170 Korean Baby Names With Meanings

Korea is a country with complex and rich history and a diverse heritage background. And just like culture and people, even Korean baby names are unique. Just three surnames, namely Park, Lee, and Kim are used by over half of the Korean population. So if you wish your child to stand out from the crowd, you have to pick a unique name for your munchkin.

A Korean name comprises a family name, followed by a given name. The Korean first names are based on Hangul, which is alphabetical script and Hanja, which are logo-syllabic characters. Hanja are Chinese characters and Hangul are Korean native alphabets. For years, parents could select a name from the list of approved names issued by the government. The trend has fallen to the wayside now. Parents are now opting for names derived from traditional Korean words. Baby girls are generally given two-syllable names. It’s also important to note that given names are not used in day to day life. The given names are very private and are used only by close friends and family.

Below is MomJunction's list of Korean baby names with meanings for you to choose from. You can shortlist and save your favorites for future use.