Korean last names for girls
A quick honesty note first: Korean surnames have no gender. Every Kim, Lee and Park is passed from father to child regardless of sex, and there is no “female” form of any Korean family name. What people usually mean by a girl’s surname is one that sounds soft, pretty or elegant — and for writers naming a character, that is a real and useful distinction. This page gives sixty of them, with meanings and pairings.
Soft and pretty-sounding Korean surnames
Surnames that begin with a vowel, a nasal (M, N) or a gentle fricative (S, H) read as softer to Korean ears. These are the ones most often chosen for heroines in dramas and webtoons.
Yoo 유 (柳)“Willow.” Graceful by definition. Yoo In-na, Yoo Jung. Pairs with Ri, Na, Jin.
Ha 하 (河)“River.” Ha Ji-won, Ha Yeon-soo. One of the softest one-syllable sounds in Korean.
Na 나 (羅)“Silk gauze.” Na Hye-mi. Pairs beautifully with Yeon, Eun, Ri.
Moon 문 (文)“Writing, culture.” Moon Ga-young, Moon Chae-won. The English spelling gives it a lunar feel.
Yeo 여 (呂)Rare enough to feel special — 80,672 people. Yeo Jin-goo made it famous.
Ye 예 (芮)Sounds like 예쁘다 (pretty). 13,587 people — uncommon and lovely.
Ah 아 (阿)Ultra-rare (529 people) and the softest possible single syllable.
So 소 (蘇)“To revive.” So Yi-hyun, So Ju-yeon. Short, light, memorable.
Min 민 (閔)“Compassion.” Min Hyo-rin. Also a hugely popular given-name syllable.
Eun 은 (殷)Sounds like 은 (silver). 16,927 people. Pairs with Ha, Ji, Seo.
Seol 설 (薛)Sounds like 설 (snow). Seol In-ah. A favourite for winter-born characters.
Yeon 연 (延)Sounds like 연 (lotus). 34,850 people. Rare but instantly Korean.
Hong 홍 (洪)“Vast.” Hong Su-zu. Strong and warm at once.
Ok 옥 (玉)“Jade.” The only surname that literally means a gemstone. 25,107 people.
Mae 매 (梅)“Plum blossom.” 201 people — for a character who needs a truly unusual name.
Hwa 화 (化)Sounds like 화 (flower, 花). 915 people. Ultra-rare and floral.
Shim 심 (沈)“Deep.” Shim Eun-kyung. The Cheongsong Shim produced Joseon queens.
Nam 남 (南)“South.” Nam Ji-hyun, Nam Bo-ra. Warm-sounding.
Sung 성 (成)“To accomplish.” Sung Yu-ri. One Hanja (星) means star.
Surnames of famous Korean actresses and female idols
For reference, the surnames behind the best-known women in Korean entertainment — useful if you want a name that sounds natural to a Korean audience. Kim (Kim Tae-hee, Kim Go-eun, Kim Yuna), Lee (Lee Ji-eun/IU, Lee Sung-kyung), Park (Park Shin-hye, Park Bo-young), Song (Song Hye-kyo), Jun (Jun Ji-hyun, surname Jeon), Bae (Bae Suzy), Han (Han So-hee, Han Hyo-joo), Shin (Shin Min-a), Son (Son Ye-jin), Jang (Jang Won-young), Ahn (Ahn Yu-jin), Kang (Kang Hye-won), Jung (Jung Ho-yeon), Choi (Choi Ji-woo), Yoon (Yoon Eun-hye), Go (Go Yoon-jung), Moon (Moon Ga-young), Seo (Seo Ye-ji), Kwon (Kwon Na-ra), Hwang (Hwang Jung-eum), Oh (Oh Yeon-seo).
Pairing a surname with a girl’s given name
Korean names are judged as a three-syllable whole, so the sound of the surname’s final consonant matters. A surname ending in a vowel (Seo, Yoo, Ha, Na, So) flows into a consonant-initial given name: Seo Ji-woo, Ha Eun-bi, Na Yeon-woo. A surname ending in ㄴ or ㅁ (Han, Min, Shin, Shim, Nam) pairs well with a vowel-initial given name: Han Ye-seul, Min A-ra, Shin Eun-ha. Avoid repeating the same syllable in surname and given name (Ha Ha-eun) and avoid surname-given combinations that form a word — Kim Chi is the standard joke. The most popular girls’ given names of the past decade, all of which work with almost any surname, are Seo-yeon, Ha-eun, Ji-woo, Seo-yun, Ji-a, Min-seo, Ha-yun, Su-a, Ye-rin and Ji-yu. The name generator pairs surnames and given names for you.
Frequently asked questions
Are there female Korean last names?
No. Korean surnames are unisex and inherited from the father. There is no feminine form of any Korean family name; “female Korean last names” really means surnames that sound soft or that are common among actresses and idols.
What are pretty Korean last names?
Surnames beginning with a vowel or a soft consonant are usually described as pretty: Seo, Yoo, Ha, Na, So, Ye, Yeo, Eun, Seol and Ok (jade). All are real census surnames.
Do Korean women change their last name when they marry?
No. Korean women keep their birth surname for life. Children take the father’s surname by default, though since 2008 parents may choose the mother’s.
What is the most common surname for Korean girls?
Kim — the same as for boys, since surnames are not gendered. About 21.5% of Korean women are named Kim.