Korean names are used in South and North Korea. Note that depending on the Korean characters used these names can have many other meanings besides those listed here. See also about Korean names.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Ahn안, 安Korean Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 안 (see An).
Byun병, 邉Korean From Sino-Korean 邉 (Byun) meaning "Border".
Cha차, 車Korean Cha is a relatively uncommon family name in Korea. The Yeonan Cha clan is the only clan. The founding ancestor was Cha Hyo-jeon, son of Ryoo Cha-dal (류차달) (10th century AD). Most of the clan's members live in Gyeongsang, Hwanghae, and P'yŏngan provinces... [more]
Kam감, 甘Korean North Korean, from Sino-Korean "甘" (Kam) meaning "Sweet".
Kan강, 姜Korean (Russified) Russified form of Kang used by ethnic Koreans living in parts of the former Soviet Union.
Kang康, 강Chinese, Korean From Chinese 康 (kāng), derived from Kangju (康居), the Chinese name for an ancient kingdom in Central Asia (now known as Sogdiana). It may also refer to the city of Samarkand in present-day Uzbekistan, which was called 康 in Chinese.
Kil해평리, 海坪里Korean There is one Chinese character for the Kil surname. In the 1930 census, there was a significantly larger number of Kils living in Korea; it was the 62nd most common name in Korea. In a census taken after the Korean War, however, it had dropped to 72nd... [more]
KoKorean There is only one Chinese character for the surname Ko. There are ten different Ko clans, but they are all descended from the Ko clan of Cheju Island. There is no historical information regarding the founder of this clan, but there is a legend which tells of three men who appeared from a cave on the north side of Cheju Island’s Halla Mountain... [more]
Kwon권, 權Korean Korean form of Quan, from Sino-Korean 權 (gwon).
LimKorean 12th most common surname in Korea. ... [more]
Ma마Korean From Sino-Korean 馬 meaning “horse”, or 麻 meaning “hemp, flax, jute”.
Min閔, 민Chinese, Korean From Chinese 闵 (mǐn) meaning "pity, sorrow", also referring to the posthumous title of the Duke Min of Lu (personal name Ji Qi).
Myong명Korean Myung, also spelled Myeong, Myong, or Myoung, is a Korean family name, a single-syllable Korean given name, and an element in some two-syllable Korean given names. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write it.
Myung명, 明Korean Korean form of Ming, from Sino-Korean 明 (myeong).
NaKorean There is only one Chinese character for the Na surname. Some sources indicate that there are 46 different Na clans, but only two of them can be documented, and it is believed that these two sprang from a common founding ancestor... [more]
Nam남, 南Korean From Sino-Korean 南 (nam) meaning "south".
Nan난, 欒Korean (Rare) From Sino-Korean 欒 (nan/ran) meaning "orchid".
No노, 盧Korean Korean form of Lu 2, from Sino-Korean 盧 (no).
NoeMedieval English, Korean A patronymic form of the biblical male given name Noah from the Hebrew word "noach" meaning long-lived. Possible origins could be ... [more]
Noh노, 盧Korean Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 노 (see No).
Ryeo려, 呂Korean The surname traces its roots from China. It is commonly found in Korea among its Chinese community and is a transliteration of Chinese surname meaning pitch-pipe
SaKorean There are three Chinese characters associated with this surname. Two of these are extremely rare and are not treated here. The remaining Sa surname is also quite unusual. There are two distinct clans, one of Kyŏngsang South Province’s Kŏch’ang County and the other originating with a refugee from Ming China who came to Korea near the end of the Koryŏ period (ad 918–1392).
SaineiKorean (Japanized, Rare) From Japanese 載寧 (Sainei), the Japanese reading of Korean Hanja 載寧 (Chaeryŏng/Jaeyeong) meaning "Chaeryŏng", a clan or a county in province of South Hwanghae in North Korea where the clan originated.
SoKorean Although there are two Chinese characters for the So surname, one of these is extremely rare and can be discounted (there are only about two hundred people in Korea who use this rare character). Some records indicate that the more common character for So has as many as 165 clans, but only eleven of them can be documented... [more]