Today, many Koreans have Kim, Park, and Lee as their last names. These “big three” are the prestigious Korean last names that are primarily associated with royals and the upper class. The last name Kim means gold, and it is also the last name of Kings.
Kim, Lee and Park were once again the top three. Kim, Lee and Park have traditionally been the most common surnames in Korea. Korean family names are typically one syllable in length, with a few exceptions.
Moon (Korean: 문; Hanja: 文), also spelled Mun, is a Korean family name. The 2000 South Korean census found a total of 426,927 people and 132,881 households with this family name.
Han is the oldest name in Korea.
Haneul Cheon (天), meaning "heaven". The 2000 census found 8,416 people in 2,668 households who used this character to write their surname.
Chin-hwa. Origin: Korean. Meaning: The most wealthy.
Overview. The family name Hyun is written with only one hanja (玄; 검을 현 geomeul hyeon) meaning "dark" or "mysterious". The 2000 South Korean Census found 81,807 people and 25,547 households with this family name.
The name Bae, which originates in South Korea, is actually pretty uncommon. In contrast, almost half of the country has one of three surnames: Kim, Park or Lee, which were used by royals in ancient Korea. Most commoners then adopted those noble names, while Bae remained more obscure.
The royal origin of the Surname Kim
The surname Kim has its roots in two separate royal families of Korea, the Silla dynasty and the Gaya confederacy. The Silla dynasty, which spanned from 57 BC to 935 AD, observed the rule of Kim family for 700 years.
It is also said that when Goryeo dynasty fell, many changed their royal surname Wang to Jeon (全) / Ok (玉) to avoid severe persecution by the succeeding Joseon dynasty. 田 (밭 전 bat jeon, "field").
The longest name ever recorded in South Korea is “Haneulbyeollimgureumhaennimbodasarangseureouri” which prompted a 1993 law that a given name can be no more than five syllables. Choi is a common Korean family name that can be traced back to the year 857.
Cho: Meaning “beautiful”. Cho-Hee: Meaning “beautiful and happy”. Hwa-Young: Meaning “beautiful flower”. Ju-Won: Meaning “beautiful woman”.
As a family name, Ju may be written with either of two hanja, one meaning "red" (朱; 붉을 주), and the other meaning "around" (周; 두루 주).
As a family name, Soo may be written with two different hanja, each indicating different lineages. The 2000 South Korean Census found a total of 199 people and 54 households with these family names. The more common name means 'water' (水; 물수).
In Korea, the Family name comes first and is followed by the given name.
Korean women keep their surnames after marriage based on traditional reasoning that it is inherited from their parents and ancestors, and cannot be changed.