul: 흠
28. Han
Meaning – Leader
Hangul: 한
29. Heo
Meaning – Advocate
Hangul: 허
30. Ho
Meaning – Fierce and Brave
Hangul: 호
31. Hong
Meaning – Great
Hangul: 홍
32. Hwang
Meaning – Yellow
Hangul: 황
33. Hyun
Meaning – Mysterious
Hangul: 현
34. Im
Meaning – Forest
Hangul: 임
35. In
Meaning – Refers to India
Hangul: 에
36. Jang
Meaning – Archer
Hangul: 장
37. Jee
Meaning – Ambition, Will Power
Hangul: 지
38. Jeong
Meaning – The ancient state of Zheung
Hangul: 정
39. Jin
Meaning – Gold
Hangul: 진
40. Joh
Meaning – City in Shanxi province.
Hangul: 조
41. Ju
Meaning – Circumference or Encircle
Hangul: 주
42. Jue
Meaning – Cinnabar, Vermillion
Hangul: 추
43. Jun
Meaning – Handsome and Talented
Hangul: 전
44. Jung
Meaning – Also derived from Zheng city
Hangul: 정
45. Kang
Meaning – Ginger
Hangul: 넓은
46. Keng
Meaning – A different spelling of “Kang”
Hangul: 넓은
47. Ki
Meaning – Tree, Lumber
Hangul: 계
48. Kil
Meaning – Cool
Hangul: 길
49. Kim
Meaning – Gold
Hangul: 김
50. Ko
Meaning – Family name in the Ko dynasty
Hangul: 고
51. Kong
Meaning – Sky
Hangul: 공
52. Ku
Meaning – Tool, Utensil
Hangul: 구
53. Kuk
Meaning – Country
Hangul: 곡
54. Kwack
Meaning – The suburbs or outskirts of a country
Hangul: 곽
55. Kwan / Guan
Meaning – Border Pass
Hangul: 구
56. Kwock
Meaning – Another spelling for Kwack
Hangul: 곽
57. Kwon
Meaning – Power or Authority
Hangul: 권
58. Lee
Meaning – Plum
Hangul: 이
59. Lin
Meaning – Forest
Hangul: 인
60. Ma
Meaning – Horse
Hangul: 마
61. Maeng
Meaning – First month of a season
Hangul: 맹
62. Min
Meaning – Clever and Smart
Hangul: 민
63. Mok
Meaning – Curtain, Partition or Screen
Hangul: 목
64. Mong
Meaning – Ignorance or Suffering
Hangul:
65. Moon
Meaning – Culture, Literature
Hangul: 문
66. Mun
Meaning – Another spelling of the name “Moon”
Hangul: 문
67. Myung
Meaning – Brilliant
Hangul: 명
68. Na
Meaning – A state in the Zhou dynasty.
Hangul: 나
69. Nahm
Meaning – South
Hangul: 남
70. No
Meaning – Field, Wilderness
Hangul: 노
71. Oh
Meaning – Ancient state of Wu in the Jiangsu province.
Hangul: 어
72. Ok
Meaning – Oak Tree
Hangul: 옥
73. Pae
Meaning – Pear
Hangul: 패
73. Paek
Meaning – White Color
Hangul: 백
74. Pai
Meaning – Another spelling of the name “Pae”
Hangul: 배
75. Pak
Meaning – Plain.
Hangul: 박
76. Pan
Meaning – Rice Water
Hangul: 판
77. Park
Meaning – Simple
Hangul: 박
78. Pu
Meaning – Simple
Hangul: 부
79. Quon
Meaning – Another spelling for the name “Kwon”
Hangul: 권
80. Ra
Meaning – Good and Virtuous
Hangul: 라
81. Reeh
Meaning – Plum Tree
Hangul: 이
82. Rim
Meaning – Forest
Hangul: 림
83. Roh
Meaning – Musical Notes
Hangul: 로
84. Ryu / Yu
Meaning – Willow Tree
Hangul: 유
85. Sa
Meaning – A Family Name in the Kyongsang South Province’s Kochang County
Hangul: 사
86. Seo
Meaning – Calm, Graceful
Hangul: 瑞
87. Shin
Meaning – Based on the Shin Clans from the Chinese and Korean Peninsular regions.
Hangul: 신
88. Sim
Meaning – Sink
Hangul: 심
89. Sin
Meaning – An ancient state in the Xia dynasty
Hangul: 신
90. So
Meaning – A family name of emperors from the Cholla South province.
Hangul: 소
91. Son
Meaning – Mountain
Hangul: 손
92. Song
Meaning – Refers to the Song dynasty.
Hangul: 송
93. Suh
Meaning – A different version of the name “So”
Hangul: 서
94. Suk
Meaning – Stone
Hangul: 석
95. Sun
Meaning – Descendants
Hangul: 순
96. Sung
Meaning – Same as “Song”
Hangul: 성
97. Tak
Meaning – A scholar from the Koryo Kingdom
Hangul: 탁
98. Tan
Meaning – Display, Exhibition
Hangul: 탄
99. Tang
Meaning – Name of a ruler from the Tang Dynasty
Hangul: 당
100. To
Meaning – A Unit of Measure
Hangul: 에
101. Toh
Meaning – Stop, Prevent
Hangul: 도
102. Wang
Meaning – A King or Monarch
Hangul: 왕
103. Whang
Meaning – Yellow
Hangul: 황
104. Woo
Meaning – A state in Jiangsu Province
Hangul: 우
105. Yang
Meaning – Bridge
Hangul: 양
106. Ye
Meaning – Leaf
Hangul: 예
107. Yee
Meaning – Plum Tree
Hangul:
108. Yeon
Meaning – Beautiful and Poised
Hangul: 연
109. Yoon
Meaning – The Eldest
Hangul:
110. You
Meaning – Cause or Reason
Hangul: 윤
111. Yu
Meaning – In or At
Hangul: 유
112. Yun
Meaning – Governor
Hangul: 윤
113. Seok
Meaning – Stone, Tin
Hangul: 石
FAQs – Korean Surnames
Chinese Influenced Korean Surnames
Korea and Japan began adopting Chinese convention during the Tang Dynasty. This period of Chinese history, from 618 – 907 CE, is considered the epitome of ancient Chinese culture and civilization. The Koreans and Japanese, while they developed their own unique cultures and traditions, did adopt many elements of China. Korea lies very close to China, and as a result, the two nations have engaged in wars, cultural exchanges, and influences.
As such, many Korean names are heavily influenced by the Chinese language. For example, both Japan and Korea follow the Chinese convention of a “family name”, which is a name that is passed down through the generations, and a “given name”, which is a name given to the individual at birth.
Additionally, Japanese and Korean names are written in Chinese characters. The Chinese characters used for Korean and Japanese names are phonetically similar to their Chinese counterparts. For example, the Chinese character for the Korean name “Kim”, is the same as the Chinese characters for the Chinese name “Jin”.
Also, the Chinese system is a generational system and is based on the father’s family name. First, the son takes the father’s surname. If the son has a son, he and his wife share the same surname as the father. If his wife has no siblings and is of low birth, the couple will change their surname to the wife’s family name.
This pattern of sharing the same family name continued throughout generations. In general, Korean family names are the same as those in China. However, the higher the family’s socio-political status the shorter the names became.
Korean Surname Based on Region/Place of Origin
Korean surnames were adapted by the Chinese, who called Korea “Joseon”. However, Joseon is a kingdom that was founded in 1392, when the country became unified after the seperation of the Three Kingdoms.
Koreans didn’t use Chinese characters to name themselves until the very late 19th century, and because Joseon was an independent state, its people didn’t want to use Chinese characters. So, the Koreans were forced to use their actual geography and surroundings as surnames.
This is why so many Korean surnames end in “-ng”, “-dong”, “-buk”, “-gun”, “-myeon”, “-myeong”, and “-ri”. -ng, -dong, -buk, and -ri are the most popular endings for surnames. -ng is the equivalent of “-town”, so surnames like Gang, Chung, Park, etc all mean “town.” -Myeong, -Myeon, and -Myeong are all the same, with “-myeong” being the most popular. And finally, “-dong” is used to describe a town or city.
You also have -gun, which means “county”, which is like a district. -gun is almost always used with a city name. Examples: -Buk means “north castle”, so the most famous Kim is Kim Gu, who is the first leader of the Koguryo dynasty. And the most popular Kim
What is the rarest Korean surname?
While a majority of South Koreans have either one among the three common surnames, there are other Korean surnames that are rare.
I’ve listed out some of the rarest Korean surnames below.
These are either derived from Chinese transliteration of other surnames, traditional surnames that were used in medieval times, and cities and areas of a person’s residence.
- Janggok (장곡)
- Kangjeon 岡田 (강전)
- Gok 曲 (곡)
- Gae 介 (개)
- Mae 梅 (매)
- Kwog 鴌 (궉)
- Hak (학)
- Eogeum (어금)
- Tan 彈 (탄)
- Jeup 汁 (즙)
- Sobong (소봉)
- Jeo (저)
- Chun 椿 (춘)
- Ya 夜 (야)
- Sam (삼)
What are the most popular Korean last names?
The most popular Korean surnames are Park, Kim, Lee, and Choi. According to a survey conducted by the National Statistical Office of Korea in 2015, 21.5% of Koreans have the last name Kim, 14.7% go by Lee, and 8.4% have the surname Park.
The National Statistical Office also gives us the following information.
In Korea, there are about 10.6 million people called Kim, 7.3 million people called Lee, 4.1 million Parks, and 2.333 million Chois.
So you see, these surnames make up more than half of the South Korean population. Fascinating, isn’t it?
How many surnames are there in Korea?
In 2000, the government of South Korea did a housing census and found that there were at least 286 surnames. The same census also reported that there were around 4,179 clans.
Can someone with the same surname get married in Korea?
For a long time Korean society did not allow men and women who had the same surnames to get married.
If you have the same surname, you’re considered to belong to the same ancestral home or dongseong dongbon. Marrying into the same ancestral home was considered incest by ancient Koreans.
This rule was also enacted legally by Article 809 of the Korean Civil Code in 1957. So you were legally prohibited from marrying a person with the same surname as you.
Probably this rule made sense in the 14th and 15th centuries when clans were small and there wasn’t much intermingling. So these measures were necessary to prevent inbreeding.
However, in the modern world, these traditions seem too strict. Almost half the population in South Korea is either Park, Lee, or Kim. So Article 890 can become impossible to implement.
Thankfully, the Government of Korea recognized this issue and ruled this prohibition unconstitutional on the 16th of July 1997.
The above alphabetical list of Korean surnames and their meanings is a helpful guide when it comes to understanding the Korean naming structure and their culture in general.
Despite the divisive political history, these surnames are common in both North and South Korea.
There has been a lot of interest in Korean names lately with fans of K-dramas and K-pop stars google their names to find out their meanings.
I hoped this guide was helpful and bought you a step closer to understanding how Korean surnames work.
Also Read:
List of Korean Traditions
How Korean Age Works
