144 Most Common Korean Last Names & Meanings

In the majority of Korean families the surname is a single Hanja syllable. Few have two syllables, like Namgoong or Jegal. I have selected these Korean last names, each with its meaning.

List Of 144 Korean Last Names And Their Meanings:

Ban

According to the Unihan database, 潘 is water in which rice has been rinsed. Ban Ki-moon is the eighth UN Secretary-General. He also co-founded the nonprofit Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens.

Mae

Flower surnames may feel a little rare in Korea, guys. Mae is 梅, Japanese apricot blossom.

Noe

Noe (no-eh/nweh): “Thunder.”

Yeon

延 is to extend. Goguryeo strongman Yeon Gaesomun wrote his as 淵, and that version also means a deep pool.

Mo

‘To moo’ in classical texts, and “my” in Irish. Barley is another meaning for 牟.

Park

Park is pronounced as bahk, and the meaning is “gourd.” Silla’s founder Bak Hyeokgeose hatched from an egg shaped which is similar to a gourd. His people called a gourd bak.

Gyeon

Gyeon Hwon founded Later Baekje and fought Goryeo for many years. His son Singeom locked him inside Geumsansa temple, and 甄 is a potter’s wheel.

Yang

From 楊, poplar, and 梁, a roof beam. Yang Hak-seon won Olympic gold on vault in London.

Do

‘Capital city’ in Hanja, as well as the first note of the scale in Italian, “two” in Hindi and “of the” in Portuguese.

Jeong

Jeong comes from 鄭, a ancient state of Zheng. Jeong Mong-ju answered a threat with „Dansimga” (1392): “Though this body die and die again, a hundred times over.” Assassins killed him on Seonjuk Bridge in that year.

Korean surnames with dark meanings:

Name	Meaning	Pronunciation
Muk	ink	MOOK
Dokgo	lonely, or orphaned	DOHK-goh
Ya	”night.”	YAH
Yu	kill, in Hanja	YOO
Hyun	dark one	HYUHN
Tan	”bullet”	TAHN
Shim	it sinks	SHIM or SIM
Heukchi	black teeth	HUHK-chee
Min	”to grieve.”	MEEN
Geun	axe	GUHN
Eum	shade, or yin	UHM
Hyeong	”punishment”	HYUHNG
Bok	divination	BOHK
Yeong	”shadow”	YUHNG
Pi	skin, or hide	PEE

The lits continues.

Kim

Kim is from 金, “gold.” Kim Gu wrote in „Baekbeom Ilji” (1947): “If God asked me what my wish was, I would answer without hesitation: Korea‘s independence.”

Gam

Sweet.

Ok

Ok (ohk): “Jade,” as in okse, the royal seal of Joseon.

Seong

THis one changes with the character: 成 is “to accomplish”, 盛 means ‘abundant’, 星 star while 城 is symbolizing a walled fortress. Seong Sam-mun wrote his with 成. He was one of six ministers executed for plotting to put a deposed boy king (Danjong) on the throne.

Sun

“Hibiscus.” That’s 舜, and mugunghwa is Korea’s national flower and is a hibiscus.

Bae

From 裵, a flowing robe. Save

Tang

Hot water or soup. I like it more on a menu.

Lee

Plum (李). His war diary records Admiral Yi Sun-sin telling his officers before Myeongnyang: “Those who seek death shall live, and those who seek life shall die.”

Chae

A large tortoise, the one Zhou-era lords guarded for divination, is what 蔡 names.

Kwak

It is pronounced as gwahk, and is also spell Gwak. 郭 is an outer city wall.

Pyo

“surface/outside.”

Dongbang

Boy band TVXQ is known as Dong Bang Shin Ki at home, and 東方 is “the east.”

Choi

Choi has origins in 崔, “lofty.” Choe Nam-seon (1890-1957) drafted the 1919 Declaration of Independence, which opens: “We hereby proclaim the independence of Korea and the liberty of the Korean people.”

Gal

Arrowroot (kudzu).

Yuk

Land, and First Lady Yuk Young-soo was killed at a Liberation Day ceremony in Seoul.

Rare Korean surnames:

Name	Meaning	Pronunciation
Ae	mugwort	EH
Woon	”cloud”	WOON
Bo	treasure	BOH
Gwan	frontier pass	GWAHN or KWAHN
Nan	”goldenrain tree.”	NAHN
Dam	talk, or discuss	DAHM
Myo	seedling	MYOH
Hu	marquis, in Hanja	HOO
Mi	”rice”	MEE
Don	to kowtow	DOHN
Pil	the assistant	PEEL
Bi	grand	BEE
Gyo	”bridge”	GYOH
Nang	wave, or wandering	NAHNG
Ja	mercy	JAH
Po	”to wrap.”	POH

Scroll for more.

Jeon

‘Whole’. Jeon Bong-jun was the leader of Donghak farmers as the Mung Bean General.

Dok

Solitary.

Hwangbo

Emperor, great, and Hwangbo has roots in 皇甫.

Seok

Seok (“long ago”) Talhae was a Silla king who washed ashore in a chest.

Man

Man means ten thousand and is from 萬.

Ji

If you’re after a two-letter surname, Ji may fit the bill. It’s 池, a pond. Ji Seok-yeong was a practitioner of traditional Korean medicine.

Gong

孔 is a hole, and Gokbu Gong clans think about Confucius as their ancestor.

Jwa

Left.

Ha

Ha means river and is from 河.

Bin

Bin is “guest” as a character, and “son of” in Arabic.

Jegal

The local form of Zhuge, which is from 諸葛, “various” and “arrowroot.” Namyang Jegal descendants think of Zhuge Liang as the Three Kingdoms strategist.

A

阿: a hill slope.

Woo

Woo (oo/woo): 禹, Yu the Great, tamer of floods in legend.

Hong

“Flood.” He’s Hong Gil-dong, the outlaw in Heo Gyun’s novel.

Myung

bright/clear.wise/next

Ham

‘All’, and Ham Seok-heon (1901-1989) was a Quaker twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Pung

“To gallop,” or “to lean on.”

Shin

申 is to state, and Shin Saimdang face is on the fifty-thousand-won note.

Gung

“Bow,” or “palace.”

Paeng

From 彭, a drumbeat.

Yo

It means handsome and radiant. Yao was Emperor Shun’s clan.

Sagong

Sagong is “minister of works.”

Geum

Gold or golden. The twelve-string gayageum has this suffix.

Gye

“Cinnamon,” “cassia,” “laurel,” “osmanthus.”

Tak

Lofty or a table.

Jun

Jun: Jnu comes from 俊, talented.

Nam

“South” as a character, and in Vietnamese.

Kang

康 is health, and Kang Gam-chan destroyed a Khitan army at Gwiju.

Eo

Eo is pronounced as uh and is fish. Wooden fish gongs called mogeo are hung in Buddhist temples.

Dang

From 唐, the Tang of the Tang dynasty.

Maeng

‘Eldest’. Minister Maeng Sa-seong traveled on an ox while playing a flute.

Su

秀 elegant or 水 water

Won

First and origin, Won has roots in 元.

Chu

Autumn. Chu Shin-soo played in Major League Baseball for the Cleveland Indians and retired at the end of the 2024 KBO League season.

Jeung

From 曾, as in 曾祖, a great-grandfather.

Heo

‘To permit’. Heo Jun compiled Dongui Bogam which is a medical encyclopedia listed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World register.

Je

Various.

Beon

樊: fence.

Seol

Seol Chong invented Idu, a system to write Silla speech with borrowed characters. 薛 is a marsh grass.

Yong

Yong (yohng): “Dragon,” the beast that’s on a Joseon king’s robe.

Moon

Writing.Mun Ik-jeom smuggled cotton seeds home from Yuan China in a case.

Hae

To untie. Hae Mosu fathers Jumong in Goguryeo myth.

Dae

”big”/”great”/”vast”/”grand”

Wi

Guard (衛). In the 2nd century BC Wiman seized Gojoseon’s throne.

Jo

To hurry. Reformer Jo Gwang-jo died by royal poison at thirty-seven.

Go

”high”/”tall”/”eminent”/”noble”

Yoon

Yoon (“to govern”) Dong-ju died in a Fukuoka prison months before liberation.

Lim

Forest. Butcher’s son Im Kkeok-jeong was the chief of a bandit army in Hwanghae.

Jang

Jang is a version of Zhang, 張, meaning “to draw a bow” and “to spread out.” Jang Bogo managed a sea trade from Cheonghaejin to Wando Island.

Han

‘Korea’ in Hanja, “he” in Swedish, “inn” in Turkish and (in Spanish) “they have.”

Seo

Korean form of Xu, from 徐, “slowly.” Seo Jae-pil founded The Independent, a newspaper that is printed in Hangul and English.

Oh

Five or Wu, an ancient kingdom.

Hwang

Hwang is 黃, yellow. Hwang Hyeon wrote in his death poems (1910), after Japan annexed Korea: “Hard it is to live in this world as a man who knows letters.”

Kwon

Pronounced gwuhn, this surname comes from 權, a word for authority and for the weight on a steelyard. If you’re into history, know this: general Kwon Yul defended Haengju fortress in a battle with far bigger Japanese army.

Song

Song: “pine” in Hanja and a tune in English. Song Kang-ho won Best Actor at Cannes for Broker.

Ahn

“Peace.” In his Lüshun cell, Ahn Jung-geun brushed this line: “A day without books grows thorns in the mouth.”

Son

‘Grandson’. Sohn Kee-chung won the Berlin marathon running under a Japanese alias.

Na

Its etymology is 羅, a silk net, and Ra is a variant of it. Na Hye-sok (1896-1948) painted in oils.

Baek

white/clear.bright/pure

Cha

Cart, and Cha Bum-kun lifted the UEFA Cup with Frankfurt and Leverkusen.

Noh

“Rice vessel” or “black.” Also spelled Roh.

Koo

old or ancient.

Joo

Zhu is the Chinese form of this surname, which means ‘vermilion’. Ju Si-gyeong named the alphabet Hangul.

Eom

Strict. Eom Hong-gil reached the summit of all fourteen peaks above eight thousand meters.

Jin

Being of Chinese origin, Jin (陳) is “to display” and “to arrange.” Also, 陳 has meanings like “stale” and “to state.” 秦, another Jin, names the Qin state that unified China.

Yeom

Honest. Yeom Sang-seop wrote the family novel Three Generations.

Bang

Square. Bang Jeong-hwan launched Children’s Day.

Yeo

Yeo (yuh/yaw): 呂, a backbone, and a pitch pipe.

Seon

宣, to proclaim.

Byun

Border (byuhn), the 邊 of a map’s edge, and it also symbolizing “side.”

Seung

Seung is meaning to inherit.

Si

“To bestow” as a character, and “yes” in Spanish.

Ki

Ki (‘strange’) is the clan of Empress Gi, a Goryeo woman who was crowned in Yuan China.

Gil

Here, a common surname in Korea with a cheerful meaning: “lucky.” Gil Seon-ju signed the March First Declaration as one of thirty-three.

Wang

King. Wang Geon founded Goryeo.

Kook

鞠: a ball, to bring up.

In

From 印, a seal.

Pyeon

“Fragment.”

Eun

Abundant.

Ye

Ye is from Chinese and has a meaning that I like: small.

Bong

“Phoenix,” or “to offer.” And Bong Joon-ho writes his with 奉.

Kyung

Celebration, the 慶 of Gyeongju, Silla’s capital, and is symbolizing “blessing.”

Sa

Sa is “history” in Hanja and “his, her” in Romanian.

Namgoong

Namgoong is “south palace.”

Bu

At Samseonghyeol on Jeju, three founders appeared from holes in the ground, and one of them was a Bu. 夫 is man or husband.

Sunwoo

鮮 is fresh, and clan records place its ancestral seat in Taiyuan, China.

Ga

賈, merchant.

Seomun

West gate, it is actually the gate on the side of town where the sun goes down at the end of the day.

Gan

Bamboo slip or simple.

Da

Many. (I almost called it the shortest entry here, but A has one letter.)

Gok

“bent/song.”

Dan

段: section.

Du

A wild pear tree, the birchleaf pear of northern China.

Dong

Listed in Hundred Family Surnames, Dong is “to direct.” Its source is 董, also “to supervise” and “to correct.”

Mok

Mok is from Chinese and has a meaning that I love: harmony.

Beom

From 範, a model or pattern.

Mu

“Martial.”

Bing

Ice. I’d save it for a villain.

On

Warm, the 溫 of ondol floor heating.

Sang

Sang is meaning to esteem.

Yeop

Yeop means leaf and is from 葉.

Ma

Korean form of Chinese Ma, which is from 馬, horse.

Jong

“A bell,” or “a wine cup.”

Ong

Ong is symbolizing a moat around a city.

Chang

Prosperous, the 昌 of Changdeokgung palace.

Tae

great/large.very/extreme

Ho

“Tiger,” “lake,” “retinue,” “beard.”

Cheon

千, a thousand, and 天, sky.

Pyeong

flat/level.calm/peace

Hwa

Hwa is symbolizing change.t

Gae

Gae is symbolizing a shell, armor.

San

San (sahn): “Mountain,” the san at the end of Namsan and Bukhansan.

Nu

Symbolizing a tower, Nu comes from 樓.

Gun

One letter short of Gung, this one is 君, a lord.

Jeo

Jeo is meaning a mansion, a big house with many rooms and a courtyard.

Heung

Heung means to rise and is from 興.

Hwan

Pillar, the 桓 in Hwanung, sky prince of the Dangun myth.

Sama

Sama is “master of horses.” Ever heard of Sima Qian? Same two characters.

Jeom

占, to divine.