An Introduction to Korean Names: Are All Kims the Same? | Asia Society Skip to main content
  • Back to asiasociety.org
  • About
    • About Asia Society
    • Our People
    • Financial Statements
    • Contact Us
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
    • Event Recaps
  • Support
    • Individual Membership
    • Corporate Membership
    • Corporate Supporters
  • Blog
    • All Posts
    • Ambassador Interviews
    • East Asia Coverage
    • Event Recaps
    • Get to Know Us
    • Healthy Food of Asia
    • Innovative Minds
    • Korean Beauty
    • Meet the Author
    • Monthly Luncheon
    • North Korea Coverage
    • ROK'n Seoul
    • Student Programs
  • 아시아소사이어티 소개
    • 코리아센터 사람들
    • 오시는 길
  • 활동
    • 2014 프로그램
    • 2015 프로그램
    • 2016 프로그램
    • 2017 프로그램
    • 2018 프로그램
    • 2019 프로그램
    • 2020 프로그램
    • 프로그램 일정
  • 후원 안내
    • 법인 회원
    • 개인 회원
  • 블로그
Korea
Search
asiasociety.org
Korea
Search
  • About
    • About Asia Society
    • Our People
    • Financial Statements
    • Contact Us
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
    • Event Recaps
  • Support
    • Individual Membership
    • Corporate Membership
    • Corporate Supporters
  • Blog
    • All Posts
    • Ambassador Interviews
    • East Asia Coverage
    • Event Recaps
    • Get to Know Us
    • Healthy Food of Asia
    • Innovative Minds
    • Korean Beauty
    • Meet the Author
    • Monthly Luncheon
    • North Korea Coverage
    • ROK'n Seoul
    • Student Programs
  • 아시아소사이어티 소개
    • 코리아센터 사람들
    • 오시는 길
  • 활동
    • 2014 프로그램
    • 2015 프로그램
    • 2016 프로그램
    • 2017 프로그램
    • 2018 프로그램
    • 2019 프로그램
    • 2020 프로그램
    • 프로그램 일정
  • 후원 안내
    • 법인 회원
    • 개인 회원
  • 블로그

  • All Posts
  • Ambassador Interviews
  • East Asia Coverage
  • Event Recaps
  • Get to Know Us
  • Healthy Food of Asia
  • Innovative Minds
  • Korean Beauty
  • Meet the Author
  • Monthly Luncheon
  • North Korea Coverage
  • ROK'n Seoul
  • Student Programs

An Introduction to Korean Names: Are All Kims the Same?

Principles of Korean Names

Based on your many encounters with Koreans, one may wonder if all Korean’s have the surname Kim, Lee, Park, Jeong, or Choi. Indeed, these five are the most common family names among Koreans. However, not all of the Kims, Lees, Parks, Jeongs, and Chois are the same. 

Korean names consist of two parts: a family name and a given name. Traditionally, a child takes their father’s surname like in many other cultures, but Korean women do not take their husband’s surname after marriage. Korean family names are often one syllable with a few exceptions, and are subdivided into different bon-gwans (본관, 本貫). Bon-gwans are used to denote a name’s origin and distinguish between the different clans within the Korean family trees that shares the same surname. For example, the two most common Kims in Korea are Gimhae Kim originating from Gimhae and Gyeongju Kim originating from Gyeongju. The respective bon-gwan differentiate the two Kims despite the identical surname. With the recent increase in naturalized citizens, the number of surnames have increased nearly 800% between 2000 and 2015. According to a recent population and housing census in 2015 by Statistics Korea, there are 286 hanja (한자, 漢字) – the Korean writing system based on traditional Chinese characters – surnames and around 858 clans that have more than a thousand people.

Korean given names are often two syllables. One syllable traditionally notes the biological generation of the child. The representative syllable for each generation is chosen at the bon-gwan, which also refers to the house of the direct decedents of the family, and it was traditionally given to sons who continued the family’s lineage. Today, the tradition has changed and this syllable is given to daughters as well or is sometimes omitted. With the generational syllable, one is able to know which generation he or she is in and it acts as an indicator of seniority among family members. The remaining syllable was the unique syllable of the child. A few combinations were chosen by the grandfather, or the eldest member of the family, or at a naming center called a jakmyungso (작명소) that studied the child’s horoscope in order to select the best syllable to combine with the generational name. The final decision was then made by the child’s parents. 

Today, people have chosen not to use the generational syllable for various reasons. Some call it an old tradition; others choose not to use the syllable to increase the pool of possible names for their child. Moreover, since parents choosing a pure Korean name have increased over the years, many have dropped the generational syllables, which are mostly based on hanja. With so many changes in Korea’s demographics and the perceptions of the population, younger people may not be aware of the traditional way that names were composed: a surname that traces the origin of one’s paternal ancestors and a given name that is consisted of one unique syllable and a generational syllable.

So the next time you encounter Kims, Lees, Parks, or other common family names, you may notice that even though their names sound the same, they might be different in terms of their backgrounds. You may also notice the repetitive syllables in the given names of siblings and better understand what their names mean. Although conventional Korean names only contain three syllables, each one delivers the person’s demographic background – both in terms of clan and region, biological generation, and the name's own uniqueness.

  • All Posts
  • Ambassador Interviews
  • East Asia Coverage
  • Event Recaps
  • Get to Know Us
  • Healthy Food of Asia
  • Innovative Minds
  • Korean Beauty
  • Meet the Author
  • Monthly Luncheon
  • North Korea Coverage
  • ROK'n Seoul
  • Student Programs
We Know Asia,
Get to Know Us

Visit Us

  • Hong Kong
  • New York
  • Texas

Global Network

  • Australia
  • India
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Northern California
  • Philippines
  • Southern California
  • Switzerland
  • Washington, DC

Resources

  • Arts
  • Asia Blog
  • ChinaFile
  • Current Affairs
  • Education
  • For Kids
  • Policy
  • Video

Shop

  • AsiaStore

Initiatives

  • Arts & Museum Summit
  • Asia 21 Young Leaders
  • Asia Arts Game Changer Awards
  • Asia Game Changer Awards
  • Asia Society Museum: The Asia Arts & Museum Network
  • Asia Society Policy Institute
  • Center for Global Education
  • Center on U.S.-China Relations
  • China Learning Initiatives
  • Coal + Ice
  • Creative Voices of Muslim Asia
  • Global Cities Education Network
  • Global Learning Beyond School
  • Global Talent Initiatives
  • Int'l Studies Schools Network
  • U.S.-Asia Entertainment Summit
  • U.S.-China Dialogue
  • U.S.-China Museum Summit

About Asia Society

  • Mission & History
  • Our People
  • Become a Member
  • Career Opportunities
  • Corporate Involvement

Connect

  • Email Signup
  • For the Media

©2021 Asia Society | Privacy Statement | Accessibility | About AsiaSociety.org | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap | Contact

Asia Society takes no institutional position on policy issues and has no affiliation with any government.
The views expressed by Asia Society staff, fellows, experts, report authors, program speakers, board members, and other affiliates are solely their own. Learn more.

 

 

  • Visit Us
  • Hong Kong
  • New York
  • Texas
  • Global Network
  • Australia
  • India
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Northern California
  • Philippines
  • Southern California
  • Switzerland
  • Washington, DC