135+ Common & Rare Korean Last Names (with Meanings)

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Plus, discover the history behind popular Korean surnames
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There’s a popular joke that if you throw a stone off a hill in Seoul, you are most likely to hit a Kim, Park, or Lee. That’s because those 3 surnames make up almost half of the entire Korean population! However, there are plenty of other Korean surnames with culturally-rich meanings and history, which is why we’re providing the ultimate list of Korean surnames below. We’ll also explain what each surname means, plus the history of Korean surnames and naming traditions.

Common Korean Last Names

  • Kim/Gim (김) - Means “gold.”
  • Lee/Yi (이) - Means “plum” or “plum tree.”
  • Park (박) - Means “gourd.”
  • Jung/Jeong (정) - Means “young.”
  • Choi (최) - Means “mountain,” “pinnacle,” or “top.”
  • Cho/Jo (조) - Means “second,” “beginning,” or “candle.”
  • Kang (강) - Means “river.”
Section 1 of 5:

Most Common Korean Surnames

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  1. Kim, Lee, and Park are the most common Korean surnames. In fact, those 3 surnames make up over 44% of the Korean population today! The following list contains the top 10 Korean surnames, based on the 2015 KOSIS census, along with their Hangul character and meaning: [1]
    • Kim/Gim (김) - Means “gold.” More than 21.5% of the Korean population has this surname.
    • Lee/Yi (이) - Means “plum” or “plum tree.” About 14.7% of the population has this surname.
    • Park (박) - Means “gourd.” About 8.4% of the population has this surname.
    • Jung/Jeong (정) - Means “young.” About 4.8% of the population has this surname.
    • Choi (최) - Means “mountain,” “pinnacle,” or “top.” About 4.7% of the population has this surname.
    • Cho/Jo (조) - Means “second,” “beginning,” or “candle.” About 2.9% of the population has this surname.
    • Kang (강) - Means “river.” About 2.6% of the population has this surname.
    • Yun/Yoon (윤) - Means “governor.” About 2.1% of the population has this surname.
    • Jang (장) - Means “archer.” About 2.1% of the population has this surname.
    • Im/Lim (임) - Means “forest,” “woods,” or “trees.” About 2% of the population has this surname.
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Section 2 of 5:

Rare Korean Surnames

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  1. Noe, Mangjeol, and Gae are some of the rarest Korean surnames. The following surnames are either shared by few people in Korea, or come from historical texts and are no longer used today. Here are the rarest and most unique Korean surnames recorded in history: [2]
    • Ban/Pan (반) - Means “plate,” “board,” or “edition.”
    • Bin (빈) - Means “refined” or “cultivated.”
    • Bok (복) - Means “blessing” or “fortune.”
    • Bong (봉) - Means “yellow” or “phoenix.”
    • Bu (부) - Means “part,” “wealth,” or “fortune.”
    • Chon (촌) - Means “complete” or “perfect.”
    • Chong/Jong (종) - Means “bell,” “species,” or “end.”
    • Dae (대) - Means “big.”
    • Dam (담) - Means “to talk.”
    • Dan (단) - Means “section,” “piece,” or “division.”
    • Dang (당) - Means “party” or “faction.”
    • Don (돈) - Means “pause,” “stop,” “bow,” or “arrange.”
    • Dong (동) - Means “east.”
    • Dongbang (동방) - Means “east square.”
    • Du/Doo/Tu (두) - Means “stop,” “prevent,” or “restrict.”
    • Eo Geum (어금) - Depending on the hanja (Chinese characters) used to write it, Eo can mean “five” or “large.” Geum means “gold” or “crack.”
    • Eum (음) - Means “sound” or “tone.”
    • Eun (은) - Means “silver.”
    • Ga (가) - Means “house” or “home.”
    • Gae (개) - Means “love” or “affection.”
    • Gal/Kal (갈) - Means “ground.”
    • Gan/Kan (간) - Means “simple” or “brief.”
    • Gang Jeon (강전) - Depending on the hanja, Gang can mean “strong” or “firm.” Jeon can mean “field,” “area,” or “money.”
    • Geum (금) - Means “gold.”
    • Geun/Keun (근) - Means “axe.”
    • Geun (근) - Means “tendon” or “sinew.”
    • Gok (곡) - Means “extreme,” “over,” or “end.”
    • Goong/Gung (궁) - Means “bow,” “curved,” or “arched.”
    • Guk/Kuk (국) - Means “country” or “valley.”
    • Gwak/Kwak (곽) - Means “outer coffin,” “shrine box,” or “city walls.”
    • Gwan/Kwan (관) - Means “tube” or “pipe.”
    • Gwok/Kwok (궉) - Means “joy” or “male phoenix.”
    • Gye/Kye (계) - Means “plan” or scheme.”
    • Gyo/Kyo (교) - Means “teaching,” “religion,” or “respect.”
    • Hae (해) - Means “sea.”
    • Hak (학) - Means “crane” or “learning.”
    • Hyeon/Hyun (현) - Means “virtuous” or “worthy.”
    • Jang Gok (장곡) - Depending on the hanja, Jang can mean “archer,” “general,” or “commander.” Gok can mean “extreme,” “over,” or “end.”
    • Jeo (저) - Means “padding,” “to store up,” or “pocket.”
    • Jeup (즙) - Means “juice” or “extract.”
    • Jun/Joon (준) - Means “talented” or “handsome.”
    • Mae (매) - Means “plum blossom.”
    • Maeng (맹) - Means “field” or brave.”
    • Man (만) - Means “just” or “only.”
    • Mangjeol (망절) - Means “net cutter.”
    • Mok (목) - Means “tree” or “wood.”
    • Myeong/Myung (명) - Means “bright” or “clear.”
    • Myo (묘) - Means “sprouts.”
    • Nae (내) - Means “indeed,” “namely,” “stand,” or “endure.”
    • Nan (난) - Means “a part of the cornice.”
    • Nang (낭) - Means “wave” or “gentleman.”
    • Noe (뇌) - Means “thunder” or “brain.”
    • Noh/Roh (노) - Means “old” or “ancient.”
    • Nu/Noo (누) - Means “building of two or more stories.”
    • Ok (옥) - Means “jade.”
    • Pung (풍) - Means “wind.”
    • Pyeon/Pyun (편) - Means “comfortable” or “convenient.”
    • Pyeong (평) - Means “peace” or “tranquility.”
    • Pyo (표) - Means “mark” or “sign.”
    • Sa (사) - Means “scholar” or “historian.”
    • Sam (샘) - Means “three.”
    • San (산) - Means “mountain.”
    • Seon/Sun (선) - Means “good” or “virtuous.”
    • So Bong (소봉) - Depending on the hanja, So can mean “small,” “little,” or “young.” Bong can mean “phoenix,” “abundant,” or “to be rich.”
    • Tae (태) - Means “great” or “grand.”
    • Ya (야) - Means “night” or “dark.”
Section 3 of 5:

Popular Korean Surnames

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  1. Many Korean surnames are based on colors, places, and personal attributes. The following surnames are still used today, but just aren’t as common as Kim, Park, or Lee (and others from the “most common surnames” section). Here are some popular Korean surnames and their meanings: [3]
    • Ahn/An (안) - Means “tranquility,” “rest,” or “calm.”
    • Bae (배) - Means “pear.”
    • Baek (백) - Means “white.”
    • Bang (방) - Means “room” or “chamber.”
    • Byeong (병) - Means “bright.”
    • Byun/Byeon (변) - Means “side.”
    • Cha (차) - Means “chariot” or “vehicle.”
    • Chae/Chai (채) - Means “firewood.”
    • Cheon/Chun (천) - Means “heaven” or “sky.”
    • Chin/Jin (진) - Means “camp,” “true,” “lost,” or “a sign of the dragon.”
    • Choe (최) - Means “high.”
    • Chu/Ju (주) - Means “autumn.”
    • Chung (정) - Means “loyal” or devoted.”
    • Do/Doh (도) - Means “province” or “circuit.”
    • Eum/Um (엄) - Means “stern” or “strength.”
    • Gi/Ki (기) - Means “foundation” or “strength.”
    • Gil/Kil (길) - Means “good fortune” or “auspicious.”
    • Go/Ko (고) - Means “high” or “tall.”
    • Go-eun (고은) - Means “beautiful,” “pretty,” “high,” or “soft.”
    • Gong/Kong (공) - Means “empty,” “hollow,” or “sky.”
    • Goo/Gu (구) - Means “tool,” “utensil,” or “to care for.”
    • Gwon/Kwon (권) - Means “power” or “authority.”
    • Gyeon/Kyun (견) - Means “solid,” “firm,” or “strong.”
    • Ha (하) - Means “summer.”
    • Ham/Hahm (함) - Means “to contain” or “include.”
    • Han (한) - Means “great” or “king.”
    • Hee/Hui (희) - Means “bright” or “shining.”
    • Heo/Huh (허) - Means “to advocate” or “to permit.”
    • Ho (호) - Means “brave” or “fierce.”
    • Hong (홍) - Means “vast” or “great.”
    • Hwang (황) - Means “yellow.”
    • Il (일) - Means “one” or “first.”
    • In (인) - Means “mark” or “seal.”
    • Jee/Ji/Chi (지) - Means “wisdom” or “intellect.”
    • Jeon (전) - Means “field.”
    • Joo/Ju (주) - Means “red” or “precious.”
    • Ma (마) - Means “horse.”
    • Min (민) - Means “quick” or “clever.”
    • Moon (문) - Means “door,” “gate,” or “writing.”
    • Nam (남) - Means “south.”
    • Oh/O (오) - Means “king.”
    • Pil (필) - Means “aid” or “writing.”
    • Pu (푸) - Means “reed” or “rush.”
    • Ryu (류) - Means “willow.”
    • Seo (서) - Means “west,” “younger sister,” or “lower slope.”
    • Seok/Suk (석) - Means “rock” or “stone.”
    • Seol/Sul (설) - Means “snow.”
    • Seong/Sung (성) - Means “castle” or “fortress.”
    • Seong (성) - Means “succeed” or “accomplish.”
    • Shin (신) - Means “trust” or “belief.”
    • Sim/Shim (심) - Means “deep” or “sink.”
    • Sin/Shin (신) - Means “trust” or “belief.”
    • Song (송) - Means “pine tree.”
    • Suh (서) - Means “sow” or “west.”
    • Tak (탁) - Means “eminent” or “remarkable.”
    • To (토) - Means “pottery” or “earthenware.”
    • Wang (왕) - Means “king.”
    • Yang (양) - Means “bridge” or “light.”
    • Ye/Yeh (예) - Means “ceremony” or “propriety.”
    • Yeom (염) - Means “strict”
    • Yeon (연) - Means “beautiful” or “graceful.”
    • Yoo/Yu (유) - Means “willow tree.”
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Section 4 of 5:

The History Behind Korean Surnames

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  1. Korean surnames initially reflected clan or family lineage. In early kingdoms, surnames were reserved for royalty and aristocrats, signifying divine or noble birth. The king allowed the ruling class to choose surnames during the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392), and this later spread to common people during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897). This practice increased the diversity of surnames in Korean society. [4]
    • During the Japanese colonial period (1910-1945), Koreans were forced to formally register surnames, and many chose Kim, Lee, and Park to signal nobility.
    • Traditionally, Korean surnames have a single syllable, and they precede the person’s first name, which is usually 2 syllables. The concept of a “middle name” doesn’t exist. [5]
    • For example, in the name Kim Jennie (김제니), Kim (김) is the surname, and Jennie (제니) is the first name.
    • Another unique tradition is that Korean women usually do not adopt their husband’s surname, but their children will have the same surname as their father.
Section 5 of 5:

Frequently Asked Questions

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  1. 1
    What are the rarest Korean last names? The rarest Korean last names include: Noe (뇌), Gae (개), Sam (샘), Tae (태), Chon (촌), Ya (야), So Bong (소봉), Eo Geum (어금), Jang Gok (장곡), Hak (학), and Jeup (즙). [6]
  2. 2
    What are the royal surnames in Korea? Historically, royal surnames refer to the family names associated with ruling dynasties. Many common Korean surnames, like Kim, Lee, and Park, have ties to royal families or influential clans. Here’s the history behind some of the most popular names: [7]
    • Go/Ko (고) - Tied to the kingdom of Tamna, which ruled Jeju Island until absorbed by the Joseon dynasty.
    • Kim/Gim (김) - This popular surname traces back to the Kim family, which ruled the Silla Dynasty for over 500 years.
    • Park (박) - This surname is believed to originate from King Hyeokgeose Park (朴赫居世), who founded the Silla Kingdom.
    • Lee/Yi (이) - Traces back to the House of Yi, the family that later became the imperial family of the Joseon Dynasty.
    • Wang (왕) - Associated with the Goryeo dynasty, with Wang Geon (왕건), the founder, adopting the name.
    • Cho/Jo (조) - People with this surname may have royal ancestors, or their relatives may have worked for a royal family and adopted it after the class system was abolished.
  3. 3
    Why are so many people named Kim in Korea? Kim was the name of a family that rose to prominence and became the rulers of the Silla Dynasty (57 BCE-935 CE), the kingdom that ultimately unified most of Korea in 668. Eventually, the king allowed commoners to choose surnames, and many chose Kim for social and economic advantage. [8]
  4. 4
    Are all Kims the same in Korea? No. While Kim is the most common surname in Korea, people with this surname belong to different clans, known as bon-gwan (본관), indicating the clan’s origin and ancestral lineage. Two people with the Kim surname but different bon-gwan are not considered closely related, and even if they share a bon-gwan, the degree of relation is often very distant, going back hundreds or even thousands of years. [9]
    • There are over 300 different Kim clans in Korea! Some of the most popular bong-gwan include: Gimhae Kim, Gyeongju Kim, Andong Kim, Jeonju Kim, and Nagan Kim.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.koreaboo.com/lists/korean-common-surnames-in-world/
      2. ↑ https://koreannames.org/korean-last-names-or-surnames/
      3. ↑ https://koreannames.org/korean-last-names-or-surnames/
      4. ↑ https://koreannames.org/korean-last-names-or-surnames/
      5. ↑ https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/south-korean-culture/south-korean-culture-naming
      6. ↑ https://www.koreatravelpages.com/article/the-rarest-10-korean-last-names.html
      7. ↑ https://www.90daykorean.com/korean-names/
      8. ↑ https://www.britannica.com/story/why-are-so-many-koreans-named-kim
      9. ↑ https://asiasociety.org/korea/introduction-korean-names-are-all-kims-same

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