List of Korean surnames facts for kids

Korean surnames are family names used by people from Korea. Just like in many other cultures, your surname is passed down from your parents. In Korea, surnames are usually placed before a person's given name. For example, if someone's name is Kim Min-jun, Kim is their surname.

The most common Korean surnames, especially in South Korea, are Kim (김), Lee (이), and Park (박). These three names are shared by about half of all ethnic Koreans!

How Many Korean Surnames Are There?

Based on information from South Korea in 2015, there are at least 191 different surnames written in hangul (the Korean alphabet). If you look at the older hanja (Chinese characters used in Korean), there are even more – about 514 distinct surnames! This shows how many unique family names exist in Korea.

Most Common Korean Surnames (2015)

Let's look at some of the most common Korean surnames and how many people have them, based on 2015 statistics from South Korea.

• Kim (김): This is by far the most common surname, with over 10.6 million people having it. That's a huge number!
• Lee (이): The second most common, with over 7.3 million people.
• Park (박): The third most common, with over 4.1 million people.

These three surnames alone make up a very large part of the Korean population. Other common surnames include:

• Choi (최): Over 2.3 million people.
• Jeong (정): Over 2.4 million people.
• Kang (강): Over 1.2 million people.
• Jo (조): Over 1.4 million people.
• Yoon (윤): Over 1 million people.
• Jang (장): Over 1 million people.
• Im (임): Over 1 million people.
• Shin (신): Almost 1 million people.
• Yu (유): Over 960,000 people.
• Han (한): Over 770,000 people.
• O (오): Over 760,000 people.
• Seo (서): Over 750,000 people.
• Hwang (황): Almost 700,000 people.
• An (안): Over 680,000 people.
• Song (송): Over 680,000 people.
• Hong (홍): Over 550,000 people.
• Yang (양): Over 530,000 people.
• Go (고): Over 470,000 people.
• Mun (문): Over 460,000 people.
• Son (손): Over 450,000 people.
• Bae (배): Over 400,000 people.
• Baek (백): Over 380,000 people.
• Heo (허): Over 320,000 people.
• No (노): Over 310,000 people.
• Nam (남): Over 270,000 people.
• Sim (심): Over 270,000 people.
• Ha (하): Over 230,000 people.
• Ju (주): Over 230,000 people.
• Gu (구): Over 200,000 people.
• Gwak (곽): Over 200,000 people.
• Seong (성): Almost 200,000 people.
• U (우): Almost 200,000 people.
• Cha (차): Almost 200,000 people.
• Min (민): Over 170,000 people.
• Na (나): Over 160,000 people.
• Ji (지): Over 160,000 people.
• Byeon (변): Over 130,000 people.
• Won (원): Over 130,000 people.
• Chae (채): Over 130,000 people.
• Cheon (천): Over 120,000 people.
• Bang (방): Over 120,000 people.
• Eom (엄): Over 140,000 people.
• Yeom (염): Over 69,000 people.
• Do (도): Over 57,000 people.
• So (소): Over 53,000 people.
• Seol (설): Over 45,000 people.
• Seon (선): Over 42,000 people.
• Gil (길): Over 38,000 people.
• Ma (마): Over 39,000 people.
• Pyo (표): Over 30,000 people.
• Wi (위): Over 32,000 people.
• Gi (기): Over 29,000 people.
• Myeong (명): Over 29,000 people.
• Ban (반): Over 28,000 people.
• Ok (옥): Over 25,000 people.
• Wang (왕): Over 25,000 people.
• Geum (금): Over 25,000 people.
• Yuk (육): Over 23,000 people.
• Maeng (맹): Over 22,000 people.
• In (인): Over 22,000 people.
• Je (제): Over 21,000 people.
• Namgung (남궁): Over 21,000 people.
• Tak (탁): Over 21,000 people.
• Guk (국): Over 20,000 people.
• Eo (어): Over 18,000 people.
• Gyeong (경): Over 16,000 people.
• Eun (은): Over 16,000 people.
• Pyeon (편): Over 16,000 people.
• Yong (용): Over 15,000 people.
• Ye (예): Over 13,000 people.
• Bong (봉): Over 12,000 people.
• Bu (부): Over 10,000 people.
• Hwangbo (황보): Over 10,000 people.
• Sa (사): Over 10,000 people.
• Bok (복): Over 9,000 people.
• Tae (태): Over 9,000 people.
• Mok (목): Over 8,000 people.
• Hyeong (형): Over 7,000 people.
• Gye (계): Over 6,000 people.
• Pi (피): Over 6,000 people.
• Gam (감): Over 6,000 people.
• Dong (동): Over 5,000 people.
• Jegal (제갈): Over 5,000 people.
• Bin (빈): Over 5,000 people.
• On (온): Over 5,000 people.
• Sagong (사공): Over 4,000 people.
• Si (시): Over 4,000 people.
• Seonu (선우): Over 3,000 people.
• Seung (승): Over 3,000 people.
• Jwa (좌): Over 3,000 people.
• Beom (범): Over 3,000 people.
• Paeng (팽): Over 2,000 people.
• Gan (간): Over 2,000 people.
• Gal (갈): Over 2,000 people.
• Seomun (서문): Over 2,000 people.
• Sang (상): Over 2,000 people.
• Dan (단): Over 1,000 people.
• Dang (당): Over 1,000 people.
• Chang (창): Over 1,000 people.
• Sun (순): Over 1,000 people.
• Pung (풍): Over 600 people.
• Dae (대): Over 600 people.
• Yeop (엽): Over 500 people.
• Gung (궁): Over 500 people.
• Dokgo (독고): Over 500 people.
• Pyeong (평): Over 500 people.
• A (아): Over 500 people.
• Bing (빙): Over 700 people.
• Jong (종): Over 600 people.
• Muk (묵): Over 100 people.
• Nae (내): Over 300 people.
• Pan (판): Over 200 people.
• Cho (초): Over 200 people.
• Mae (매): Over 200 people.
• Nang (낭): Over 100 people.
• Man (만): Over 100 people.
• Hae (해): Over 100 people.
• Tan (탄): Over 100 people.
• Don (돈): Over 100 people.
• Un (운): Over 100 people.
• Gok (곡): Over 100 people.
• Gwok (궉): Over 100 people.
• Hu (후): Less than 100 people.
• Jeom (점): Less than 100 people.
• Sam (삼): Less than 100 people.
• Ae (애): Less than 100 people.
• Yeong (영): Less than 100 people.
• Myeong (묘): Less than 100 people.
• Ro (로): Less than 100 people.
• Seop (섭): Less than 100 people.
• Ja (자): Less than 100 people.
• Ya (야): Less than 100 people.
• Mi (미): Less than 100 people.
• Bo (보): Less than 100 people.
• Bi (비): Less than 100 people.
• Mu (무): Less than 100 people.
• Dok (독): Less than 100 people.
• Noe (뇌): Less than 100 people.
• Roe (뢰): Less than 100 people.
• Yeo (려): Less than 100 people.
• Jeung (증): Less than 100 people.
• Deung (등): Less than 100 people.
• Gwan (관): Less than 100 people.
• Gyo (교): Less than 100 people.
• Ran (란): Less than 100 people.
• Su (수): Less than 100 people.
• Rim (림): Less than 100 people.
• Dam (담): Less than 100 people.
• Li (리): Less than 100 people.
• Hak (학): Less than 100 people.
• Chong (총): Less than 100 people.
• Da (다): Less than 100 people.
• Tang (탕): Less than 100 people.
• Hwangmok (황목): Less than 100 people.
• Deungjeong (등정): Less than 100 people.
• Mubon (무본): Less than 100 people.
• Wan (완): Less than 100 people.
• San (산): Less than 100 people.
• Eogeum (어금): Less than 100 people.
• Mangjeol (망절): Less than 100 people.

Surnames That Have Changed Over Time

Some surnames that were listed in older statistics (like from 2000) might not appear in the most recent 2015 list. This doesn't mean they've disappeared completely! The 2015 statistics only count surnames used by five or more people. So, if a surname is used by fewer than five people, it won't show up on the newer list.

For example, some surnames like `Gang (彊)`, `Noe (賴)`, `Dan (端)`, `Don (敦)`, `Du (頭)`, `Beom (凡)`, `Bing (冰)`, `Yang (襄)`, `Yeo (汝)`, `Yeong (永)`, `Ye (乂)`, `Pyeon (扁)`, `Hwan (桓)`, and `Heung (興)` had more people in 2000 but fewer than five in 2015, or they were combined with other similar-sounding surnames.

Historical Surnames No Longer Used

Throughout history, some Korean surnames have stopped being used. These names can be found in old books and records, but you won't find people using them today. They are a cool part of Korea's past!

Some examples of these historical surnames include:

• Goi (고이)
• Myeongnim (명림)
• Mok (목)
• Mokhyeop (목협)
• Baek (백)
• Buyeo (부여)
• Sama (사마)
• Sosil (소실)
• Sumi (수미)
• Yeo (여)
• Yeon (연)
• U (우)
• Eul (을)
• Eulji (을지)
• Jomi (조미)
• Jungsil (중실)
• Hyeop (협)
• Heukchi (흑치)

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Nombres de familia coreanos para niños

• Korean name
• Korean culture
• Korean language
• List of common Chinese surnames