Korean Last Names: Complete List of 191 Surnames With Meanings, Hangul and Hanja

Name: Korean surnames by population, 2015 census
Creator: Statistics Korea (KOSIS)
License: https://kosis.kr

Half of all Koreans share just three surnames. There are only 191 Korean last names with five or more holders, yet they split into thousands of clans, each with its own ancestral home. This page is a complete, census-based guide: type any surname into the checker, browse the full ranked table, and follow the links to every surname’s own page.

Most commonKim 김21.5% of South Korea

Kim, Lee and Park together44.6%nearly half the country

Top 10 surnames cover65.8%of 49,705,663 people

Surnames in the census191Hangul spellings with 5+ holders

Korean last names at a glance

Kim (김), Lee (이) and Park (박) are carried by 44.6% of South Koreans — 22.2 million people out of 49.7 million.
The top ten surnames cover 65.8% of the population. By comparison, the ten most common surnames in the United States cover about 5%.
Almost every Korean surname is one syllable. Only 13 two-syllable surnames exist, and together they account for fewer than 60,000 people.
Korean surnames are written in Hangul (the Korean alphabet) but each also has a Hanja (Chinese character) that carries its meaning — Kim 金 means “gold”, Lee 李 means “plum tree”, Park 朴 means “gourd”.
Koreans put the family name first: in “Kim Yuna”, Kim is the surname. Women keep their surname after marriage.
The same surname is subdivided by bon-gwan — the clan’s place of origin. A Gimhae Kim and a Gyeongju Kim are not considered relatives.

The 10 most common Korean last names

Ranked by the number of holders in the 2015 census. Click any name for its meaning, clans, spellings and pronunciation, or see the full top-100 breakdown.

김Kim 金 · gold, metal
10,689,967 · 21.5%
이Lee 李 · plum tree
7,307,237 · 14.7%
박Park 朴 · gourd; also read as "simple, unadorned"
4,192,080 · 8.4%
정Jung 鄭 · the ancient Chinese state of Zheng; also "solemn, proper"
2,407,601 · 4.8%
최Choi 崔 · high, lofty, towering
2,340,582 · 4.7%
조Cho 趙 · the ancient state of Zhao
1,453,971 · 2.9%
강Kang 姜 · ginger (姜); also "peace, health" (康)
1,269,290 · 2.6%
장Jang 張 · to stretch, to draw a bow; archer
1,021,107 · 2.1%
윤Yoon 尹 · governor, to administer
1,020,564 · 2.1%
임Lim 林 · forest, woods (林); also "duty, responsibility" (任)
1,015,200 · 2.0%

One detail that surprises people: by Hangul spelling, Jung (정) edges out Choi (최) for fourth place. The widely quoted “Kim, Lee, Park, Choi, Jung” order counts only the main Hanja 鄭; when you add the smaller Jung lineages written 丁 and 程, the syllable 정 has 2.41 million holders against Choi’s 2.34 million.

Complete list of Korean surnames (2015 census)

All 191 surnames with five or more holders, sortable by rank or name. Search any spelling — Rhee, Yi and Lee all find 이 — or jump to a letter.

#	Surname	Hangul	Hanja	Meaning	Population	Share
1	KimGhim, Kin	김	金	gold, metal	10,689,967	21.5%
2	LeeLee, Yi	이	李異伊	plum tree	7,307,237	14.7%
3	ParkPark, Pack	박	朴博	gourd; also read as "simple, unadorned"	4,192,080	8.4%
4	JungJung, Chung	정	鄭丁程	the ancient Chinese state of Zheng; also "solemn, proper"	2,407,601	4.8%
5	ChoiChoi, Choy	최	崔催最	high, lofty, towering	2,340,582	4.7%
6	ChoJoe, Joh	조	趙曺調	the ancient state of Zhao	1,453,971	2.9%
7	KangKhang, Kahng	강	姜康強	ginger (姜); also "peace, health" (康)	1,269,290	2.6%
8	JangJhang, Zhang	장	張蔣章	to stretch, to draw a bow; archer	1,021,107	2.1%
9	YoonYoon, Youn	윤	尹允潤	governor, to administer	1,020,564	2.1%
10	LimLim, Yim	임	林任壬	forest, woods (林); also "duty, responsibility" (任)	1,015,200	2.0%
11	ShinShin, Sheen	신	申辛愼	to report, to state; the monkey of the zodiac (申); also "bitter, hard-won" (辛)	986,001	2.0%
12	YooYoo, You	유	柳劉兪	willow tree (柳); also "to allow, to overflow" (兪)	963,498	1.9%
13	HanHahn, Hann	한	韓漢汗	Korea itself; great, leader (韓)	773,537	1.6%
14	OhOh, Ou	오	吳伍吾	the ancient state of Wu	763,334	1.5%
15	SeoSuh, Su	서	徐西書	slow, gentle, calm	752,233	1.5%
16	JeonJun, Chun	전	全田錢	whole, complete (全); field (田)	749,266	1.5%
17	KwonKwon, Kweon	권	權勸券	authority, power, rights	706,212	1.4%
18	HwangWhang, Hoang	황	黃皇潢	yellow; the colour of emperors	697,475	1.4%
19	AhnAhn, Ann	안	安顔案	peace, tranquility, safety	685,688	1.4%
20	SongSoung, Shong	송	宋松送	the Song dynasty; pine tree (松)	683,521	1.4%
21	HongHoung, Heung	홍	洪弘紅	vast, flood, great water	558,994	1.1%
22	YangRyang, Yaung	양	梁楊粱	bridge, beam, roof-beam (梁); also "poplar, willow" (楊)	530,554	1.1%
23	KoKoh, Goh	고	高顧	high, tall, elevated	471,429	0.95%
24	MoonMoon, Mon	문	文門	writing, literature, culture	464,047	0.93%
25	SonSohn, Shon	손	孫遜損	grandchild, descendant	457,356	0.92%
26	BaeBea, Bai	배	裵輩培	a flowing robe or skirt	400,669	0.81%
27	BaekBack, Baik	백	白百伯	white, pure	382,447	0.77%
28	HeoHur, Huh	허	許	to permit, to allow	326,782	0.66%
29	NohNoh, Roh	노	盧魯蘆	black; a rice bowl or hut (盧)	315,372	0.63%
30	NamNahm, Nham	남	南男	south	275,659	0.55%
31	ShimShim, Sym	심	沈沁深	to sink; deep	272,049	0.55%
32	HaHah, Har	하	河夏何	river	233,106	0.47%
33	JooJoo, Choo	주	朱周主	vermilion red (朱); also "circumference, Zhou dynasty" (周)	232,063	0.47%
34	KooKoo, Goo	구	具丘邱	tool, to prepare, complete	208,550	0.42%
35	KwakKwag, Kwack	곽	郭廓槨	the outer wall of a city	203,365	0.41%
36	SungSung, Soung	성	成盛星	to accomplish, to complete	199,160	0.40%
37	WooWoo, Wu	우	禹于寓	Emperor Yu the Great, founder of the Xia dynasty	195,729	0.39%
38	ChaChar, Tcha	차	車次	cart, vehicle, chariot	194,788	0.39%
39	JinJhin, Jean	진	陳秦晋	to display, to arrange; old; the Chen state	186,310	0.37%
40	MinMinn, Mihn	민	閔民敏	to pity, to sympathize; the common people (民)	171,799	0.35%
41	RyuYoo, Ryoo	류	柳劉	willow tree	163,994	0.33%
42	NaRa, La	나	羅蘿邏	a net; silk gauze	161,015	0.32%
43	JiJee, Gi	지	池智地	pond, pool	160,147	0.32%
44	UhmUm, Eum	엄	嚴儼	strict, stern, dignified	144,660	0.29%
45	ByunByun, Byon	변	卞邊變	law; impatient; hat	138,802	0.28%
46	ChaeChai, Che	채	蔡菜采	the ancient state of Cai; tortoise	131,757	0.27%
47	WonWeon, Woon	원	元袁原	origin, source, first	130,174	0.26%
48	BangBhang, Bahng	방	方房龐	direction, square, method	129,559	0.26%
49	CheonChun, Chon	천	千天川	thousand (千); heaven (天); river (川)	121,927	0.25%
50	KongKohng, Ghong	공	孔公	Confucius (孔); hole, opening; public (公)	92,340	0.19%
51	HyunHyun, Hyon	현	玄賢	dark, profound, mysterious	88,831	0.18%
52	YeoYuh, Yo	여	呂余黎	spine; a pitch-pipe; surname of Lü	80,672	0.16%
53	HamHahm, Harm	함	咸	all, entirely; salty	80,659	0.16%
54	YeomYum, Youm	염	廉閻簾	honest, incorruptible	69,428	0.14%
55	SeokSuk, Seog	석	石昔釋	stone, rock	60,607	0.12%
56	ChuChoo, Chou	추	秋鄒	autumn	60,561	0.12%
57	DoDoh, Dho	도	都陶道	capital city, metropolis (都); pottery (陶); the Way (道)	57,946	0.12%
58	SoSoh, Sho	소	蘇邵肖	to revive; perilla plant	53,856	0.11%
59	SeolSul, Seul	설	薛偰楔	wormwood, mugwort (薛)	45,692	0.09%
60	SunSun, Son	선	宣鮮善	to proclaim, to announce	42,842	0.09%
61	MaMah, Mar	마	馬麻	horse	39,196	0.08%
62	GilGill, Gihl	길	吉	lucky, auspicious, good fortune	38,173	0.08%
63	YeonYoun, Yun	연	延連燕	to extend, to prolong	34,850	0.07%
64	WiWee, We	위	魏韋衛	the ancient state of Wei; towering	32,191	0.06%
65	PyoPhyo, Poy	표	表俵	surface, table; to express	30,749	0.06%
66	MyungMyung, Myoung	명	明	bright, brilliant, clear	29,110	0.06%
67	KiKee, Key	기	奇寄箕	strange, extraordinary, wonderful	29,062	0.06%
68	BanBahn, Van	반	潘班	rice-washing water; the Pan clan	28,223	0.06%
69	RaNa, La	라	羅蘿邏	a net; silk gauze (North Korean form of Na)	25,974	0.05%
70	WangWhang, Woang	왕	王汪	king	25,581	0.05%
71	KeumKeum, Kum	금	琴金芩	a stringed instrument (琴); gold (金)	25,472	0.05%
72	OkOck, Og	옥	玉	jade	25,107	0.05%
73	YookYook, Youk	육	陸	land, continent	23,455	0.05%
74	InIhn, Yin	인	印	seal, stamp, to print	22,363	0.04%
75	MaengMeang, Mang	맹	孟	eldest, first-born; the philosopher Mencius	22,028	0.04%
76	JeJae, Jea	제	諸齊	all, various (諸); uniform, even (齊)	21,988	0.04%
77	MoMoh, Mho	모	牟毛慕	to seek, to plan	21,912	0.04%
78	NamgungNamkung, Namkoong	남궁	南宮	south palace	21,313	0.04%
79	TakTark, Tag	탁	卓	outstanding, eminent, a table	21,099	0.04%
80	KookKook, Gook	국	鞠鞫菊	to nurture; to bow (鞠); chrysanthemum (菊)	20,768	0.04%
81	EoUh, Eoh	어	魚漁	fish	18,929	0.04%
82	KyungKyung, Kyoung	경	慶景京	to congratulate, celebration (慶); scenery (景)	16,958	0.03%
83	EunUn, En	은	殷銀恩	the Yin (Shang) dynasty; silver (銀)	16,927	0.03%
84	PyunPyun, Pyon	편	片	a slice, a fragment	16,689	0.03%
85	YongYoung, Lyong	용	龍	dragon	15,276	0.03%
86	YeYea, Yae	예	芮禮倪	small, sharp; ritual	13,587	0.03%
87	BongVong	봉	奉鳳	to offer respectfully (奉); phoenix (鳳)	12,959	0.03%
88	SaSha, Sah	사	史司謝	history, chronicler	10,998	0.02%
89	BooBoo, Poo	부	夫付傅	husband, man (夫); wealth (富)	10,604	0.02%
90	HwangboWhangbo, Hoangbo	황보	皇甫黃甫	imperial protector; a two-syllable surname	10,427	0.02%
91	GaKah, Kha	가	賈價	merchant, to trade; price	9,950	0.02%
92	BokBog, Bock	복	卜	divination, to foretell	9,538	0.02%
93	TaeTai, Tea	태	太泰	great, supreme	9,073	0.02%
94	MokMock, Mog	목	睦穆	harmonious, friendly	8,859	0.02%
95	HyungHyung, Hyoung	형	邢刑形	the ancient state of Xing	7,328	0.01%
96	KyeKae, Kay	계	桂季	cassia, cinnamon laurel	6,641	0.01%
97	PiPee, Phee	피	皮	skin, hide, leather	6,578	0.01%
98	DooDoo, Do	두	杜	pear tree; to shut	6,428	0.01%
99	GamKahm, Kang	감	甘	sweet	6,024	0.01%
100	DongDhong, Doung	동	董童東	to direct, to supervise; east (東)	5,936	0.01%
101	HoHoh	호	扈胡鎬	a follower; to escort	5,853	0.01%
102	BinBeen, Bhin	빈	賓彬濱	guest	5,782	0.01%
103	JegalJekal, Jaegal	제갈	諸葛	a two-syllable surname (as in Zhuge Liang)	5,735	0.01%
104	EumUm, Em	음	陰	shade, the yin principle	5,604	0.01%
105	OnOhn, Eon	온	溫	warm, gentle	5,418	0.01%
106	SagongSakong, Shakong	사공	司空司公	minister of works; an ancient official title	4,488	under 0.01%
107	SiShi, See	시	施柴時	to bestow, to carry out	4,354	under 0.01%
108	BeomBum, Buhm	범	范範	a model, pattern; the Fan clan	3,838	under 0.01%
109	SunwooSunwoo, Seonwoo	선우	鮮于	a two-syllable surname of Xianyu origin	3,648	under 0.01%
110	SeungSung, Seoung	승	承昇	to inherit, to receive (承); to rise (昇)	3,430	under 0.01%
111	JwaJoa, Choa	좌	左佐	left	3,383	under 0.01%
112	PaengPaing, Peang	팽	彭	the Peng clan; drum sound	2,935	under 0.01%
113	GanKhan, Kahn	간	簡間	simple, plain, a letter	2,525	under 0.01%
114	SangShang, Sahng	상	尙常商	still, esteem, to value	2,416	under 0.01%
115	GalGar, Karl	갈	葛	kudzu vine, arrowroot	2,086	under 0.01%
116	SeomunSeomoon, Suhmoon	서문	西門	west gate	2,044	under 0.01%
117	GyeonKyun, Kyeon	견	甄堅	to distinguish; pottery	1,684	under 0.01%
118	DanDahn, Dhan	단	段單	section, segment	1,632	under 0.01%
119	SoonSoon	순	荀筍舜	a grass; obedient	1,237	under 0.01%
120	DangDhang	당	唐	the Tang dynasty	1,146	under 0.01%
121	Chang	창	昌倉	prosperous, flourishing	1,095	under 0.01%
122	OngOhng, Ohong	옹	邕雍	harmonious	967	under 0.01%
123	HwaWha, Hoa	화	化	to transform, to change	915	under 0.01%
124	Bing	빙	氷	ice	763	under 0.01%
125	Jong	종	鍾宗	a bell (鍾); ancestor, clan (宗)	681	under 0.01%
126	DaeDai, Dea	대	大代戴	great, big	669	under 0.01%
127	PungPoong, Poung	풍	馮	the Feng clan; to gallop	651	under 0.01%
128	GungKoong, Goong	궁	弓宮	bow (weapon); palace	572	under 0.01%
129	YeopYub, Yup	엽	葉	leaf	571	under 0.01%
130	AhAh	아	阿	a hill; to flatter	529	under 0.01%
131	PyungPyung, Pyoung	평	平	flat, level, peaceful	515	under 0.01%
132	DokgoDokko, Dockko	독고	獨孤	lone orphan	502	under 0.01%
133	Nae	내	乃奈	thus; how (乃)	374	under 0.01%
134	Pan	판	判	to judge, to decide	278	under 0.01%
135	Ri	리	李	plum tree (North Korean form of Lee)	240	under 0.01%
136	Cho (Chu)Tcho	초	楚初	the ancient state of Chu; thorny bush	236	under 0.01%
137	MaeMai, Mea	매	梅	plum blossom	201	under 0.01%
138	GwokKwok, Kweok	궉	鴌	a rare native Korean surname character	183	under 0.01%
139	NangLang	낭	浪	wave	181	under 0.01%
140	Dongbang	동방	東方	the east; eastern direction	180	under 0.01%
141	PilPhil, Fil	필	弼畢	to assist; to finish	174	under 0.01%
142	MukMook, Mok	묵	墨	ink	172	under 0.01%
143	GeunKeun, Gun	근	斤	an axe; a catty (unit of weight)	170	under 0.01%
144	JeomJum	점	占	to occupy; to divine	158	under 0.01%
145	Hae	해	海解	sea, ocean	155	under 0.01%
146	TanThan, Tahn	탄	彈	a bullet; to pluck a string	149	under 0.01%
147	Rang	랑	浪	wave (North Korean form of Nang)	125	under 0.01%
148	ManMahn, Mhan	만	萬	ten thousand, myriad	124	under 0.01%
149	UnWoon	운	雲芸	cloud	118	under 0.01%
150	Don	돈	頓	to pause; to kowtow	117	under 0.01%
151	GokKoock	곡	曲谷	bend, curve; valley (谷)	101	under 0.01%
152	YaYha	야	夜	night	77	under 0.01%
153	SeopSeoub, Sub	섭	葉	leaf	75	under 0.01%
154	Ja	자	慈	kind, loving, compassionate	75	under 0.01%
155	HuHou, Hoo	후	侯候后	a marquis, a nobleman	74	under 0.01%
156	Ro	로	路魯盧	road (North Korean form of Noh)	67	under 0.01%
157	Po	포	包	to wrap, to contain	57	under 0.01%
158	DamTan	담	譚	to discuss; deep	47	under 0.01%
159	Rim	림	林	forest (North Korean form of Lim)	47	under 0.01%
160	Su	수	隋水洙	water (水); the Sui dynasty (隋)	47	under 0.01%
161	Sam	삼	森杉	forest (森); cedar (杉)	38	under 0.01%
162	Hak	학	郝	a place name	35	under 0.01%
163	Yo	요	姚	the Yao clan; graceful	29	under 0.01%
164	Chong	총	叢	a thicket, to gather	27	under 0.01%
165	Gyo	교	橋喬	bridge; tall tree	26	under 0.01%
166	AeAi	애	艾	mugwort	24	under 0.01%
167	Yeong	영	榮影	glory, honour (榮); shadow (影)	24	under 0.01%
168	Myo	묘	苗	seedling, sprout	21	under 0.01%
169	Gwan	관	關管	a mountain pass, a gate; to manage	20	under 0.01%
170	Deung	등	滕鄧	to ascend; the Deng state	20	under 0.01%
171	NoeNoi, Lei	뇌	雷	thunder	19	under 0.01%
172	Ryeo	려	呂	spine; the Lü clan (North Korean form of Yeo)	19	under 0.01%
173	Roe	뢰	雷	thunder (North Korean form of Noe)	19	under 0.01%
174	JeungZeng, Tsang	증	增曾	to increase (增); once, former (曾)	18	under 0.01%
175	Dok	독	獨	alone, single	17	under 0.01%
176	MiMee	미	米	rice	16	under 0.01%
177	Bo	보	寶保甫	treasure (寶); to protect (保)	16	under 0.01%
178	BiVy, Vi	비	丕	great, grand	16	under 0.01%
179	Mu	무	武	martial, military	15	under 0.01%
180	Ran	란	欒	a type of tree (North Korean form of Nan)	10	under 0.01%
181	San	산	山	mountain	9	under 0.01%
182	NanAn	난	欒	a type of tree	8	under 0.01%
183	MangjeolMangjul	망절	網切	net-cutting; a surname of Japanese origin	8	under 0.01%
184	EogeumEokum, Eokeum	어금	魚金	fish and gold; a two-syllable surname	8	under 0.01%
185	Da	다	多	many, much	7	under 0.01%
186	Mubon	무본	武本	a surname of Japanese origin (Takemoto)	6	under 0.01%
187	Beon	번	樊	a fence, hedge	6	under 0.01%
188	Wan	완	阮	the Ruan clan; a stringed instrument	6	under 0.01%
189	Deungjeong	등정	藤井	a surname of Japanese origin (Fujii)	5	under 0.01%
190	Tang	탕	湯	hot water, soup; the Tang founder	5	under 0.01%
191	Hwangmok	황목	荒木	a surname of Japanese origin (Araki)	5	under 0.01%

Source: Statistics Korea (KOSIS) 2015 census, surnames with five or more holders. Figures are by Hangul spelling, so surnames written with several Hanja (e.g. 정 = 鄭 + 丁 + 程) are counted together.

How Korean surnames work

A Korean name has two parts: a one-syllable family name followed by a given name that is usually two syllables, as in Kim Yu-na or Park Ji-sung. Because the surname is so short and so widely shared, the given name does most of the work of identifying a person; Koreans are rarely addressed by surname alone. In formal settings a title follows the full name (Kim Yu-na ssi) and in offices the job title replaces the name altogether. Our guide to how Korean names work covers name order, generation names, hyphenation and why Koreans have no middle names.

Each surname is also tied to a clan seat, the bon-gwan. There are about 280 Kim clans alone; the largest, the Gimhae Kim, has over four million members and traces itself to King Suro of Gaya. Until 1997 South Korean law prohibited marriage between people of the same surname and bon-gwan, a rule that a Constitutional Court ruling and the 2005 family law revision removed.

Why are there so few Korean last names?

Three historical forces compressed Korea’s surname pool. First, surnames began as a royal and aristocratic privilege: the Silla kings were Kim, Park and Seok, and for centuries most commoners had no surname at all. Second, when Goryeo’s founder Wang Geon (918–943) rewarded loyal families with surnames and clan seats, he drew on a small stock of prestigious Chinese-character names, and later commoners who acquired surnames copied the same handful. Third, the abolition of the class system in the 1894 Gabo Reform and the compulsory civil registration of 1909 forced every remaining household to declare a surname, and the safest choice was to take the name of the local landowning family, which was most often Kim, Lee or Park. The result is a country where a surname tells you almost nothing about who someone is related to, which is exactly why the bon-gwan system matters so much.

What Korean last names mean

Because Korean surnames were recorded in Chinese characters for over a thousand years, their meanings are the meanings of those characters. Many are ancient Chinese states (Cho 趙, Jung 鄭, Oh 吳, Han 韓), some are natural objects (Lee 李 plum tree, Yoo 柳 willow, Ha 河 river, Seok 石 stone), a few are virtues or qualities (Ahn 安 peace, Choi 崔 lofty, Kang 康 health), and a handful are colours (Baek 白 white, Hwang 黃 yellow). Koreans do not usually think about these meanings day to day, but they matter for genealogy and for the traditional practice of choosing given-name Hanja that harmonise with the surname. Every surname page on this site gives the Hanja and its meaning.

Rare Korean last names

At the other end of the table, 70 surnames have fewer than a thousand holders and 40 have fewer than a hundred. Some are ancient Korean names that simply never grew (Gwok 궉, 183 people), some are Chinese-origin surnames that arrived with a single immigrant family (Mangjeol 망절, 8 people), and a few entered the register in the twentieth century from Japanese families who naturalised (Hwangmok 황목, 5 people). The rarest surnames in the 2015 census:

Two-syllable Korean surnames

Thirteen Korean surnames have two syllables. The best known are Namgung (남궁), Hwangbo (황보), Jegal (제갈), Sagong (사공) and Sunwoo (선우). Most are Chinese compound surnames that came to Korea in the Goryeo period; a Korean will often assume someone named Namgung or Jegal has an unusual family history.

Korean or Chinese? Shared surnames

Because Korean, Chinese and Vietnamese surnames share the same Chinese characters, the same family name can appear in all three countries under different spellings: 李 is Lee in Korea, Li in China and Lý in Vietnam; 金 is Kim, Jin and Kim; 張 is Jang (or Chang), Zhang and Trương. The spelling usually gives away the origin — a “Lee” or “Kim” is almost always Korean, a “Li” or “Jin” Chinese. The families are not related; they adopted the same character independently. Our guide to Korean vs Chinese last names works through the 30 most-confused names.

Tools

Korean surname checkerType any surname, any spelling. See if it is Korean, its Hangul and Hanja, meaning, population and rank.
Surnames A–ZEvery one of the 191 census surnames on its own page.
Most common surnamesThe top 100 with population share and the story behind each of the top ten.
How Korean names workName order, generation names, hyphens, titles and why there is no middle name.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most common Korean last name?

Kim (김, 金) is the most common Korean last name. 10,689,967 people — 21.5% of South Korea — had the surname Kim in the 2015 census. Lee (14.7%) and Park (8.4%) are second and third.

How many Korean last names are there?

The 2015 South Korean census recorded 191 Korean surnames (by Hangul spelling) with five or more holders, written with 514 different Hanja. The census also counted about 5,500 surnames in total once foreign surnames of naturalised citizens are included, but only a few hundred of those are traditional Korean names.

Do Korean last names come first?

Yes. In Korean the family name comes before the given name: Kim Yu-na’s surname is Kim. Many Koreans reverse the order in English-language contexts, which is why you will see both “Kim Yu-na” and “Yuna Kim”.

Do Korean women change their last name when they marry?

No. Korean women keep their birth surname after marriage. Children traditionally take the father’s surname, although since 2008 parents may agree to give a child the mother’s surname instead.

Why do so many Koreans have the same last name?

Surnames were originally reserved for royalty and nobility, and when commoners acquired them — mostly between the 15th century and the compulsory registration of 1909 — they overwhelmingly chose the prestigious names of the ruling clans: Kim, Lee and Park. The pool of names never widened afterwards.

Are Korean last names the same as Chinese last names?

They share Chinese characters, not families. Kim 金 and Chinese Jin 金 use the same character but are unrelated lineages. The romanized spelling usually reveals the origin: Kim, Lee and Park are Korean; Jin, Li and Piao are the Chinese readings of the same characters.

Data: Statistics Korea (KOSIS), 2015 Population and Housing Census, 성씨·본관별 인구. Surnames are grouped by Hangul spelling; the total population base is 49,705,663. Hanja meanings follow standard Hanja dictionaries. Last reviewed August 2026.

Korean last names, explained