100 Korean Last Names – Korean Surnames

Korean last names are different than others because they actually appear first. That’s right, surnames are put in the front spot as Korean culture deeply values family. Further, these names are almost always a single syllable as it is preferred for a full name to consist of the surname and two first names (no middle name necessary, thank you) for a total of three syllables in the moniker.

It’s a very unique naming structure that is completely different from many other cultures’ practices. Another interesting aspect of the naming culture is that last names are shared on a larger scale than in the United States. The three most widely used surnames, Kim, Lee, and Pak represent over half of the ethnic Korean last names in use today (in South Korea). That’s not to say there is not variety in bon-gwan, which are clan names used to determine family names.

Check Out These 100 Korean Last Names!

Korean Last Names – Botanical Meanings

Korean Last Names
  • Lee – Hangul: 이, Meaning: Plum Tree
  • Park/Bak – Hangul: 박, Meaning: Gourd
  • Yoo – Hangul: 요, Meaning: Willow Tree 
  • Bae/Bai – Hangul: 배, Meaning: Pear
  • Keng – Hangul: 넓은, Meaning: Ginger

Korean Last Names – Botanicals Continued

Korean Last Names
  • Im – Hangul: 임, Meaning: Forest
  • Jeon – Hangul: 전, Meaning: Field 
  • Ryu – Hangul: 유, Meaning: Willow Tree 
  • Ki – Hangul: 기, Meaning: Tree, Wood 
  • Ok – Hangul: 옥, Meaning: Oak Tree, Jade

Korean Last Names – Animal Meanings

Korean Last Names
  • Hak – Hangul: 학, Meaning: Crane, Learning 
  • Mae – Hangul: 매, Meaning: Hawk, Falcon
  • Gae – Hangul: 개, Meaning: Dog

Korean Last Names – More Natural Meanings

Korean Last Names
  • Kim – Hangul: 김, Meaning: Gold, Iron, Metal
  • Gim – Hangul: 김, Meaning: Gold 
  • Choi – Hangul: 최, Meaning: Mountain, Pinnacle, Overseer
  • Seok – Hangul: 石, Meaning: Stone, Tin

Korean Last Names – Other Natural Meanings

Korean Last Names
  • Noe – Hangul: 뇌, Meaning: Thunder
  • No – Hangul: 노, Meaning: Wilderness, Field
  • Do – Hangul: 도, Meaning: A Path, Roadway   
  • Pan – Hangul: 판, Meaning: Water That Rinsed Rice, A Stream

Korean Last Names – Conceptual Meanings

Korean Last Names
  • Man – Hangul: 만, Meaning: Just, Only
  • Yang – Hangul: 양, Meaning: Amount, Sheet, Positive
  • Bu – Hangul: 부, Meaning: Part, Wealth, Fortune
  • An – Hangul: 안, Meaning: Inside, Within, Back 
  • Jin – Hangul: 진, Meaning: Camp, True, Lost, Dragon Sign 
  • Dang – Hangul: 당, Meaning: Park, Justice, Sugar

Korean Last Names – Conceptual Meanings Continued

Korean Last Names
  • Seong – Hangul: 성, Meaning: Accomplish, Succeed
  • Han – Hangul: 한, Meaning: One, Leader, Country
  • Pung – Hangul: 풍, Meaning: Wind
  • Nam – Hangul: 남, Meaning: Man, South
  • Cho – Hangul: 초, Meaning: Second, Candle, Beginning 
  • Wang – Hangul: 왕, Meaning: King

Korean Last Names – Conceptual Meanings Continued

Korean Last Names
  • Hwang – Hangul: 황, Meaning: Yellow, Reed 
  • Bin – Hangul: 빈, Meaning: Empty, Void, White 
  • Yun – Hangul: 윤, Meaning: Cloud, Luck
  • Gok – Hangul: 곡, Meaning: Country
  • Ahn – Hangul: 안, Meaning: Tranquility

Korean Last Names – Conceptual Meanings Continued

Korean Last Names
  • Baek – Hangul: 백, Meaning: White
  • Chang – Hangul: 창, Meaning: Prosperous, Flourishing 
  • Chu – Hangul: 추, Meaning: Vermilion Red, Cinnabar
  • Goe – Hangul: 좋은, Meaning: High
  • Ho – Hangul: 호, Meaning: Brave, Fierce 

Korean Last Names – Conceptual Meanings Continued

Korean Last Names
  • Byun – Hangul: 변, Meaning: Excitable, Impatient 
  • Hahm – Hangul: 흠, Meaning: Seller of Scales 
  • Shin – Hangul: 신, Meaning: Belief
  • Sa – Hangul: 사, Meaning: Four
  • Seo – Hangul: 瑞, Meaning: Omen, Auspicious 

Korean Last Names – Conceptual Meanings Continued

Korean Last Names
  • Seo-Jun – Hangul: 瑞, Meaning: Omen, Auspicious, Open Up, Unfold, Comfortable
  • Seong – Hangul: 成, Meaning: Completed, Succeeded
  • Seong-Hun – Hangul: 성훈, Meaning: Rewarding Deed, Rank
  • Si-u – Hangul: 시우, Meaning: Start
  • Jang – Hangul: 장, Meaning: Archer, Bowyer

Korean Last Names – Conceptual Meanings Continued

Korean Last Names
  •  Im/Lin – Hangul: 임, Meaning: Dependable
  •  Cheong – Hangul: 청, Meaning: Gentle, Quiet 
  •  Ha – Hangul: 하아, Meaning: Summer
  •  Heo – Hangul: 허, Meaning: To Permit, Advocate 
  •  Hong – Hangul: 홍, Meaning: Expand, Great
  •  Hyun – Hangul: 현, Meaning: Profound, Mystery

Korean Last Names – Conceptual Meanings Continued

100 Korean Last Names
  • Jee – Hangul: 지, Meaning: Will, Ambition 
  • Gyeon – Hangul: 견, Meaning: Capital City, Scenery
  • Kil – Hangul: 길, Meaning: Cool 
  • Kwak – Hangul: 곽, Meaning: Periphery of City/Country
  • Kwan – Hangul: 관, Meaning: Frontier Pass
  • Kwon – Hangul: 권, Meaning: Power, Authority

Korean Last Names – Conceptual Meanings Continued

Korean Last Names
  • Mun – Hangul: 문, Meaning: Wen, Culture 
  • Myung – Hangul: 명, Meaning: Bright, Brilliant 
  • Jun – Hangul: 전, Meaning: Talented, Handsome 
  • Chin – Hangul:진, Meaning: Exhibit, Ancient  
  • Chong – Hangul: 종, Meaning: Stretch, Extend, Archer, Bowyer

Conceptual Meanings Concluded

Korean Last Names
  • Beom – Hangul: 범, Meaning: Standard, Model
  • Ra – Hangul: 라, Meaning: Good, Virtuous 
  • Roh – Hangul: 로, Meaning: Musical Note
  • Sim – Hangul: 심, Meaning: “Sink” 
  • So – Hangul: 소, Meaning: Small, Young
  • Suk – Hangul: 석, Meaning: Ancient, Stone

Korean Last Names – Object Meanings

Korean Last Names
  • Gwan – Hangul: 관, Meaning: Pipe, Tube
  • Jeong – Hangul: 정, Meaning: Chisel, Tablet, Quiet
  • Pan – Hangul: 판, Board, Plate, Edition
  • Mok – Hangul: 목, Meaning: Neck
  • Jong – Hangul: 종, Meaning: Bell, Species, End

Korean Last Names – Object Meanings

Korean Last Names
  • Sun – Hangul: 순, Meaning: Net
  • Kwak– Hangul: 곽, Meaning: City Walls 
  • Cha – Hangul: 차, Meaning: Chariot
  • To – Hangul: 에, Meaning: Dipper, Unit of Measure 
  • Chai – Hangul: 차이, Meaning: Firewood
  • Chi – Hangul: 치, Meaning: Limb, Branch

Korean Last Names – Object Meanings

Korean Last Names
  •  Bang – Hangul: 방, Meaning: Room 
  •  Chay – Hangul: 어떤 것, Meaning: Brushwood
  •  In – Hangul: 에, Meaning: Stamp, India 
  •  Geun – Hangul: 근, Meaning: Axe
  •  Ku – Hangul: 구, Meaning: Tool, Utensil

Korean Last Names – Clan Meanings & More

Korean Last Names
  • Pae – Hangul: 패, Meaning: Pae Clan
  • Ma – Hangul: 마, Meaning: From the Mokch’ŏn Ma Clan
  • Kangjeon – Hangul: 강전, Meaning: A Surname Originally From Japan 
  • Gok – Hangul: 곡, Meaning: A Surname From the Tang Dynasty of China

Korean Last Names – Clan Meanings & More

100 Korean Last Names
  • Joh – Hangul: 조, Meaning: Ancient City in Shanxi Province  
  • Na – Hangul: 나, Meaning: A State in the Zhou Dynasty 
  • Oh – Hangul: 오, Meaning: Ancient State of Wu in the Jiangsu Province 
  • Sin – Hangul: 신, Meaning: Ancient State of the Xia Dynasty
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