Beautiful Korean names A to Z #Trendy Korean names

One of the most exciting parts of studying foreign languages is choosing your name in that language. Many people nowadays are studying Korean, and I found that many foreigners want their own Korean name. But it is hard to choose a name that is both beautiful and has a good meaning at the same time.

Today I will introduce 170 popular and trendy names and explain their meanings. I hope you will be able to choose one from this list of top Korean names.

Why naming is a thing in Korea: cultural aspect

In Korea there are many quotes related to names such as, “There is everything in the name” - Buddhism, “If you have a good name everything would be successful” (정명순행 正名順行) - Confucius and etc.

In Korea, people think that names affect one’s life. So parents take their time on naming their babies, and try hard to give the best name to their kids. There are even professional name makers that get paid for making a good name.

Two ways of making a Korean name

Sino-Korean Name

The first way of making a name is by using Sino Korean words. This is the traditional way of how people used to name their children. In the case of Sino Korean names, each syllable has its meaning, and people try to make the best combination of syllables to make a good meaning.

But it gets even more complicated. There are many different meanings for each syllable. So even though people have the same name, the meaning can differ. It is because their parents chose different Chinese characters.

Now let’s check out the Sino-Korean names.

10 Sino-Korean Female Names

1. 서아 Seo-Ah

Seo-Ah was the most popular name for a female baby in Korea in 2020. As I mentioned above the meaning can differ depending on what Chinese character you use. The Chinese characters that I chose are 상서 서(瑞) for ‘Seo’ and 맑을 아(雅) for ‘Ah’. The characters mean ‘auspicious’ and ‘clear’ respectively.

2. 하윤 Ha-Yoon

Ha-yoon ranked 2nd place in 2020. The Chinese characters that I chose are 어찌 하(何) for ‘Ha’ and 생각할 윤(侖) for ‘Yoon’. It means ‘to think thoroughly’.

3. 지안 Ji-Ahn

Ji-Ahn ranked 3rd place in 2020. The Chinese characters that I chose is 이를 지(至) for ‘Ji’ and 편안 안(安) for ‘Ahn’. It means ‘to be peaceful all the time’.

4. 아린 Ah-Rin

Ah Rin ranked 6th place in 2020. The Chinese Characters that I chose are 예쁠 아(娥) for ‘Ah’ and 맑을 린 (潾) for ‘Rin’.  It means ‘beautiful’ and ‘pure’ respectively.

5. 수아 Soo-Ah

Soo-ah ranked 10th place in 2020. The Chinese characters that I chose are 빼어날 수 (秀) for ‘Soo’ and 맑을 아(雅) for ‘Ah’. It means ‘talented’ and ‘elegant’ respectively.

6. 나은 Na-Eun

Na-Eun ranked 12th place in 2020. The Chinese character that I chose are 아름다울 나(娜) for ‘Na’ and 은혜 은 (恩) for ‘Eun’. It means ‘beautiful grace’.

7. 유나 Yoo-Na

Yoo-Na ranked 16th place in 2020. The Chinese characters that I chose are 말미암을 유 (由) for ‘Yoo’ and 아름다울 나(娜) for ‘Na’. It means ‘to remain beautiful’.

8. 서우 Seo-Woo

Seo-Woo ranked 18th place in 2020. The Chinese characters that I chose are 아름다울 서(藇) for ‘Seo’ and 벗 우(友) for ‘Woo’. It means ‘beautiful friend’.

9. 이서 Yi-Seo

Yi-Seo ranked 24th place in 2020. The Chinese characters that I chose are 기쁠 이(媐) for ‘Yi ’and 지혜 서(㥠) for ‘Seo’. It means ‘happy’ and ‘wise’ respectively.

10. 채원 Chae-Won

Chae-Won ranked 28th place in 2020. The Chinese characters that I chose are 채색 채(彩) for ‘Chae’ and 순할 원(婉) for ‘Won’. It means ‘bright’ and ‘gentle’ respectively.

10 Sino-Korean Male Names                                                              

1. 도윤 Do-Yoon

Do-Yoon was the most popular name for a male baby in Korea in 2020. The Chinese characters that I chose are 이를 도(到) for ‘Do’ and 높을 윤(阭) for ‘Yoon’. It means ‘reach’ and ‘high’ respectively.

2. 서준 Seo-Joon

Seo-Joon ranked 2nd place in 2020. The Chinese characters that I chose are 천천히 할 서(徐) for ‘Seo’ and 준할 준 (準) for ‘Joon’. It means ‘honest’ and ‘exact’ respectively.

3. 은우 Eun-Woo

Eun-Woo ranked 4th place in 2020. The Chinese characters that I chose are 은혜 은(恩) for ‘Eun’ and 벗 우 (友) for ‘Woo’. The characters together mean ‘a kind friend’.

4. 시우 Si-Woo

Si-Woo ranked 5th place in 2020. The Chinese characters that I chose are 베풀 시 for ‘Si’ and 비 우 (雨) for ‘Woo’. The characters together mean ‘to help others like rain’.

5. 이준 Yi-Joon

Yi-Jun ranked 6th place in 2020. The Chinese characters that I chose are 다스릴 이 (理) for ‘Yi’ and 준걸 준 (俊) for ‘Joon’. The characters together mean ‘to become an outstanding person and rule the world’.

6. 지호 Ji-Ho

Ji-Ho ranked 7th place in 2020. The Chinese characters that I chose are 뜻 지(徐) for ‘Ji’ and 범 호 (虎) for ‘Ho’. It means ‘righteous’ and ‘brave’ respectively.

7. 예준 Ye-Joon

Ye-Joon ranked 8th place in 2020. The Chinese characters that I chose are 예도 예(禮) for Ye and 준걸 준 (俊) for Joon. It means polite and confident.

8. 주원 Joo-Won

Joo-Won ranked 10th place in 2020. The Chinese characters that I chose are 임금 주(主) for ‘Joo’ and 으뜸 원 (元) for ‘Won’. It means ‘the best king’.

9. 건우 Geon-Woo

Geon-Woo ranked 11th place in 2020. The Chinese characters that I chose are 세울 건(建) for ‘Geon’ and 또 우 (又) for ‘Woo’. It means ‘to achieve again and again’.

10. 시윤 Si-Yoon

Si-Yoon ranked 21st place in 2020. The Chinese characters that I chose are 보일 시(示) for ‘Si’ and 진실로 윤(允) for ‘Yoon’. It means ‘to tell the truth’.

Korean Native Name

The Second way of making a name is by using ‘authentic’’ Korean words. Native Korean words are words that have their own meaning without the usage of Chinese characters. Now let’s see what kind of Korean native names there are.

10 Korean Native Female Names

1. 윤슬 Yoon-Seul

Yoon-Seul means small waves that shine because of the light of the sun and moon.

2. 가온 Ga-On

Ga-On means to be the center of the world.

3. 초아 Cho-Ah

Cho-Ah means to brighten the world like a candlelight.

4. 보미 Bo-Mi

Bo-Mi means a child born in spring.

5. 세리 Se-Ri

Se-Ri means to become a great person.

6. 진솔 Jin-Sol

Jin-Sol means a new cloth that is very clean.

7. 별 Byeol

Byeol means star in Korean.

8. 하나 Ha-Na

Ha-Nah means the only special child in the world.

9. 라미 Ra-Mi

Ra-Mi comes from the root word 동그라미 which means round or circle.

10. 다빈 Da-Bin

Da-Bin means do your best with all your heart.

10 Korean Native Male Names

1. 로운 Ro-Woon

Ro-Woon means righteous and wise.

2. 노을 No-Eul

No-Eul means beautiful red sky at sunset.

3. 마루 Ma-Ru

Ma-Ru means top of the mountain.

4. 바다 Ba-Da

Ba-Dam means sea in Korean.

5. 세찬 Se-Chan

Se-Chan means strong and confident.

6. 시원 Si-Won

Si-Won means cool, which comes from the root word 시원하다.

7. 슬옹 Seul-Ong

Seul-Ong means wise and strong.

8. 우솔 Woo-Sol

Woo-Sol means strong pine tree.

9. 하람 Ha-Ram

Ha-Ram means a special person send from the sky.

10. 해솔 Hae-Sol

Hae-Sol means bright like the sun and firm like the pine tree.

Other Korean Names

Just in case you guys couldn’t find a name for yourself, I prepared some more names. I hope you can find it here!

Korean Surname

I assume that you have now chosen a Korean name. Do you like it? But we’re not quite finished yet. You have one more step left to complete your Korean name. The next step is choosing a surname, AKA last name.

I think you are familiar with some surnames like Kim and Park, and there will be some last names you have never heard of. Let’s see what kind of surnames there are.

If you have chosen a surname, you should put it in front of your first name. In Korean, the surname goes to the front, which is different from English.

What’s the next step to do after making a Korean name?

It’s time to learn Korean. At Hilokal you can talk with Koreans and Korean Learners. Join us and introduce your beautiful name!

Are you sure that your surname and your first name match well together? Some names don’t sound very good together, so go ask a Korean if your name sounds okay:)