407+ Korean Last Names, A-Z 

When it comes to Korean culture, one aspect that stands out is the importance placed on family and lineage.

Korean last names, also known as surnames or family names, play a significant role in Korean society.

With a rich history and diverse range of names, understanding Korean last names can provide valuable insights into the country’s culture and heritage.

In this article, we will explore Korean last names from A to Z, delving into their origins, meanings, and significance.

Common Korean Last Names (Most Common Korean Last Names)

Common Korean Last Names (Most Common Korean Last Names):

1. Kim (김)
2. Lee (이/리)
3. Park (박)
4. Choi (최)
5. Jung (정)
6. Cho (조)
7. Yoon (윤)
8. Kang (강)
9. Lim (임/림)
10. Jang (장)

Popular Korean Last Names

Popular Korean Last Names:

1. Kim (김)
2. Lee (이/리)
3. Park (박)
4. Choi (최)
5. Jung (정)
6. Cho (조)
7. Yoon (윤)
8. Kang (강)
9. Kwon (권)
10. Ahn (안)

Uncommon & Unique Korean Last Names

Uncommon & Unique Korean Last Names:

1. Bae (배)
2. Son (손)
3. Nam (남)
4. Sung (성)
5. Ban (반)
6. Dokko (독고)
7. Maeng (맹)
8. Sook (숙)
9. Uhm (엄)
10. Ha (하)

Rare & Exotic Korean Last Names

Rare & Exotic Korean Last Names:

1. Gwak (곽)
2. Paek (백)
3. Suh (서)
4. Won (원)
5. Dong (동)
6. Mun (문)
7. Ryeo (려)
8. Bong (봉)
9. Suk (석)
10. Shim (심)

Cool Korean Last Names

Cool Korean Last Names:

(Note: This is subjective, but these are names that might sound cool to non-Koreans or even some Koreans.)

1. Ryu (류) – Associated with dragons
2. Min (민) – People/populace
3. Moon (문) – Door/gate or literature/writings
4. Hwang (황) – Emperor
5. Bae (배) – Inspiration or pear
6. Bang (방) – Room or side
7. Jin (진) – Camp or precious
8. Sohn (손) – Hand or descendant
9. Go (고) – High or old
10. Ra (라) – Joy

List of Korean Last Names

List of Korean Last Names:

1. Kim (김)
2. Lee (이/리)
3. Park (박)
4. Choi (최)
5. Jung (정)
6. Cho (조)
7. Yoon (윤)
8. Kang (강)
9. Lim (임/림)
10. Kwon (권)

Rich Korean Last Names

Rich Korean Last Names:

(Note: There’s no direct correlation between wealth and a specific surname in Korea, but some chaebol (large family-owned business conglomerates) families are well-known.)

1. Lee (Samsung, 이)
2. Koo/Ku (LG, 구)
3. Chung (Hyundai, 정)
4. Shin (Lotte, 신)
5. Park (Doosan, 박)
6. Kim (Hanjin, 김)
7. Jeong (Eland, 정)
8. Yoon (윤)
9. Kang (강)
10. Choi (최)

Old Korean Last Names

Old Korean Last Names:

(Note: Many surnames have ancient origins, but here are some that are traditionally recognized or have old connotations.)

1. Ko (고)
2. Maek (맥)
3. Jeon (전)
4. Seok (석)
5. Baek (백)
6. Choe (최)
7. Hyun (현)
8. Mok (목)
9. Pal (팔)
10. Um (엄)

Long Korean Last Names

Long Korean Last Names:

(Note: Most Korean surnames are one syllable, but there are a few with two syllables.)

1. Dokko (독고)
2. Jegal (제갈)
3. Hwangbo (황보)
4. Sagong (사공)
5. Sunwoo (선우)
6. Namgoong (남궁)
7. Seomun (서문)
8. Dongbang (동방)
9. Mokji (목지)
10. Bukgeuk (북극)

Girl Korean Last Names [Female]

Girl Korean Last Names [Female]:

(Note: Korean surnames are gender-neutral, so there aren’t surnames specific to girls or women. However, I can list surnames that might sound “feminine” or gentle to some, though this is highly subjective.)

1. Moon (문)
2. Bae (배)
3. So (소)
4. Min (민)
5. Heo (허)
6. Song (송)
7. Hae (해)
8. Yi (이)
9. Sun (선)
10. Yoo (유)

Men’s Korean Last Names [Male]

Men’s Korean Last Names [Male]:

(Again, surnames are gender-neutral, but I’ll list those that might sound “masculine” or strong to some.)

1. Kim (김)
2. Park (박)
3. Jung (정)
4. Cho (조)
5. Kang (강)
6. Lee (이)
7. Jang (장)
8. Kwon (권)
9. Ryu (류)
10. Yoon (윤)

Famous Korean Last Names

Famous Korean Last Names:

(These surnames belong to well-known figures or are popular in modern culture.)

1. Kim (김) – Most common surname
2. Lee (이/리) – Second most common surname
3. Park (박) – Third most common surname
4. Jeon (전) – As in Jeon Jungkook of BTS
5. Min (민) – As in Min Yoongi of BTS
6. Jung (정) – As in Jung Hoseok of BTS
7. Kang (강) – Popular in K-Dramas
8. Cha (차) – As in Cha Eunwoo of ASTRO
9. Joo (주) – As in Joo Ji Hoon, an actor
10. Song (송) – As in Song Hye Kyo, an actress

Korean Last Names That Start With A

Korean Last Names That Start With A:

(Note: There’s no direct Korean letter equivalent to the Roman “A,” but I’ll list surnames starting with 아, which is pronounced as “A.”)

1. Ahn (안)
2. Ah (아) – A rare surname

(Note: Korean doesn’t have many surnames that fit this category.)

Korean Last Names That Start With B

Korean Last Names That Start With B:

1. Baek (백)
2. Bae (배)
3. Ban (반)
4. Bang (방)
5. Boo (부)
6. Byun (변)
7. Bok (복)
8. Beon (번)
9. Byuk (벽)
10. Bo (보)

Korean Last Names That Start With C

Korean Last Names That Start With C:

(Note: The Korean alphabet doesn’t have a letter that directly corresponds to “C,” but “Ch” sound can be used.)

1. Choi (최)
2. Cha (차)
3. Chun (천)
4. Choe (최) – Variant of Choi
5. Cheon (천)
6. Chang (창)
7. Cheong (청)
8. Choo (추)
9. Cho (조)
10. Chae (채)

Korean Last Names That Start With D

Korean Last Names That Start With D:

1. Do (도)
2. Dong (동)
3. Dok (독)
4. Doh (도) – Variant of Do
5. Dokko (독고) – Two syllables
6. Da (다)
7. Dan (단)
8. Dang (당)
9. Du (두)
10. Duk (덕)

Korean Last Names That Start With E

Korean Last Names That Start With E:

(Note: Korean doesn’t have many surnames starting with the letter “E”.)

1. Eom (엄)
2. Eo (어)
3. Eun (은)

Korean Last Names That Start With F

Korean Last Names That Start With F:

(Note: The Korean alphabet doesn’t have a letter that directly corresponds to “F.” However, I’ll list surnames starting with the phonetic sound “P,” which can be considered close.)

1. Park (박)
2. Paek (백)
3. Pan (반)
4. Pang (방)
5. Po (보)
6. Pae (배)
7. Pyo (표)
8. Pyun (편)
9. Pun (분)
10. Pong (봉)

Korean Last Names That Start With G

Korean Last Names That Start With G:

1. Go (고)
2. Goh (고) – Variant of Go
3. Gu (구)
4. Goo (구) – Variant of Gu
5. Gang (강)
6. Gwang (광)
7. Gwak (곽)
8. Gil (길)
9. Gon (곤)
10. Geum (금)

Korean Last Names That Start With H

Korean Last Names That Start With H:

1. Ha (하)
2. Han (한)
3. Heo (허)
4. Ho (호)
5. Hwang (황)
6. Hyun (현)
7. Ham (함)
8. Hong (홍)
9. Hoe (회)
10. Huh (허) – Variant of Heo

Korean Last Names That Start With I

Korean Last Names That Start With I:

(Note: There are very few surnames that start with the letter “I” in Korean.)

1. Im (임)
2. In (인)

Korean Last Names That Start With J

Korean Last Names That Start With J:

1. Jang (장)
2. Jeong (정)
3. Jeon (전)
4. Joo (주)
5. Jo (조)
6. Jin (진)
7. Je (제)
8. Jae (재)
9. Janggok (장곡)
10. Jung (정) – Variant of Jeong

Korean Last Names That Start With K

Korean Last Names That Start With K:

(Note: The Korean alphabet doesn’t have a letter that directly corresponds to “K” by itself. The “K” sound usually appears with the “G” sound, like “Kim.”)

1. Kim (김)
2. Kang (강)
3. Ko (고)
4. Koo (구) – Variant of Gu
5. Kwak (곽)
6. Kwon (권)
7. Kyung (경)
8. Ki (기)
9. Kyun (균)
10. Kyoon (균) – Variant of Kyun

Korean Last Names That Start With L

Korean Last Names That Start With L:

(Note: The Korean alphabet doesn’t have a letter that directly corresponds to “L,” but “R” and “L” sounds are represented by the same letter. I’ll list surnames starting with the phonetic sound that can be considered close.)

1. Lee (이/리)
2. Lim (임)
3. Lyu (류)
4. Lyoo (유) – Variant of Yoo

Korean Last Names That Start With M

Korean Last Names That Start With M:

1. Moon (문)
2. Min (민)
3. Myung (명)
4. Mo (모)
5. Ma (마)
6. Man (만)
7. Mang (망)
8. Mok (목)
9. Mae (매)
10. Myo (묘)

Korean Last Names That Start With N

Korean Last Names That Start With N:

1. Nam (남)
2. No (노)
3. Na (나)
4. Noh (노) – Variant of No
5. Neung (능)
6. Nae (내)

(Note: There are limited surnames starting with the letter “N” in Korean.)

Korean Last Names That Start With O

Korean Last Names That Start With O:

1. Oh (오)
2. O (오) – Variant of Oh
3. Ok (옥)
4. On (온)
5. Om (옴)

(Note: There are limited surnames starting with the letter “O” in Korean.)

Korean Last Names That Start With P

Korean Last Names That Start With P:

(Note: The “P” sound in Korean can be represented by ㅂ or ㅍ.)

1. Pa (파)
2. Pyo (표)
3. Pae (패)
4. Po (포)
5. Pyun (펀)
6. Pyung (평)
7. Pan (반)
8. Park (박)
9. Pak (박) – Variant of Park
10. Paek (백)

Korean Last Names That Start With Q

Korean Last Names That Start With Q:

(Note: The Korean alphabet doesn’t have a letter that directly corresponds to “Q.” Therefore, there are no native Korean surnames starting with “Q.”)

Korean Last Names That Start With R

Korean Last Names That Start With R:

(Note: The Korean alphabet doesn’t have a letter that directly corresponds to “R,” but “R” and “L” sounds are represented by the same letter.)

1. Ryu (류)
2. Ryoo (유) – Variant of Yoo
3. Rhee (리) – Variant of Lee

(Note: There are limited surnames starting with the “R” sound in Korean.)

Korean Last Names That Start With S

Korean Last Names That Start With S:

1. Seo (서)
2. Shin (신)
3. Son (손)
4. Song (송)
5. Sohn (손) – Variant of Son
6. Suk (숙)
7. Sun (선)
8. Sim (심)
9. Seong (성)
10. Suh (서) – Variant of Seo

Korean Last Names That Start With T

Korean Last Names That Start With T:

(Note: The Korean alphabet doesn’t have a letter that directly corresponds to “T” by itself.)

1. Taek (택)
2. Tae (태)
3. Toh (토)
4. To (도)

(Note: There are limited surnames starting with the letter “T” in Korean.)

Korean Last Names That Start With U

Korean Last Names That Start With U:

1. Uhm (엄) – Variant of Eom
2. Uh (어) – Variant of Eo
3. Un (운)

(Note: There are limited surnames starting with the letter “U” in Korean.)

Korean Last Names That Start With V

Korean Last Names That Start With V:

(Note: The Korean alphabet doesn’t have a letter that directly corresponds to “V.” Therefore, there are no native Korean surnames starting with “V.”)

Korean Last Names That Start With W

Korean Last Names That Start With W:

(Note: The Korean alphabet doesn’t have a letter that directly corresponds to “W.” However, I’ll list surnames starting with the phonetic sound close to “W.”)

1. Woo (우)
2. Won (원)
3. Wook (욱)
4. Woong (웅)

Korean Last Names That Start With X

Korean Last Names That Start With X:

(Note: The Korean alphabet doesn’t have a letter that directly corresponds to “X.” Therefore, there are no native Korean surnames starting with “X.”)

Korean Last Names That Start With Y

Korean Last Names That Start With Y:

1. Yoo (유)
2. Yeon (연)
3. Yang (양)
4. Yoon (윤)
5. Yun (윤) – Variant of Yoon
6. Yi (이) – Variant of Lee
7. Yeom (염)
8. Youn (윤) – Another variant of Yoon
9. Yum (염) – Variant of Yeom
10. Yeo (여)

Korean Last Names That Start With Z

Korean Last Names That Start With Z:

(Note: The Korean alphabet doesn’t have a letter that directly corresponds to “Z.” Therefore, there are no native Korean surnames starting with “Z.”)

The Origins of Korean Last Names

Korean last names have a long history that dates back centuries. The use of surnames in Korea can be traced back to the Three Kingdoms period (57 BC – 668 AD), where they were primarily used to distinguish different clans and lineages.

During the Goryeo Dynasty (918–1392) and Joseon Dynasty (1392–1897), the use of surnames became more widespread and regulated.

There are currently over 270 Korean surnames in use, with the most common ones being Kim, Lee, and Park.

These three surnames alone account for nearly half of the Korean population.

While some surnames are more prevalent than others, each name carries its own unique history and significance.

Meanings and Significance of Korean Last Names

Korean last names often have deep meanings and reflect the values and aspirations of the families they represent.

Let’s explore some common Korean last names and their meanings:

1. Kim (김)

Kim is the most common Korean surname, with approximately 21% of the population bearing this name.

It originated from the Chinese character “金” (pronounced “geum” in Korean), which means “gold.” The name Kim symbolizes wealth, prosperity, and nobility.

2. Lee (이)

Lee is another widely used Korean surname, accounting for around 14% of the population.

It is derived from the Chinese character “李” (pronounced “ri” in Korean), which means “plum tree.”

The plum tree is known for its resilience and strength, making the name Lee a symbol of endurance and perseverance.

3. Park (박)

Park is the third most common Korean last name, with approximately 8% of the population sharing this surname.

It originated from the Chinese character “朴” (pronounced “bak” in Korean), which means “simple” or “plain.”

The name Park represents humility, sincerity, and down-to-earth values.These are just a few examples of the rich meanings behind Korean last names.

Each surname carries its own unique symbolism and reflects the values cherished by the respective families.

Uncommon Korean Last Names

While some Korean last names are widely known and used, there are also many uncommon surnames that are less prevalent.

These lesser-known last names often have fascinating stories and histories behind them. Here are a few examples:

1. Jeon (전)

Jeon is a relatively rare Korean surname, accounting for less than 1% of the population.

It originated from the Chinese character “田” (pronounced “jeon” in Korean), which means “field.”

The name Jeon is associated with agriculture and represents hard work and dedication.

2. Yoon (윤)

Yoon is another uncommon Korean last name, with less than 1% of the population sharing this surname.

It is derived from the Chinese character “尹” (pronounced “yoon” in Korean), which means “govern.”

The name Yoon is associated with leadership and governance.

3. Choi (최)

Choi is a relatively common last name, but it is less prevalent compared to names like Kim, Lee, and Park.

It originated from the Chinese character “崔” (pronounced “choi” in Korean), which means “high” or “lofty.”

The name Choi represents ambition and a desire for excellence.

These uncommon Korean last names highlight the diversity and complexity of Korean culture.

Each name carries its own unique history and significance, contributing to the rich tapestry of Korean society.

Changing Trends in Korean Last Names

In recent years, there has been a growing trend of Koreans adopting new last names or changing their existing ones.

This trend is often driven by various factors, including personal preference, marriage, or the desire to distance oneself from a particular family lineage.

One notable example is the case of South Korean actress Jun Ji-hyun. She was born Wang Ji-hyun but changed her last name to Jun for her acting career.

This decision was influenced by the desire to have a more distinct and memorable name in the entertainment industry.

While changing last names is not a common practice, it reflects the evolving nature of Korean society and the increasing importance placed on individual identity and personal choices.

FAQs – Korean Last Names, A-Z

1. How many Korean last names are there?

There are currently over 270 Korean last names in use.

2. What are the most common Korean last names?

The most common Korean last names are Kim, Lee, and Park.

3. What is the meaning of the last name Kim?

The last name Kim symbolizes wealth, prosperity, and nobility.

4. What is the meaning of the last name Lee?

The last name Lee represents endurance and perseverance.

5. What is the meaning of the last name Park?

The last name Park represents humility, sincerity, and down-to-earth values.

6. Are there any uncommon Korean last names?

Yes, there are many uncommon Korean last names, such as Jeon, Yoon, and Choi.

7. Why do some Koreans change their last names?

Some Koreans change their last names for personal reasons, marriage, or to distance themselves from a particular family lineage.

8. Can anyone change their last name in Korea?

Changing last names in Korea is not a common practice and is subject to certain legal procedures and requirements.

9. Are Korean last names passed down through the father or mother?

In Korean culture, last names are traditionally passed down through the father’s lineage.

10. Are there any restrictions on using certain Korean last names?

No, there are no restrictions on using specific Korean last names. However, some surnames may be more prevalent in certain regions or clans.

11. Can foreigners have Korean last names?

Foreigners can legally change their last names to Korean ones if they meet the necessary requirements and go through the proper legal procedures.

12. Are there any famous Koreans with uncommon last names?

Yes, there are many famous Koreans with uncommon last names, such as Jeon Ji-hyun (born Wang Ji-hyun) and Yoon Mi-rae (born Natasha Shanta Reid).

13. Do Korean last names have any influence on a person’s social status?

No, Korean last names do not have a direct influence on a person’s social status. However, certain last names may be associated with specific historical figures or noble families.

14. Are there any efforts to preserve and promote uncommon Korean last names?

Yes, there are ongoing efforts to preserve and promote uncommon Korean last names, including research, cultural events, and educational initiatives.

15. How can I find the meaning of my Korean last name?

You can consult resources such as books, online databases, or genealogical services to find the meaning and history of your Korean last name.

Summary – Korean Last Names, A-Z

Korean last names hold immense cultural and historical significance in Korean society. They reflect the values, aspirations, and heritage of the families they represent.

From the common surnames like Kim, Lee, and Park to the lesser-known names like Jeon, Yoon, and Choi, each Korean last name carries its own unique meaning and symbolism.

Understanding Korean last names provides valuable insights into the country’s culture and history.

It showcases the diversity and complexity of Korean society, highlighting the importance placed on family and lineage.

As Korean culture continues to evolve, so too will the significance and meaning behind Korean last names.

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• Japanese Last Names