List of Korean given names

This is a list of Korean given names by type. Most Korean given names consist of two Sino-Korean morphemes each written with one hanja. There are also names with more than two syllables, often from native Korean vocabulary. Finally, there are a small number of one-syllable names. Originally, there was no legal limitation on the length of names, but since 1993, regulations in South Korea have prohibited the registration of given names longer than five syllable blocks, in response to some parents giving their children extremely long names such as the 16-syllable Haneulbyeollimgureumhaennimbodasarangseureouri (하늘별님구름햇님보다사랑스러우리).^[1] Lists of hanja for names are illustrative, not exhaustive.

Names by common first and second syllables

G or k (ㄱ), n (ㄴ), d (ㄷ)

M (ㅁ), b (ㅂ)

S (ㅅ)

Vowels and semivowels (ㅇ)

J (ㅈ) and ch (ㅊ)

T (ㅌ) and h (ㅎ)

Native Korean names

Goyueo ireum are Korean given names which come from native Korean vocabulary, rather than Sino-Korean roots. These names have been used on occasion for centuries, but they only began to become widespread in South Korea in the late 20th century.^[2][3] They do not have corresponding hanja, though in some cases, these names might be represented using hanja with the correct Korean pronunciation but an unrelated meaning (for example, 曙羅, with hanja meaning "sunlight" and "net", for Sora). However, this is not possible for all names; for example, for Ha-neul, there are no hanja with the reading "neul" (늘) on the South Korean government's official list of hanja which may be registered for use in given names.^[4]

There are also some mixed names: those in which a single name contains both a Sino-Korean element and a native Korean element.

Other names

This section is for names not included in the above sections. Names are listed in South Korean hangul alphabetical order.

Single-syllable names

See also

• Korean name
• List of the most popular given names in South Korea
• List of Korean family names
• List of South Korean surnames by prevalence
• List of most popular given names

References

Further reading

• Korean personal names. United States: Central Intelligence Agency. 1962. OCLC 453054. 
• Price, Fiona (2007). "Chapter 6: Korean names". Success with Asian names: a practical guide for business and everyday life. Intercultural Press. ISBN 9781857883787.