Korean Name Generator

Korean names in family-name-first order, assembled from real hanja syllables and shown in the spelling Koreans use in English, with meanings.

139,995 combinations

Park Seongjin박성진
Seong achieve + jin truth
Park unadorned
Jang Dannan장단난
Dan vermilion + nan orchid
Jang to stretch
Kim Jaejung김재정
Jae talent + jung upright
Kim gold
Ahn Hwanin안환인
Hwan shining + in benevolence
Ahn peace
Kwon Hyanga권향아
Hyang fragrance + a elegant
Kwon authority
Jeon Heemoon전희문
Hee joy + moon writing
Jeon whole
Hwang Sikhae황식해
Sik plant + hae sea
Hwang yellow
Jang Suhyun장수현
Su elegant + hyun virtuous
Jang to stretch
Kim Ingwang김인광
In benevolence + gwang light
Kim gold
Jeon Seungbin전승빈
Seung victory + bin refined
Jeon whole
Jang Somi장소미
So luminous + mi beauty
Jang to stretch
Kim Gibo김기보
Gi foundation + bo treasure
Kim gold
Nam Gwanghak남광학
Gwang light + hak learning
Nam south
Lim Gimi임기미
Gi fine jade + mi beauty
Lim forest
Lee Seongtae이성태
Seong achieve + tae grand
Lee plum tree
Choi Haeyeol최해열
Hae sea + yeol ardent
Choi lofty
Lim Boju임보주
Bo treasure + ju pearl
Lim forest
Kim Jaehyo김재효
Jae talent + hyo filial devotion
Kim gold
Nam Bincheol남빈철
Bin refined + cheol wise
Nam south
Kwon Hwana권화나
Hwa flower + na graceful
Kwon authority
Nam Dayeon남다연
Da many + yeon lotus
Nam south
Choi Moongi최문기
Moon writing + gi foundation
Choi lofty
Kwon Nanna권난나
Nan orchid + na graceful
Kwon authority
Kang Eundo강은도
Eun grace + do way
Kang ginger

Need a name that means something in particular? Build one from its meaning.

How Korean names are built

Etymology

¶A Korean name puts the family name first: in Kim Minji, Kim is the surname and Minji the given name. The given name is almost always two syllables, and each syllable is a hanja, a Chinese character borrowed into Korean, with a meaning of its own. Min is people, ji is wisdom, seo is auspicious, hyun is virtuous, woo is help. Read together they make a phrase, which is what parents are choosing when they register a birth.

Many families still use a generational syllable, the dollimja. One of the two syllables is fixed for everyone of the same generation in the clan, so brothers and cousins share it and only the other syllable varies. A family working through a fixed sequence might produce Seongho, Seongmin and Seongjin in one generation and Jaewoo, Jaehyun and Jaeeun in the next. Some families place the shared syllable first, others second.

Surnames are few. Kim, Lee, Park, Choi, Jung, Kang, Cho, Yoon, Jang and Lim cover about two thirds of the country, and Kim alone accounts for around a fifth of it. Each is a single syllable written with one hanja: Kim is gold, Lee is plum, Choi is lofty, Lim is forest, Baek is white, Nam is south. Others resist translation. Park's hanja means plain or unworked, while the clan's own legend traces the name to a gourd; Jung, Cho, Han and Oh come from ancient states and clan seats and mean nothing in themselves, and a few surnames are written with different hanja by different clans. Because surnames carry so little information, a family is further identified by its bon-gwan, the seat its line came from.

More korean names

Male korean names

Ko Bindo 고빈도 refined way
Hwang Jungjae 황정재 upright talent
Ahn Gwanggeon 안광건 light strong
Kwon Cheolhyo 권철효 wise filial devotion
Kim Haebin 김해빈 sea refined
Jang Hoil 장호일 vast one
Kang Doman 강도만 way ten thousand
Ryu Kyungdong 류경동 celebration east
Ahn Hwantae 안환태 shining grand
Jeon Jibeom 전지범 wisdom exemplar
Jang Cheonbeom 장천범 heaven exemplar
Yoon Beomyong 윤범용 exemplar dragon
Ryu Kangha 류강하 healthy summer
Moon Namhak 문남학 south learning
Choi Youngse 최영세 eternal generation
Jang Donggi 장동기 east foundation
Baek Hyohwan 백효환 filial devotion shining
Kim Beommoon 김범문 exemplar writing

Female korean names

Lee Hyesun 이혜순 kindness obedient
Ryu Abok 류아복 elegant fortune
Ryu Yujae 류유재 gentle talent
Hwang Hyowol 황효월 filial devotion moon
Lim Hyangyeon 임향연 fragrance lotus
Ko Chaein 고채인 colour benevolence
Moon Danha 문단하 vermilion summer
Nam Myungdan 남명단 bright vermilion
Yoon Myunghye 윤명혜 bright kindness
Kim Gicho 김기초 fine jade grass
Lim Gihyun 임기현 fine jade virtuous
Kang Aechun 강애춘 love springtime
Hwang Ayoung 황아영 elegant glory
Nam Wonhwa 남원화 origin flower
Yoon Dankyung 윤단경 vermilion capital
Ko Songhyo 고송효 pine filial devotion
Baek Chobo 백초보 grass treasure
Jang Hyegi 장혜기 kindness fine jade

Neutral korean names

Kwon Inhyo 권인효 benevolence filial devotion
Yoon Geumyoung 윤금영 gold eternal
Kim Hyeha 김혜하 kindness summer
Nam Geumchun 남금춘 gold springtime
Baek Eunbin 백은빈 grace refined
Kim Okbo 김옥보 jade treasure
Park Geumdo 박금도 gold way
Jeon Hyose 전효세 filial devotion generation
Jang Woogeum 장우금 help gold
Kim Deokseong 김덕성 virtue achieve
Kwon Ilcheon 권일천 one heaven
Yoon Dongcho 윤동초 east grass
Jang Hyekyung 장혜경 kindness celebration
Kim Inyu 김인유 benevolence gentle
Lim Binhee 임빈희 refined joy
Jeon Suha 전수하 outstanding summer
Jeon Okhae 전옥해 jade sea
Hwang Suseo 황수서 outstanding auspicious

Questions

FAQ

What are the most common Korean surnames?

Kim, Lee and Park between them cover close to half of all Koreans, followed by Choi, Jung, Kang, Cho, Yoon, Jang and Lim. Each is one syllable written with one hanja: Kim is gold, Lee is plum, Choi is high or lofty, Kang is ginger, and Park's hanja is the one for plain, though the clan legend tells of a gourd. The surname is written and spoken first, before the given name.

Is the family name first in Korean?

Yes. Korean order is surname then given name, so the director Bong Joon-ho has the family name Bong. Koreans living abroad often reverse it for convenience, and English-language press is inconsistent, but the Korean order is the one used in Korea and in Korean-language credits, and it is the order this generator prints.

What does hanja mean in a Korean name?

Hanja are Chinese characters used in Korean. Most given names are registered with hanja as well as hangul, and the hanja is what fixes the meaning: the syllable ji can be wisdom, will or earth depending on which character the parents chose. Two people whose names sound identical in English can therefore have quite different names on paper.

Are Korean names male or female?

Some syllables lean strongly. Hoon, seok, cheol and beom read as masculine; mi, hee, sook, ja and yeon read as feminine, and names ending in ja belong to an older generation. A wide middle group including ji, min, seo, eun, woo and hyun is used freely for anyone, which is why so many current Korean names sound unisex.

How are Korean names spelled in English?

There is no single answer. The government's Revised Romanisation would give Gim, I and Bak, but families overwhelmingly write Kim, Lee and Park, and passports follow the family. The same goes for given names: 현 is officially hyeon and almost always written Hyun. This generator uses the spellings Koreans actually use, since those are the ones a reader will recognise.