View source for Korean name

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{{For-multi|names of the country|Names of Korea|Wikipedia's policy on how to style Korean names|:Wikipedia:Naming conventions (Korean)}}
[[File:Koreannamediagram.svg|thumb|[[Hong Gildong jeon|Hong Gil-dong]], a generic Korean name used similarly to {{nowrap|"[[John Doe]]"}} in English. From the top, the name is written in [[Hangul]], then [[Hanja]], then in Latin text using the [[Revised Romanization of Korean|Revised Romanization]] system.{{Legend|#BD1E2D|Surname ({{Korean|hangul=홍|rr=Hong|labels=no}})}}{{Legend|#2C2E85|Given name ({{Korean|hangul=길동|rr=Gil-dong|labels=no}})}}]]
'''Korean names''' are names that place their origin in, or are used in, [[Korea]]. A Korean name in the modern era typically consists of a [[surname]] followed by a [[given name]], with no [[middle name]]s. A number of Korean terms for names exist. For full names, {{Transliteration|ko|rr|'''seongmyeong'''}} ({{Korean|hangul=성명|hanja=姓名}}), {{Transliteration|ko|rr|'''seongham'''}} ({{Korean|hangul=성함|hanja=姓銜|labels=no}}), or {{Transliteration|ko|rr|'''ireum'''}} ({{Korean|hangul=이름|labels=no}}) are commonly used. When a Korean name is written in [[Hangul]], there is usually no space between the surname and the given name.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Evason |first=Nina |date=2021 |title=South Korean Culture – Naming |url=https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/south-korean-culture/south-korean-culture-naming |access-date=2023-08-11 |website=Cultural Atlas |archive-date=2023-08-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230811113826/https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/south-korean-culture/south-korean-culture-naming |url-status=live }}</ref>

Most Korean surnames consist of a single syllable, although multisyllabic surnames exist (e.g. [[Namgung]]). In South Korea, upon marriage, both partners keep their full names, but children inherit the father's surname unless otherwise specified during the marriage registration process. Koreans have been historically grouped into [[Korean clans]]. Each clan is identified by a {{Transliteration|ko|rr|bongwan}} ({{Korean|hangul=본관|labels=no}}; birthplace of the clan's founder) and the surname of the founder of the clan (with descendency determined [[Patrilineality|patrilineally]]). For example, the [[Jeonju Yi clan]] comes from [[Jeonju]] and descends from {{Ill|Yi Han|ko|이한 (전주 이씨)}}.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lee |first=Si-jin |date=2022-05-05 |title=Wanju beckons with beautiful nature, traditions |url=https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20220505000130 |access-date=2023-07-22 |website=[[The Korea Herald]] |archive-date=2023-07-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230722000326/https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20220505000130 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2000, a census showed that, in total,   there were 286 [[List of Korean surnames|surnames]] and 4,179 clans.<ref>{{cite web |title=2000 인구주택총조사 성씨 및 본관 집계결과 |url=http://kostat.go.kr/portal/korea/kor_nw/2/2/1/index.board?bmode=read&aSeq=46672&pageNo=1&rowNum=10&navCount=10&sTarget=title&sTxt=%EB%B3%B8%EA%B4%80 |access-date=2017-10-20 |website=통계청 |publisher=[[Statistics Korea]] |language=ko}}{{Dead link|date=December 2018|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> However, the three most common surnames ([[Kim (Korean surname)|Kim]], [[Lee (Korean surname)|Lee]], and [[Park (Korean surname)|Park]]) are shared by nearly half of South Koreans.

Given names usually have two syllables, although names with one, three, or more syllables also exist. [[Generation name]]s (where names for a generation of a family are related in some way, usually by sharing a character) are also traditional, although now increasingly less common. In North Korea, the generational syllable is shared only among siblings, but in the South, it is shared by all members of the same generation. The use of given names is guided by a strict system of [[Korean honorifics|honorifics]]; it can be rude to refer to a stranger or person of higher social status by their given name. Perceived gender in names is less consistent than in Western names.

Naming practices have changed over time. Surnames were once exclusively used by royalty and nobility, but eventually became acceptable for lower class usage. Even until 1910, more than half of Koreans did not have a surname. While now significantly less common, Confucian and cultural traditions dictate systems of [[naming taboo]]s, childhood names, [[courtesy name]]s, [[art name]]s, and [[posthumous name]]s. Until the invention of the Korean alphabet Hangul in the 15th century, most Korean names were written using Chinese characters (Hanja). While many names can still be written entirely in Hanja, some are now exclusively written in Hangul (e.g. [[Da-som]]). In 2015, 7.7% of people had Hangul-only names. During the [[Korea under Japanese rule|Japanese occupation of Korea]], beginning in 1939, Koreans were [[Sōshi-kaimei|forced to adopt Japanese names and naming practices]]. They were allowed to return to using Korean names following the 1945 [[liberation of Korea]].

==Terms==
[[File:Korean name terminology.svg|thumb|Diagram showing terminology for names, with Latin text written using Revised Romanization]]
A number of terms exist for Korean names. For the full name, {{Transliteration|ko|rr|seongmyeong}} ({{Korean|hangul=성명|hanja=姓名|labels=no}}) is commonly used.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |script-title=ko:성명 |url=https://korean.dict.naver.com/koendict/#/entry/koen/8de03a530dcb403fb539347b010737fb |access-date=2023-08-11 |website=korean.dict.naver.com |archive-date=2023-10-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231001031953/https://korean.dict.naver.com/koendict/#/entry/koen/8de03a530dcb403fb539347b010737fb |url-status=live }}</ref> This is a compound word; {{Transliteration|ko|rr|seong}} ({{Korean|hangul=성|hanja=姓|labels=no}}) refers to the surname,<ref>{{Cite web |script-title=ko:성 |url=https://korean.dict.naver.com/koendict/#/entry/koen/df7b4e4b40fb4f3fb1338935ac9cf027 |access-date=2023-08-11 |website=korean.dict.naver.com |archive-date=2023-10-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231001031953/https://korean.dict.naver.com/koendict/#/entry/koen/df7b4e4b40fb4f3fb1338935ac9cf027 |url-status=live }}</ref> and {{Transliteration|ko|rr|myeong}} ({{Korean|hangul=명|hanja=名|labels=no}}) to the given name.<ref>{{Cite web |script-title=ko:명 |url=https://korean.dict.naver.com/koendict/#/entry/koen/f4562a7b335743239d5c2af90f760a73 |access-date=2023-08-11 |website=korean.dict.naver.com |archive-date=2023-10-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231001031953/https://korean.dict.naver.com/koendict/#/entry/koen/f4562a7b335743239d5c2af90f760a73 |url-status=live }}</ref> The native Korean term {{Transliteration|ko|rr|ireum}} ({{Korean|hangul=이름|labels=no}}) can be used to refer to either the full name or the given name.<ref>{{Cite web |script-title=ko:이름 |url=https://korean.dict.naver.com/koendict/#/entry/koen/b71f59e851f944dc835e82ba862fcf9b |access-date=2023-08-11 |website=korean.dict.naver.com |archive-date=2023-10-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231001031953/https://korean.dict.naver.com/koendict/#/entry/koen/b71f59e851f944dc835e82ba862fcf9b |url-status=live }}</ref>

A more formal term for the full name is {{Transliteration|ko|rr|seongham}} ({{Korean|hangul=성함|hanja=姓銜|labels=no}}).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-01-13 |title=How to Say "What Is Your Name" in Korean – Different ways of asking |url=https://www.90daykorean.com/what-is-your-name-in-korean/ |access-date=2023-08-11 |website=90 Day Korean |archive-date=2023-08-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230811033707/https://www.90daykorean.com/what-is-your-name-in-korean/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":0" /> This term is relatively commonly used during transactions or in official settings. It is commonly said in the phrase {{Korean|hangul="성함이 어떻게 되세요?"|labels=no|lit="What is your name?"}}.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-04-14 |title=(493) 성함이 어떻게 되세요? |trans-title=(493) What is your name? |url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2023/08/149_22450.html |access-date=2023-08-11 |website=[[The Korea Times]] |archive-date=2023-08-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230811034903/https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2023/08/149_22450.html |url-status=live }}</ref>[[Image:Distribution of South Korean family names.svg|thumb|right|Over half of South Koreans have the following five surnames (English spelling variations grouped together):
{{legend|#19578F|[[Kim (Korean surname)|Kim, Gim, Ghim]]}}
{{legend|#419A43|[[Lee (Korean surname)|Lee, Yi, Rhee, Yie]]}}
{{legend|#FB9F2C|[[Park (Korean surname)|Park, Pak, Bahk]]}}
{{legend|#DB1D2A|[[Choi (Korean surname)|Choi, Choe]]}}
{{legend|#7D377B|[[Jung (Korean surname)|Jung, Jeong, Chung, Cheong]]}}
{{legend|#D3D3D3|Other}}]]

==Surnames==
{{see also|List of Korean surnames}}
{{Further|Korean clans|Korean clans of foreign origin}}
{| width="275" class="wikitable" style="float:right;clear:right;margin:0 0 1em 1em;"
|+ The five most common surnames<ref name="nso">Republic of Korea. [http://kosis.nso.go.kr/cgi-bin/sws_999.cgi?ID=DT_1INOOSB&IDTYPE=3 National Statistical Office.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070301110942/http://kosis.nso.go.kr/cgi-bin/sws_999.cgi?ID=DT_1INOOSB&IDTYPE=3|date=2007-03-01}} The total population was 45,985,289. No comparable statistics are available from North Korea. The top 22 surnames are charted, and a rough extrapolation for both Koreas has been calculated {{cite web |title=Sun Bin: Chinese and Korean Family Names |url=http://sun-bin.blogspot.com/2005/12/chinese-and-korean-family-names.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160628044808/http://sun-bin.blogspot.com/2005/12/chinese-and-korean-family-names.html |archive-date=2016-06-28 |access-date=2006-08-22}}</ref>
|-
! bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | Korean !! bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | Hanja !! bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | [[Revised Romanization of Korean|Revised]] !! bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | [[McCune–Reischauer|MR]] !! bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | Common spellings
|-
| {{lang|ko|김}} || 金 || Gim || [[Kim (Korean name)|Kim]] || Kim, Gim
|-
| {{lang|ko|리}} ([[North Korea|N]])<br/>{{lang|ko|이}} ([[South Korea|S]]) || 李 || I || Ri (N)<br/>I (S) || [[Lee (Korean surname)|Lee]], Rhee, Yi
|-
| {{lang|ko|박}} || 朴 || Bak || Pak || [[Park (Korean surname)|Park]], Pak, Bak
|-
| {{lang|ko|최}} || 崔 || Choe || Ch'oe || [[Choi (Korean surname)|Choi]], Choe, Chue
|-
| {{lang|ko|정}} || 鄭 || Jeong || Chŏng || [[Jung (Korean surname)|Jung]], Chung, Jeong, Cheong
|}
Fewer than 300 (approximately 280)<ref name="HanCinema">{{cite web |last=Zwetsloot |first=Jacco |url=http://www.hancinema.net/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-korean-surnames-20507.html |title=Everything you ever wanted to know about Korean surnames |website=[[HanCinema]] |date=2009-08-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141204194633/http://www.hancinema.net/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-korean-surnames-20507.html |archive-date=2014-12-04}}</ref> Korean surnames were in use in 2000, and the three most common ([[Kim (Korean surname)|Kim]], [[Lee (Korean surname)|Lee]], and [[Park (Korean surname)|Park]]) account for nearly half of the population. For various reasons,{{Clarify|date=March 2024|reason=what reasons}} the number of Korean surnames has been increasing over time.<ref name="HanCinema" /><ref name=USLC>U.S. [[Library of Congress]], [http://countrystudies.us/south-korea/38.htm Traditional Family Life.] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161103013030/http://countrystudies.us/south-korea/38.htm |date=2016-11-03}}</ref>

Each Korean person belongs to a [[Korean clans|Korean clan]]. Each clan can be identified by a surname from a [[Patrilineality|patrilineal]] ancestor and a place of origin ({{Korean|hangul=본관|rr=bongwan|labels=no}}). For example, the most populous clan is the [[Gimhae Kim clan]]: they descend from [[Suro of Geumgwan Gaya|Kim Suro]] and identify the city of [[Gimhae]] as their origin. Clan membership is determined. Clans are further subdivided into various {{Transliteration|ko|rr|pa}} ({{Korean|hangul=파|hanja=派|labels=no}}), or branches stemming from a more recent common ancestor, so that a full identification of a person's surname would be clan-surname-branch.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}} Until 2005, [[Article 809 of the Korean Civil Code|marrying other members of one's clan was illegal]], although this restriction was declared unconstitutional and lifted.<ref>''Same-Surname-Same-Origin Marriage Ban'' case (95Hun-Ka6 on Article 809 (1) of the Civil Act); {{Citation |title=The First Ten Years of the Korean Constitutional Court |page=242 (p.256 of the PDF) |url=http://www.ccourt.go.kr/home/english/download/decision_10years.pdf |url-status=dead |publisher=[[Constitutional Court of Korea]] |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120219184747/http://www.ccourt.go.kr/home/english/download/decision_10years.pdf |archivedate=2012-02-19}}.</ref>

In the premodern, patriarchal Korean society, people were extremely conscious of familial values and their own family identities. Korean women keep their surnames after marriage based on traditional reasoning that it is inherited from their parents and ancestors, and cannot be changed. According to traditions, each clan publishes a comprehensive [[genealogy book]] ({{Korean|hangul=족보|hanja=族譜|rr=jokbo|labels=no}}) every 30 years.{{sfnp|Nahm|1988|pp=33–34}} Around a dozen two-syllable surnames are used, all of which rank after the 100 most common surnames. The five most common surnames, which together make up over half of the Korean population, are used by over 20 million people in South Korea.<ref name="nso" />

=== History ===
Historically, surnames were exclusive to royalty and nobility in ancient Korea, only gradually filtering down to the general population during the [[Goryeo|Goryeo era]] (918–1392). The lowest classes, including slaves, remained without surnames until much later. During the [[Joseon|Joseon era]] (1392–1910), particularly after devastating wars like the [[Imjin War]] (1592–1598), the government began selling official positions and even aristocratic status to commoners to raise funds. This created an opportunity for social mobility. Newly wealthy commoners would often fabricate illustrious family histories, fabricating ''jokbo'' (family trees) to insert themselves into prominent clans, sometimes claiming Chinese ancestry to avoid scrutiny. This led to a widespread industry of jokbo forgery.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=2024-10-23 |title=What's in a name? How Koreans faked their way to Kim, Lee and Park |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/what-s-in-a-name-how-koreans-faked-their-way-to-kim-lee-and-park |access-date=2025-06-04 |work=The Straits Times |language=en |issn=0585-3923}}</ref>

Crucially, the practice of selling status eventually extended to the lowest classes, allowing them to purchase commoner status and, with it, the right to adopt surnames. This contributed to a significant erosion of the class system. By the time the class system was officially abolished in 1894, nearly all Koreans had adopted surnames. This historical trend explains the high concentration of a few common surnames, as many simply adopted popular, prestigious names.<ref name=":1" />

=== Modern era ===
After the 2015 census, it was revealed that foreign-origin surnames were becoming more common in South Korea, due to naturalised citizens transcribing their surnames in Hangul. Between 2000 and 2015, more than 4,800 new surnames were registered. During the census, a total of 5,582 distinct surnames were collected, 73% of which do not have corresponding Hanja characters. It was also revealed that despite the surge in the number of surnames, the ratio of top 10 surnames had not changed. 44.6% of South Koreans are still named Kim, Lee or Park, while the rest of the top 10 are made up of Choi, Jeong, Kang, Jo, Yoon, Jang and Lim.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kim|first=Da-sol|url=http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20170109000755|title=Foreign-origin family names on rise in South Korea|date=2017-01-09|access-date=2017-01-10|newspaper=[[The Korea Herald]]|archive-date=2017-01-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170109230053/http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20170109000755|url-status=live}}</ref>

Children traditionally (and still mostly) take their father's surname.{{sfnp|Nahm|1988}} However, under South Korean Civil Law effective January 1, 2008, children may be legally given the surname of either parent or even that of a step-parent.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Park |first=Chung-a |date=2007-06-03 |title=Children Can Adopt Mothers Surname |url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2023/05/113_4064.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609223414/https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/04/113_4064.html |archive-date=2016-06-09 |access-date=2023-05-11 |website=[[The Korea Times]]}}</ref>

==Given names==
{{See also|List of Korean given names}}
Traditionally, given names are partly determined by [[generation name]]s, a custom originating in China. One of the two characters in a given name is unique to the individual, while the other is shared by all people in a family generation. In both North and South Koreas, generational names are usually no longer shared by cousins, but are still commonly shared by siblings.<ref name="northnames">{{Cite web |author=김미영 |script-title=ko:이름짓기/ 여성 이름 '자'字 사라져 |trans-title=Creating a name / ''ja'' disappearing from female names |publisher=NKchosun |date=2000-11-19 |url=http://nk.chosun.com/news/news.html?ACT=detail&res_id=3758 |language=ko |access-date=2006-08-13 |archive-date=2023-08-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816103228/http://nk.chosun.com/news/news.html?ACT=detail&res_id=3758 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Harkrader|first=Lisa|title=South Korea|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w1VeruSAyawC|year=2004|publisher=Enslow Pub. Inc.|isbn=978-0-7660-5181-2|page=24|quote=Many South Korean families today are relatively small, and may not include sons, so South Korean parents have begun to choose names for their sons that do not follow the traditional requirements of generation names.}}</ref>

Given names are typically composed of Hanja, or Chinese characters. In North Korea, the Hanja are no longer used to write the names, but the meanings are still understood; for example, the syllable {{Transliteration|ko|rr|cheol}} ({{lang|ko|철}}) in boys' names is usually perceived as {{linktext|鐵}}, which means "iron".<ref name="northnames" />

In South Korea, Article 37 of the ''Regulations on Registration of Family Relations'' ({{Korean|hangul=가족관계의 등록 등에 관한 규칙|labels=no}}) requires that the Hanja in personal names be taken from a restricted list. Unapproved Hanja must be represented by Hangul in the family relations register ({{Korean|hangul=가족관계등록부|labels=no}}). In March 1991, the [[Supreme Court of Korea]] published the ''List of Hanja for Use in Personal Names'' ({{Korean|hangul=인명용 한자표|hanja=人名用漢字表|labels=no}}){{efn|Also called the ''List of Additional Hanja for Use in Personal Names'' ({{Korean|hangul=인명용 추가 한자표|hanja=人名用追加漢字表|labels=no}}).}} which allowed a total of 2,854 Hanja in new South Korean given names (as well as 61 variant forms), and put it into effect starting April 1 of the same year.<ref>{{Cite web |author=[[National Institute of Korean Language|National Academy of the Korean Language]] |script-title=ko:국립 국어 연구원 소식 |trans-title=News from the National Academy of the Korean Language |publisher=New Korean Life (새국어생활) |date=June 1991 |url=http://www.korean.go.kr/nkview/nklife/1991_2/2_25.html |language=ko |access-date=2006-08-11 |archive-date=2016-03-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160319163239/http://www.korean.go.kr/nkview/nklife/1991_2/2_25.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The list was expanded several times; the latest update was in 2022. Currently, more than 8,000 Hanja are permitted in South Korean names (including the [[Basic Hanja for educational use|set of basic Hanja]]), in addition to a small number of variant forms.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2014/10/20/2014102001300.html|script-title=ko:'인명용(人名用)' 한자 5761→8142자로 대폭 확대|newspaper=[[The Chosun Ilbo]]|date=2014-10-20|access-date=2017-08-23|language=ko|archive-date=2017-08-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170823161914/http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2014/10/20/2014102001300.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The use of an official list is similar to Japan's use of the ''[[jinmeiyō kanji]]'' (although the characters do not entirely coincide).

The ''List of Hanja for Use in Personal Names'' merely shows what characters are currently allowed to be registered. It cannot always be used to determine someone's existing Hanja name because of the following reasons:
* People who were named before April 1, 1991, did not have any restrictions on Hanja names. Their names can contain Hanja that are not even in the list.
* The list is sometimes updated to include more Hanja. A character currently in the list may not be in older versions of the list.

While the traditional practice is still largely followed, since the late 1970s, some parents have given their children names that are native Korean words, usually of two syllables. Given names of this sort include [[Ha-neul]] ({{Korean|hangul=하늘|labels=no|lit=heaven/sky}}), [[Da-som]] ({{Korean|hangul=다솜|labels=no|lit=love}}) and [[Bit-na]] ({{Korean|hangul=빛나|labels=no|lit=to shine}}). Between 2008 and 2015, the proportion of such names among South Korean newborns rose from 3.5% to 7.7%.<ref>{{cite news|author=민경호|url=http://news.sbs.co.kr/news/endPage.do?news_id=N1003564588|script-title=ko:신생아 인기 이름 '민준·서연'…드라마 영향?|trans-title=Popular names for newborns: Min-jun and Seo-yeon ... the effect of TV dramas?|publisher=[[Seoul Broadcasting System]]|date=2016-05-09|access-date=2017-12-06|quote=신생아에게 한글 이름을 지어주는 경우는 2008년 전체의 3.5%에서 지난해에는 두 배가 넘는 7.7%에 달했습니다.|language=ko|archive-date=2017-12-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213092326/http://news.sbs.co.kr/news/endPage.do?news_id=N1003564588|url-status=live}}</ref> Another source, citing the [[Supreme Court of Korea|Supreme Court]] Public Relations Office, found the amount in newborns increased from 7.46% in 2013 to a new high of 14.83% in 2022; however, this data also indicated that the increase was mainly due to modern decline in birth rates hitting Chinese character names disproportionally hard, as they fell from 410,000 down to 210,000, whereas pure Korean names only rose moderately, from 33,000 to 37,000.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chang |first=Boyŏng |date=2023 |title=Our children's 'Korean names'... What is the reason for the doubling in 10 years? |url=https://news.lghellovision.net/news/articleView.html?idxno=440127 |website=[[LG]] HelloVision |language=ko}}</ref> Despite this trend away from traditional practice, people's names are still recorded in both Hangul and Hanja (if available) on official documents, in family genealogies, and so on.

Unless a given name contains a syllable that does not have any corresponding Hanja at all (e.g. {{lang|ko|빛}} ({{Transliteration|ko|rr|bit}})), there is no guarantee that a name which may ''look'' like a native Korean name never has Hanja. A certain name written in Hangul can be a native Korean name, or a Sino-Korean name, or even both. For example, [[Bo-ram (name)|Bo-ram]] ({{lang|ko|보람}}) can not only be a native Korean name,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lawpeople.lawtimes.co.kr/lawman/10502/preview|script-title=ko:김보람(金보람)|work=한국법조인대관|trans-work=List of Legal Professionals in Korea|publisher=법률신문 (The Law Times)|access-date=2023-08-15|language=ko|archive-date=2023-08-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230815130650/https://lawpeople.lawtimes.co.kr/lawman/10502/preview|url-status=live}}</ref> but can also be a Sino-Korean name (e.g. 寶濫).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lawpeople.lawtimes.co.kr/lawman/21732/preview|script-title=ko:강보람(姜寶濫)|work=한국법조인대관|trans-work=List of Legal Professionals in Korea|publisher=법률신문 (The Law Times)|access-date=2023-08-15|language=ko|archive-date=2023-08-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230813162914/https://lawpeople.lawtimes.co.kr/lawman/21732/preview|url-status=live}}</ref> In some cases, parents intend a dual meaning: both the meaning from a native Korean word and the meaning from Hanja.

Originally, there was no legal limitation on the length of names in South Korea. As a result, some people registered extremely long given names, such as the 16-syllable {{Transliteration|ko|rr|{{shy|Haneul|byeolnim|gureum|haetnim|boda|sarang|seureouri}}}} ({{lang|ko|하늘별님구름햇님보다사랑스러우리}}; roughly, "more beloved than the sky, stars, clouds, and the sun"). However, beginning in 1993, new regulations required that the given name be five syllables or shorter.<ref>{{cite news|author=김남일|url=http://www.hani.co.kr/arti/society/society_general/399615.html|script-title=ko:한국에서 가장 긴 이름은?|trans-title=What's the longest name in Korea?|publisher=[[The Hankyoreh]]|date=2008-01-18|access-date=2015-08-06|language=ko|archive-date=2015-10-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016215942/http://www.hani.co.kr/arti/society/society_general/399615.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

A family relations certificate ({{Korean|hangul=가족관계증명서|labels=no}}) of an individual lists the person concerned, the person's parents, spouse, and children. If there is more than one person with the same name in a family relations certificate, it is difficult to identify the person. Therefore, an individual is not allowed to have the same name as someone appearing in one's parent's family relations certificate – in other words, a child cannot have the same name as one's parents and grandparents.<ref>{{cite web |author=Ministry of Government Legislation of South Korea |author-link=Ministry of Government Legislation |url=https://easylaw.go.kr/CSP/CnpClsMain.laf?csmSeq=277&ccfNo=4&cciNo=2&cnpClsNo=1 |script-title=ko:태아 및 신생아 > 자녀의 성명 > 이름 > 이름 관련 준수사항 (본문) |website=찾기쉬운 생활법령정보 (Easy to Find, Practical Law) |quote=가족관계증명서에 동일한 이름을 가진 사람이 둘 이상 있으면 이름을 특정하기 곤란한 문제가 발생합니다. 따라서 자녀의 이름은 출생자에 대한 부와 모의 가족관계증명서에 드러나는 사람(예를 들어, 출생자의 조부·조모·부·모 등)과 같은 이름을 사용한 경우에는 출생신고가 수리되지 않습니다 |language=ko |access-date=2023-08-16 |archive-date=2023-08-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816103229/https://easylaw.go.kr/CSP/CnpClsMain.laf?csmSeq=277&ccfNo=4&cciNo=2&cnpClsNo=1 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Gender===
Korean given names' correlation to gender is complex and, by comparison to European languages, less consistent.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kim |first1=Jong-mi |last2=Go |first2=U-ri |date=December 2024 |title=Sounds of gender: Masculine consonants and feminine vowels in names across languages |url=https://www.kci.go.kr/kciportal/ci/sereArticleSearch/ciSereArtiView.kci?sereArticleSearchBean.artiId=ART003150863 |journal=Studies in Phonetics, Phonology and Morphology |volume=30 |issue=3 |pages=401–426 |issn=1226-8690}}</ref>

Certain Sino-Korean syllables carry masculine connotations, others feminine, and others unisex. These connotations may vary depending on whether the character is used as the first or second character in the given name. A ''[[Generation name|dollimja]]'' generational marker, once confined to male descendants but now sometimes used for women as well, may further complicate gender identification. Native Korean given names show similar variation.

A further complication in Korean text is that the singular pronoun used to identify individuals has no gender. This means that automated translation often misidentifies or fails to identify an individual's gender in Korean text and thus presents stilted or incorrect English output. (Conversely, English source text is similarly missing information about social status and age critical to smooth Korean-language rendering.)<ref>{{cite conference |title=Determining Gender of Korean Names with Context |last1=Yoon |first1=Hee-geun |last2=Park |first2=Seong-bae |last3=Han |first3=Yong-jin |last4=Lee |first4=Sang-jo |year=2008 |publisher=[[Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers]] |pages=121–126 |location=[[Dalian]], China |conference=2008 International Conference on Advanced Language Processing and Web Information Technology |doi=10.1109/ALPIT.2008.86 }}</ref>

==Usage==

===Forms of address===
{{See also|Korean honorifics}}
The usage of names is governed by strict norms in traditional Korean society. It is generally considered rude to address people by their given names in [[Korean culture]]. This is particularly the case when dealing with adults or one's elders.<ref>{{Cite web|author=The Northern Forum |title=Protocol Manual |publisher=northernforum.org |year=2006 |page=29 |location=Anchorage, AK |url=http://www.northernforum.org/servlet/download?id=2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060414082720/http://www.northernforum.org/servlet/download?id=2014 |access-date=2006-08-23 |archive-date=2006-04-14}}</ref> It is acceptable to call someone by his or her given name if he or she is the same age as the speaker. However, it is considered rude to use someone's given name if that person's age is a year older than the speaker. This is often a source of [[pragmatics|pragmatic]] difficulty for learners of Korean as a foreign language, and for Korean learners of Western languages.

A variety of replacements are used for the actual name of the person. It is acceptable among adults of similar status to address the other by their full name, with the suffix {{Transliteration|ko|rr|ssi}} ({{Korean|hangul=씨|hanja=氏|labels=no}}) added. However, it is inappropriate to address someone by the surname alone, even with such a suffix.<ref name="proper">{{Cite book|last=Lee |first=Ui-do (리의도) |script-title=ko:올바른 우리말 사용법 |trans-title=Proper usage of the Korean language |publisher=Yedam |year=2005 |location=Seoul |page=182 |language=ko |isbn=978-89-5913-118-1}}</ref> Whenever the person has an official rank, it is typical to address him or her by the name of that rank (such as "Manager"), often with the honorific {{Transliteration|ko|rr|nim}} ({{Korean|hangul=님|labels=no}}) added. In such cases, the full name of the person may be appended, although this can also imply the speaker is of higher status.<ref name="proper" />

Among children and close friends, it is common to use a person's birth name.

===Traditional nicknames===
Among the common people, who have suffered from high child mortality, children were often given childhood names ({{Korean|hangul=아명|hanja=兒名|rr=amyeong|labels=no}}), to wish them long lives by avoiding notice from the messenger of death.<ref name="EncyKorea">{{cite web|script-title=ko:이름|url=https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0044126|website=[[Encyclopedia of Korean Culture]]|access-date=2023-08-21|language=ko|archive-date=2023-08-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230821081402/https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0044126|url-status=live}}</ref> These have become less common.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Naver Encyclopedia |title=Nickname (별명, 別名) |publisher=[[Naver]] |url=http://100.naver.com/100.nhn?docid=75449 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130129141637/http://100.naver.com/100.nhn?docid=75449 |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 29, 2013 |access-date=2006-08-22 |language=ko }}</ref>

After marriage, women usually lost their {{Transliteration|ko|rr|amyeong}}, and were called by a {{Transliteration|ko|rr|taekho}} ({{Korean|hangul=택호|hanja=宅號|labels=no}}), referring to their town of origin.<ref name="EncyKorea" />

In addition, [[teknonymy]], or referring to parents by their children's names, is a common practice. It is most commonly used in referring to a mother by the name of her eldest child, as in "Cheolsu's mom" ({{lang|ko|철수 엄마}}). However, it can be extended to either parent and any child, depending upon the context.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hwang |first=Shin Ja J. |title=Terms of Address In Korean and American Cultures |page=9 |publisher=trinity.edu |year=1991 |url=http://www.trinity.edu/org/ics/ICS%20Issues/01%20ICS%20I%202/ICS-1-2-Hwang.pdf |work=Intercultural Communication Studies I:2 |access-date=2008-09-11 |archive-date=2006-08-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060823123916/http://www.trinity.edu/org/ics/ICS%20Issues/01%20ICS%20I%202/ICS-1-2-Hwang.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Romanization and pronunciation==
{{See also|Romanization of Korean}}
In English-speaking nations, the three most common surnames are almost always rendered and pronounced as ''Kim'' ({{Korean|hangul=김|labels=no}}), ''Lee''/''Ri'' ({{Korean|hangul=이/리|labels=no}}), and ''Park'' ({{Korean|hangul=박|labels=no}}).
* The initial sound in ''Kim'' shares features with both the English ''k'' (in initial position, an aspirated voiceless velar stop) and "hard ''g''" (an unaspirated voiced velar stop). When pronounced initially, Kim starts with an unaspirated voiceless [[velar stop]] sound; it is voiceless like {{IPA|[k]}}, but also unaspirated like {{IPA|[ɡ]}}. As aspiration is a distinctive feature in Korean but voicing is not, ''Gim'' is more likely to be understood correctly. However, ''Kim'' is usually used as the romanized form in both North and South Koreas.{{sfnp|Yonhap|2004|pp=484–536, 793–800, ''passim''}}
* The surname ''Lee'' is originally {{Korean|hangul=리|labels=no}} (''Ri'') in North Korea and {{Korean|hangul=이|labels=no}} (''I'') in South Korea. In the former case, the initial sound is a [[liquid consonant]]. There is no distinction between the alveolar liquids {{IPA|[l]}} and {{IPA|[r]}}, which is why ''Lee'' and ''Ri'' are both common spellings. In South Korea, the pronunciation of the name is simply the English vowel sound for a "long ''e''", as in ''see''. This pronunciation is also often spelled as ''Yi''; the Northern pronunciation is commonly romanized as ''Ri''.{{sfnp|Yonhap|2004|pp=561–608, 807–810, ''passim''}}
* In Korean, the name that is usually romanized as ''Park'' actually has no ''r'' sound, unlike in [[American English]], since the romanization was based on [[English English]], which has [[r-dropping]]. Its initial sound is an unaspirated voiceless [[bilabial stop]] {{IPA|[p]}}. The vowel is {{IPA|[a]}}, similar to the ''a'' in ''father'', so the name is also often transcribed ''Pak'', ''Bak'' and ''Bahk''.{{sfnp|Yonhap|2004|pp=438–457}}

In romanized Korean names, there are three common ways to spell the given name:
* A two-syllable given name is spelled as a joined word (Hong ''Gildong'')
* Separated by a hyphen (Hong ''{{nowrap|Gil-dong}}'')
* Separated by a space (Hong ''{{nowrap|Gil Dong}}'')

Some Koreans avoid certain spellings because of their similarity to English words with negative connotations. For example, "Gang", "Bang", "Sin", and "Gun".{{sfnp|Lee|2011|p=94}} South Korean president [[Roh Moo-hyun]] previously romanized his surname "Noh", but switched to spelling it "Roh" to avoid associations between it and the English word "no".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Seo |first=Ji-eun |date=2025-06-26 |title=Lee Jae Myung's disappearing hyphen captures long, quirky history of romanizing Korean names |url=https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2025-06-26/national/politics/Lee-Jae-Myungs-disappearing-hyphen-captures-long-quirky-history-of-romanizing-Korean-names/2338864 |access-date=2025-07-11 |website=[[Korea JoongAng Daily]] |language=en}}</ref>

It is not always possible to unambiguously determine the original Hangul name from a romanized Korean name. For example, the ''jung'' in [[Kim Dae-jung]] and in [[Youn Yuh-jung]] is actually different in Hangul ({{lang|ko|중}} and {{lang|ko|정}} respectively).{{efn|Even if the Revised Romanization of Korean (RR) were strictly applied to all names, such an ambiguity is not fully resolved. For example, given names {{lang|ko|빛나}} and {{lang|ko|샛별}} are romanized as {{Transliteration|ko|rr|Bitna}} and {{Transliteration|ko|rr|Saetbyeol}} respectively according to RR – syllable-final consonants {{lang|ko|ㅊ}} and {{lang|ko|ㅅ}} both become ''t''.}}

===Name order===
[[File:Ban Ki-Moon Davos 2011.jpg|thumb|[[Ban Ki-moon]] in [[Davos]], [[Switzerland]] – the usual presentation of Korean names in English, as shown here, is to put the surname first (Ban is the surname)]]
In English-language publications, including newspapers, Korean names are usually written in the original order, with the surname first and the given name last. However, Koreans living and working in Western countries usually adopt the Western order, with the given name first and the surname last. The usual presentation of Korean names in English is similar to those of [[Chinese name]]s and differs from those of [[Japanese name]]s, which, in English publications, are usually written in a reversed order with the surname last.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Power |first=John |date=June 2008 |title=Japanese names |url=http://www.theindexer.org/files/26-2/26-2-cp4_002.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=The Indexer |volume=26 |issue=2 |pages=2–8 |doi=10.3828/indexer.2008.29 |issn=0019-4131 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101130073413/http://theindexer.org/files/26-2/26-2-cp4_002.pdf |archive-date=2010-11-30}}</ref>

=== Romanizations on South Korean passports ===
[[File:Specimen_Personal_Information_Page_South_Korean_Passport.jpg|thumb|A specimen of the identity information page of a [[South Korean passport]], displaying the romanization of the bearer's name (Lee Suyeon) for international legibility.]]
For romanizations of names on passports, the South Korean government recommends (but generally does not strictly require) a number of modifications to the [[Revised Romanization of Korean|Revised Romanization]] ("RR") system. Passport romanizations are subject to approval by the South Korean government. These requirements have been enforced with varying strictness over time; they were once stricter, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejecting applications with romanizations it deemed too unorthodox, but a number of legal cases have resulted in the easing of enforcement.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Choi |first=Jeong-yoon |date=2025-04-21 |title=Romanization rules not mandatory for names on passports: court |url=https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10470214 |access-date=2025-07-11 |website=[[The Korea Herald]] |language=en}}</ref> The South Korean government offers an automatic romanization tool that converts Hangul names to recommended passport romanizations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=외교부 여권안내 |url=https://www.passport.go.kr/home/kor/romanizeAutomatic/url |access-date=2025-07-11 |website=www.passport.go.kr |publisher=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (South Korea)]] |language=ko}}</ref>

Recommendations for passport romanizations:<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=로마자 성명 표기 규정 |url=https://www.passport.go.kr/home/kor/contents.do?menuPos=37 |access-date=2025-07-11 |website=passport.go.kr |publisher=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (South Korea)]] |language=ko}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=Enforcement Decree of the Passport Act |url=https://elaw.klri.re.kr/eng_service/lawView.do?hseq=67998&lang=ENG |access-date=2025-07-11 |website=Korea Legislation Research Institute}}</ref>

* Romanizations that "obviously [have] a negative meaning" in other languages are discouraged. For example, {{Lang|ko|신}} is recommended to be romanized as ''SHIN'' and not the strict RR form ''SIN'' (spelled the same as ''[[sin]]'', despite being pronounced differently).<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Kim |first=Sarah |date=2018-04-03 |title=Looser rules for changing name on a passport |url=https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2018/04/03/socialAffairs/Looser-rules-for-changing-name-on-a-passport/3046447.html |access-date=2025-07-11 |website=[[Korea JoongAng Daily]] |language=en}}</ref>
* Ad-hoc romanizations like ''MYUNG'' for {{Lang|ko|명}} are allowed.
* The default for given names is the concatenated form (e.g. "GILDONG" for {{lang|ko|길동}}; no hyphens or spaces).
** Hyphens or spaces in given names are discouraged. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs allows people to apply to change their romanization to remove hyphens or spaces.<ref>{{harvtxt|Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Korea|2014}}: "Q: {{lang|ko|이름을 한 글자씩 띄어서 로마자로 표기했더니 해외에서는 중간 이름(미들네임)으로 인식되어 불편합니다. 붙여 쓰기로 변경할 수 있나요?}} / A: {{lang|ko|1회에 한해 붙여 쓰도록 변경할 수 있습니다.}}" (Question: My given name [on my passport] has a space between each syllable. This is inconvenient because [the second syllable] is perceived as a middle name outside Korea. Can I have the space removed? / Answer: You can have the space removed only once.)</ref>
*** For an unknown reason, the South Korean government had been inserting a space between syllables of a given name (e.g. "{{nowrap|GIL DONG}}" for {{lang|ko|길동}}) by default.<ref>{{cite news |author=최진우 |script-title=ko:로마자표기법 널리 알려야 |url=https://newslibrary.naver.com/viewer/index.naver?articleId=1999112000289106009 |page=6 |newspaper=[[The Hankyoreh]] |date=1999-11-20 |access-date=2025-07-12 |language=ko |via=[[Naver|Naver News Library]] |quote=여권 발급 때에는 어찌된 일인지 결코 '-'을 쓰지 않고 이름 두자를 띄어쓴다.}}</ref> Because of the space, the second syllable in a given name is frequently misunderstood as a middle name (and thus frequently omitted) outside of Korea. This causes inconvenience and confusion – people sharing the same surname and the same first syllable of their given names end up having the same name; this even includes siblings.<ref>{{cite news |script-title=ko:본의 아닌 한인 '미들네임' |url=https://www.koreadaily.com/article/344349 |newspaper=[[JoongAng Ilbo|The Korea Daily]] |date=2005-03-23 |access-date=2025-07-12 |language=ko}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=김석하 |script-title=ko:9일은 한글날, 영어표기 이름 붙여쓰자 '조각난' 이름…'무너진' 자존심 |url=https://www.koreadaily.com/article/711001 |newspaper=[[JoongAng Ilbo|The Korea Daily]] |date=2008-10-08 |access-date=2025-07-12 |language=ko}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=곽동현 |script-title=ko:융자의 시작은 정확한 이름부터 |url=https://www.koreadaily.com/article/3445094 |newspaper=[[JoongAng Ilbo|The Korea Daily]] |date=2015-06-10 |access-date=2025-07-12 |language=ko}}</ref> According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the default for given names was changed to the concatenated form in December 2004;<ref>{{cite web |author=Passport Division of the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (South Korea)|Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Korea]] |script-title=ko:여권 |url=https://www.mofa.go.kr/www/brd/m_4124/view.do?seq=34997 |website=Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Korea |date=2006-12-13 |access-date=2025-07-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230624003609/https://www.mofa.go.kr/www/brd/m_4124/view.do?seq=34997 |archive-date=2023-06-24 |language=ko |quote=여권상 영문이름 표기시 그간 관행적으로 띄어쓰기를 하여 해외에서 자기 이름이 잘못 불려지는 경우가 있어 여권상 영문이름을 붙여 표기토록 추진하여 2004.12월부터 붙여쓰는 것을 원칙으로 하고 있으며}}</ref> the Ministry later officially admitted that having a space in a given name can be misunderstood as having first and middle names.<ref>{{harvtxt|Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Korea|2014}}: "{{lang|ko|이름의 글자를 띄어 쓰면 외국에서 중간 이름으로 인식되므로 될 수 있으면 붙여서 사용하시기 바랍니다.}}" (If there is a space between each syllable of your given name, [the second syllable] will be perceived as a middle name outside Korea. Therefore, we recommend concatenating syllables.)</ref>
* Assimilation between syllables is not reflected.
* If a Korean given name is a Hangul transcription of a name or word in another language, and the transcription is sufficiently faithful to the original, it is permitted to use the original spelling. For example, {{Lang|ko|에스더}} is a Hangul transcription of "Esther"; it is allowed to be romanized as ''ESTHER'' (not necessarily the RR form ''ESEUDEO'').
** However, if the Hangul transcription is sufficiently different from a form in another language (especially happens with Biblical names), its romanization should be based on the Korean pronunciation. For example, {{Lang|ko|다윗}} (''Dawit'' in RR) is a Biblical name equivalent to "David" in English; this is deemed too different from "David", so a spelling such as ''DAWIT'' is asked for instead.<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-05-13 |title=영문 성명 표기 원칙 |url=https://overseas.mofa.go.kr/jp-fukuoka-ko/brd/m_1590/view.do?seq=1141548 |access-date=2025-07-11 |website=Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Fukuoka |publisher=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (South Korea)]] |language=ko}}</ref>

Exceptions can apply to most of the above. For example, if a person had been using a non-standard spelling abroad and changing it would inconvenience them, they could be granted permission to use that spelling.<ref name=":5" /> Even a single surname within a single family can be romanized differently on passports. For example, within a single {{lang|ko|심}} family, the father's surname can be "Shim" while his son's can be "Sim".<ref>{{cite news |author=김용 |date=2023-07-12 |script-title=ko:아버지 성은 'SHIM', 아들은 'SIM'...'헤라클래스' 부자에 무슨 사연이? |trans-title=Father's surname is Shim, son's is Sim... What is the story behind the "Hercules" father and son? |url=https://sports.news.naver.com/news.nhn?oid=076&aid=0004030620 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231022061414/https://sports.news.naver.com/news.nhn?oid=076&aid=0004030620 |archive-date=2023-10-22 |access-date=2023-09-13 |publisher=[[Sports Chosun]] |language=ko |quote=심정수는 이주 과정에서 여권 신청서를 작성할 때 실수로 아들들의 성을 'SIM'으로 적었다고 한다. 뒤늦게 실수를 알았지만, 다시 이름을 바꾸기는 어려웠다. |trans-quote=When [[Shim Jeong-soo]] was applying for his sons' passports to go abroad, he mistakenly wrote their surname as "SIM". He later realized his mistake, but it was too late to change.}}</ref>

According to a 2007 examination of 63,000 passports, the most common romanizations for various common surnames were:<ref>{{cite web|author=National Institute of Korean Language |author-link=National Institute of Korean Language |script-title=ko:성씨 로마자 표기 방안 마련을 위한 토론회 |url=https://korean.go.kr/common/download.do?file_path=etcData&c_file_name=80f65ee3-98ee-4e75-8f76-ebe941ba1597.pdf&o_file_name=%ED%86%A0%EB%A1%A0%ED%9A%8C-%EC%9D%B8%EC%87%84%EC%B5%9C%EC%A2%85.pdf |pages=57, 58, 60, 61 |date=2009-06-25 |language=ko}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
!Surname<br />(Hangul)!!Spelling 1!!Spelling 2!!Spelling 3
|-
|{{lang|ko|김}}||Kim (99.3%)||Gim (0.6%)||Ghim (0.01%)
|-
|{{lang|ko|이}}||Lee (98.5%)||Yi (1%)||Rhee (0.2%)
|-
|{{lang|ko|박}}||Park (95.9%)||Bak (1.8%)||Pak (1.7%)
|-
|{{lang|ko|최}}||Choi (93.1%)||Choe (6.5%)||Choy (0.09%)
|-
|{{lang|ko|정}}||Jung (48.6%)||Jeong (37%)||Chung (9.2%)
|}

==History==
The use of names has evolved over time. The first recording of Korean names appeared as early as in the early [[Three Kingdoms of Korea|Three Kingdoms period]]. The adoption of Chinese characters contributed to Korean names. A complex system, including [[courtesy name]]s, [[art name]]s, [[posthumous name]]s, and childhood names, arose out of [[Confucianism|Confucian]] tradition. The courtesy name system in particular arose from the ''[[Classic of Rites]]'', a core text of the Confucian canon.{{sfnp|Lee|1983|p=1134}} Names have also been influenced by [[naming taboo]]s, a practice that originated in China.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Koon |first=Wee Kek |date=2023-02-14 |title=Chinese culture, like North Korea, has taboo words; they just aren't illegal |url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/short-reads/article/3210116/north-koreas-kim-jong-un-has-enforced-name-taboo-chinese-emperors-once-did-chinese-culture-has-other |access-date=2023-07-22 |website=[[South China Morning Post]] |archive-date=2023-07-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230722004013/https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/short-reads/article/3210116/north-koreas-kim-jong-un-has-enforced-name-taboo-chinese-emperors-once-did-chinese-culture-has-other |url-status=live }}</ref>

During the Three Kingdoms period, native given names were sometimes composed of three syllables like Misaheun ({{lang|ko|미사흔}}) and Sadaham ({{lang|ko|사다함}}), which were later transcribed into [[Hanja]] (未斯欣 and 斯多含). The use of surnames was limited to kings in the beginning, but gradually spread to aristocrats and eventually to most of the population.{{sfnp|Toh|1999|loc=sec. 2}}

Some recorded surnames are apparently native Korean words, such as [[toponym]]s. At that time, some characters of Korean names might have been read not by their Sino-Korean pronunciation, but by their native reading. For example, the native Korean name of [[Yŏn Kaesomun]] ({{Korean|hangul=연개소문|hanja=淵蓋蘇文|labels=no}}), the first Grand Prime Minister of [[Goguryeo]], can linguistically be reconstructed as {{IPA|[*älkɑsum]}}.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Chang |first=Sekyung (장세경) |script-title=ko:고대 복수인명 표기의 음성·음운론적 고찰 |trans-title=Phonetic and phonological study on the different transcriptions of the same personal names |url=http://www.riss.kr/link?id=T2179775 |year=1990 |location=Seoul |publisher=[[Dongguk University]] |language=ko}}</ref> Early [[Silla]] names are also believed to represent [[Old Korean]] vocabulary; for example, [[Bak Hyeokgeose]], the name of the founder of Silla, was pronounced something like {{Transliteration|ko|rr|Bulgeonuri}} (弗矩內), which can be translated as "bright world".{{sfnp|Toh|1999|loc=sec. 3}}

In older traditions, if the name of a baby is not chosen by the third trimester, the responsibility of choosing the name fell to the oldest son of the family. Often, this was the preferred method as the name chosen was seen as good luck.

According to the chronicle ''[[Samguk sagi]]'', surnames were bestowed by kings upon their supporters. For example, in 33 CE, King [[Yuri of Silla|Yuri]] gave the six headmen of Saro (later [[Silla]]) the names Lee ({{lang|ko|이}}), Bae ({{lang|ko|배}}), Choi ({{lang|ko|최}}), Jeong ({{lang|ko|정}}), Son ({{lang|ko|손}}) and Seol ({{lang|ko|설}}). However, this account is not generally credited by modern historians, who hold that Confucian-style surnames as above were more likely to have come into general use in the fifth and subsequent centuries, as the Three Kingdoms increasingly adopted the Chinese model.{{sfnp|Toh|1999}}

Only a handful of figures from the Three Kingdoms period are recorded as having borne a [[courtesy name]], such as [[Seol Chong]]. The custom only became widespread in the [[Goryeo]] period, as Confucianism took hold among the literati.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=Courtesy name (자, 字) |url=http://100.naver.com/100.nhn?docid=131083 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130129173426/http://100.naver.com/100.nhn?docid=131083 |archive-date=January 29, 2013 |access-date=2006-08-22 |website=[[Naver Encyclopedia]] |publisher=[[Naver]] |language=ko}}</ref>{{efn|Seol Chong's courtesy name, Chongji ({{lang|ko|총지}}) is reported in the ''Samguk sagi'', Yeoljeon 6, "Seol Chong".}} In 1055, Goryeo established a new law limiting access to the civil service examination to those without surnames.<ref name="EncyKorea" />

For men of the aristocratic ''[[yangban]]'' class, a complex system of alternate names emerged by the [[Joseon]] period. On the other hand, commoners typically only had given names.<ref name="EncyKorea" /> Surnames were originally a privilege reserved for the ''yangban'' class, but members of the [[jungin|middle]] and [[sangmin|common]] classes of Joseon society frequently paid to acquire a surname from a ''yangban'' and be included into a [[Korean clans|clan]]; this practice became rampant by the 18th century,<ref>{{cite news|title=Why so many Koreans are called Kim|url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2014/09/economist-explains-5|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|date=2014-09-08|access-date=2017-10-23|archive-date=2017-11-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171116223703/https://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2014/09/economist-explains-5|url-status=live}}</ref> leading to a significant growth in the ''yangban'' class but conversely diluting and weakening its social dominance.<ref>{{cite web|title=(3) 사회 구조의 변동|url=http://contents.history.go.kr/front/ta/view.do?levelId=ta_h62_0020_0030_0030|website=우리역사넷|publisher=[[National Institute of Korean History]]|access-date=2017-10-23|language=ko|archive-date=2017-10-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023120314/http://contents.history.go.kr/front/ta/view.do?levelId=ta_h62_0020_0030_0030|url-status=live}}</ref> For instance, in the region of [[Daegu]], the ''yangban'' who had comprised 9.2% of Daegu's demographics in 1690 rose to 18.7% in 1729, 37.5% in 1783, and 70.3% in 1858.<ref>{{cite web|title=3) 양반 신분의 동향|url=http://contents.history.go.kr/front/nh/view.do?levelId=nh_039_0040_0040_0030_0010|website=우리역사넷|publisher=[[National Institute of Korean History]]|access-date=2017-10-23|language=ko|archive-date=2017-10-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023120212/http://contents.history.go.kr/front/nh/view.do?levelId=nh_039_0040_0040_0030_0010|url-status=live}}</ref> It was not until the [[Gabo Reform]] of 1894 that members of the [[cheonmin|outcast]] class were allowed to adopt a surname.<ref>{{cite web|author1=이권형|author2=김수한|title=한국족보박물관 개관…'족보 문화'의 메카 대전을 가다|url=http://biz.heraldcorp.com/view.php?ud=20100526000135|website=헤럴드경제|publisher=[[Herald Corporation]]|date=2010-05-26|access-date=2017-10-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023120324/http://biz.heraldcorp.com/view.php?ud=20100526000135|archive-date=2017-10-23|language=ko}}</ref> According to a census called the {{Transliteration|ko|rr|minjeokbu}} ({{Korean|hangul=민적부|hanja=民籍簿|labels=no}}) completed in 1910, more than half of the Korean population did not have a surname at the time.<ref name="EncyKorea" />

For a brief period after the [[Mongol invasion of Korea]] during the [[Goryeo]] period, Korean kings and aristocrats had both [[Mongolian names|Mongolian]] and [[Sino-Korean vocabulary|Sino-Korean]] names. The scions of the ruling class were sent to the [[Yuan Dynasty|Yuan]] court for schooling.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Lee |first=Ki-baik |author-link=Ki-baik Lee |translator-last1=Wagner |translator-first1=Edward W. |translator-last2=Shultz |translator-first2=Edward J. |title=A New History of Korea |publisher=Ilchokak |year=1984 |page=156 |location=Seoul |isbn=978-89-337-0204-8 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/newhistoryofkore0000leek}}</ref> For example, King [[Gongmin of Goryeo|Gongmin]] had both the Mongolian name Bayan Temür ({{Lang-zh|c=伯顏帖木兒|labels=no}}) and the Sino-Korean name Wang Gi (王祺) (later renamed Wang Jeon (王顓)).{{sfnp|Lee|1983|p=117}}

===Japanese colonial period===
{{See also|Sōshi-kaimei|Korea under Japanese rule}}
During the period of Japanese colonial rule of Korea (1910–1945), Koreans were forced to adopt [[Japanese language|Japanese]]-language names.<ref>U.S. [[Library of Congress]], [http://countrystudies.us/south-korea/7.htm Korea Under Japanese Rule.] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161103013022/http://countrystudies.us/south-korea/7.htm |date=2016-11-03}}</ref> Even today, it is common for Korean nationals living in Japan to use Japanese surnames as well. Also known as {{nihongo||通称名|tsūshōmei}} or {{nihongo||通名|tsūmei}}, such an alternative name can be registered as a [[Alien registration in Japan#Legal alias|legal alias]] and used in many official contexts including bank accounts and health insurance.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-01-22 |title=Zainichi (Koreans in Japan): Diasporic Nationalism and Postcolonial Identity |url=http://repositories.cdlib.org/gaia/gaia_books/10/ |access-date=2025-03-28 |archive-date=2009-01-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090122102347/http://repositories.cdlib.org/gaia/gaia_books/10/ |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref>

In 1939, as part of [[Governor-General of Korea|Governor-General]] [[Jirō Minami]]'s policy of {{nihongo|cultural assimilation|同化政策|dōka seisaku}}, Ordinance No. 20 (commonly called the "Name Order", or {{nihongo||創氏改名|sōshi-kaimei}} in [[Japanese language|Japanese]]) was issued, and became law in April 1940. Although the Japanese Governor-General officially prohibited compulsion, low-level officials effectively forced Koreans to adopt Japanese-style surnames and given names. By 1944, about 84% of the population had registered Japanese surnames.{{sfnp|Nahm|1988|p=233}}

{{Transliteration|ja|Sōshi}} (Japanese) means the creation of a Japanese surname ({{Transliteration|ja|shi}}, Korean {{Transliteration|ko|rr|ssi}}), distinct from a Korean surname or {{Transliteration|ko|rr|seong}} (Japanese {{Transliteration|ja|sei}}). Japanese surnames represent the families they belong to and can be changed by marriage and other procedures, while Korean surnames represent paternal linkages and are unchangeable. Japanese policy dictated that Koreans either could register a completely new Japanese surname unrelated to their Korean surname, or have their Korean surname, in Japanese form, automatically become their Japanese name if no surname was submitted before the deadline.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=Changssi Gaemyeong (창씨개명, 創氏改名) |url=http://100.empas.com/dicsearch/pentry.html?i=187854&v=43 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070325194830/http://100.empas.com/dicsearch/pentry.html?i=187854&v=43 |archive-date=2007-03-25 |access-date=2006-08-23 |publisher=empas.com |language=ko}}</ref>

After the liberation of Korea from Japanese rule, the Name Restoration Order ({{Korean|hangul=조선 성명 복구령|hanja=朝鮮姓名復舊令|labels=no}}) was issued on October 23, 1946, by the [[United States Army Military Government in Korea|United States military administration]] south of the [[38th parallel north]], enabling Koreans to restore their original Korean names if they wished.

Japanese conventions of creating given names, such as using "{{lang|ja|子}}" (Japanese {{Transliteration|ja|ko}} and Korean {{Transliteration|ko|rr|ja}}) in feminine names, are seldom seen in present-day Korea, both North and South. In the North, a campaign to eradicate such Japanese-based names was launched in the 1970s.<ref name="northnames" /> In the South, and presumably in the North as well, these names are regarded as old and unsophisticated.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |date=2021-11-08 |title=How Korean Names Work {{!}} Order Of First Names, Kim Surname, And More |url=https://koreatruly.com/korean-names/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211223062015/https://koreatruly.com/korean-names/ |archive-date=2021-12-23 |access-date=2021-12-21 |website=Korea Truly}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Article 809 of the Korean Civil Code]]
* [[List of Korean given names]]
* [[List of Korean surnames]]
* [[Korean clans]]
* [[Chinese name]]
* [[List of common Chinese surnames]]
* [[Japanese name]]
* [[List of common Japanese surnames]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Sources===
* {{Cite book|editor-last=Lee |editor-first=Hong-jik (이홍직) |title=새國史事典 |trans-title=New encyclopedia of Korean history |publisher=Kyohaksa |year=1983 |location=Seoul |chapter=''Ja'', Courtesy Name (자) |isbn=978-89-09-00506-7|language=ko}}
* {{Cite report|last=Lee |first=Sang-oak (이상억) |script-title=ko:성씨의 로마자 표기 정책 마련 연구 |url=https://korean.go.kr/common/download.do;front=1EC82A886C3B715225C134A1B980A81E?file_path=reportData&c_file_name=f9750bb4-86f8-4f92-be3b-ee7810ab0914_0.pdf&o_file_name=%EC%84%B1%EC%94%A8%EC%9D%98%20%EB%A1%9C%EB%A7%88%EC%9E%90%20%ED%91%9C%EA%B8%B0%20%EC%A0%95%EC%B1%85%20%EB%A7%88%EB%A0%A8%20%EC%97%B0%EA%B5%AC.pdf |date=2011-09-16 |publisher=[[Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (South Korea)|Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism]] |language=ko}}
* {{Cite web |author=Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Korea |author-link=Ministry of Foreign Affairs (South Korea) |year=2014 |url=http://overseas.mofa.go.kr/us-ko/brd/m_4477/down.do?brd_id=13922&seq=1129911&data_tp=A&file_seq=1 |archive-date=2024-10-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241002022611/http://overseas.mofa.go.kr/us-ko/brd/m_4477/down.do?brd_id=13922&seq=1129911&data_tp=A&file_seq=1 |script-title=ko:여권의 한글 성명, 로마자(영문 알파벳)로는 어떻게 표기하나요? |trans-title=How do I romanize my Hangul name on my passport? |language=ko}}
* {{Cite book |last=Nahm |first=Andrew C. |title=Korea: Tradition and Transformation – A History of the Korean People |title-link=Korea: Tradition and Transformation |publisher=Hollym International |year=1988 |location=Elizabeth, NJ |isbn=978-0-930878-56-6}}
* {{Cite web|last=Toh |first=Soo-hee (도수희) |script-title=ko:한국 성명의 생성 발달 |trans-title=Formation and Development of Korean Names |publisher=New Korean Life (새국어생활) |year=1999 |url=https://www.korean.go.kr/nkview/nklife/1999_4/1999_0411.pdf |language=ko |access-date=2018-05-28}}
* {{Cite book|author=Yonhap |title=Korea Annual 2004 |publisher=[[Yonhap News Agency]] |year=2004 |location=Seoul |edition=41st annual |isbn=978-89-7433-070-5}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070210122831/http://proxy.saga-wjc.ac.jp/nagasawa/ilbon/hanto-kokugo/hanto-index.htm Examples of Koreans who used Japanese names]: by [[Saga Women's Junior College]] {{in lang|ja}}

{{Personal names}}
{{Portal bar|South Korea|North Korea|Language|Society}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Korean Name}}
[[Category:Korean names| ]]
[[Category:Names by country]]
[[Category:Culture of Korea]]