Korean Names
서연 (Seo-yeon) is a common Korean girl's name and 민준 (Min-jun) a common boy's name. The list has 64 girl, 55 boy and 7 unisex names, and 서연 can be written 瑞妍 = auspicious + beautiful.
How to use
- Pick Girls, Boys or All. Names used for both are shown under each.
- Narrow the list by number of syllables or by the first sound of the name, or type Hangul or a romanization in the search box.
- Press Listen to hear a name read aloud by your browser's Korean voice.
- Press the star on names you like. Copy favorites gives you one name per line with its romanization.
- Scroll down for the table of terms of address and pet names such as oppa, eonni and jagiya.
How it works
The romanization follows the Revised Romanization of Korean set by the National Institute of Korean Language, written syllable by syllable with a hyphen, for example 서연 is Seo-yeon. People often spell the same sounds differently, such as Seo-yoon or Ji-woo, so the common spelling is shown in brackets where it differs.
Hanja are the Chinese characters used in Sino-Korean names. One sound has many possible Hanja, so each name shows one frequently used combination and the meaning of each character. Your own name, or a name you meet, may use other characters and mean something different. Some names are pure Korean words (like 하늘, sky) or foreign names written in Hangul, and have no Hanja.
The list is a hand-picked selection of names that are widely used, not a ranking. Popularity by year is published by the Supreme Court of Korea from birth registrations (efamily.scourt.go.kr); this tool does not claim any rank.
Sources and limits
- Romanization: Revised Romanization of Korean, National Institute of Korean Language (korean.go.kr).
- Popularity statistics: Supreme Court of Korea, Electronic Family Relation Register (efamily.scourt.go.kr). Not reproduced here.
- Hanja meanings are the usual dictionary senses of one common character per syllable. Parents choose Hanja freely, so a name written in Hangul can have several meanings.
- Audio uses the Korean voice installed in your browser or device, so the sound varies by device.
Sources: Revised Romanization of Korean (National Institute of Korean Language) · Supreme Court of Korea, Electronic Family Relation Register (name statistics)Last reviewed 2026-10-18
FAQ
What are the most popular Korean girl names?
Names such as 서연 (Seo-yeon), 지우 (Ji-woo), 하윤 (Ha-yoon) and 서윤 (Seo-yoon) are widely used for recent births. This list is not ranked. For the official yearly ranking, check the birth registration statistics of the Supreme Court of Korea.
What are common Korean boy names?
Names such as 민준 (Min-jun), 서준 (Seo-jun), 도윤 (Do-yun) and 지호 (Ji-ho) are widely used. Older generations often have names like 영수 (Yeong-su) and 철수 (Cheol-su).
How does a Korean name work?
The family name comes first, then a given name of usually two syllables, like 김 (Kim) + 서연 (Seo-yeon). Many given names are Sino-Korean and can be written in Hanja, but the Hangul is the legal and everyday form.
Why do romanizations of the same name differ?
The official system writes 지우 as Ji-u, yet many people choose Ji-woo for passports and social media. Neither is wrong. Use the spelling the person prefers.
How do Korean nicknames and pet names work?
Koreans mostly call each other by kinship or status words such as 오빠 (oppa) and 언니 (eonni) rather than first names. The table at the bottom explains who says what to whom.