Korean Last Names
Kim (김, 金) is the most common Korean surname, held by 10,689,959 people (21.51%) in the 2015 census. Kim, Lee and Park cover 44.6% of the population, and the top 10 cover 63.9%.
How to use
- Type your surname in English (Kim, Park, Yoon), in Hangul (김) or in Hanja (金). Surnames that match appear in the table below.
- Pick a row to see its rank, population, share of Korea and an "about 1 in N people" figure, with the official and common spellings.
- Press Save image to download a card with your surname, or Copy link to share your result.
How it works
Population figures come from the 2015 Population and Housing Census of Statistics Korea (KOSTAT, since renamed 국가데이터처). The census counted 49,705,663 people on 1 November 2015 and published surname totals on 7 September 2016. The table lists the 60 largest surnames. Share is each count divided by 49,705,663, and "1 in N" is that population divided by the count, rounded.
The census counts surnames by Hanja, so one Hangul spelling can appear more than once. There are three 유 surnames (柳, 劉, 兪), two 조 (趙, 曺), two 정 (鄭, 丁) and so on. The census lists 유 (柳) and 류 (柳) separately, which are the same Hanja read two ways because of Korea's initial-sound rule. Across all surnames the census recorded 5,582, of which 1,507 have Hanja.
Romanization columns show two things. The Revised Romanization of Korean (national system since 2000) spells 김 as Gim, 이 as I, 박 as Bak and 최 as Choe. Real-world spellings are older and less regular: Kim, Lee, Park and Choi became standard abroad long before 2000. The "common spellings" column lists variants you often see on passports and business cards. It reflects usage, not census data.
Top 10 at a glance
| Rank | Surname | Spellings | People | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 김 金 | Gim, Kim | 10,689,959 | 21.51% |
| 2 | 이 李 | I, Lee, Yi, Rhee | 7,306,828 | 14.7% |
| 3 | 박 朴 | Bak, Park, Pak | 4,192,074 | 8.43% |
| 4 | 최 崔 | Choe, Choi | 2,333,927 | 4.7% |
| 5 | 정 鄭 | Jeong, Jung, Chung | 2,151,879 | 4.33% |
| 6 | 강 姜 | Gang, Kang | 1,176,847 | 2.37% |
| 7 | 조 趙 | Jo, Cho | 1,055,567 | 2.12% |
| 8 | 윤 尹 | Yun, Yoon | 1,020,547 | 2.05% |
| 9 | 장 張 | Jang, Chang | 992,721 | 2% |
| 10 | 임 林 | Im, Lim, Yim | 823,921 | 1.66% |
Sources: Statistics Korea 2015 Census, full-count results (press release, 7 Sep 2016)Last reviewed 2026-10-18 (2015 rates)
FAQ
What is the most common last name in Korea?
Kim (김). About 10.69 million people, or 21.5% of the population, carry it in the 2015 census. Lee (이) is second with 14.7% and Park (박) third with 8.4%.
Why are there so few Korean surnames?
The census recorded 5,582 surnames in total, but a few huge clans hold most of the population. The top 10 surnames cover 63.9% of people and the top 50 cover 94.2%.
Why is Lee spelled 이 and also Yi, Rhee or Lee?
The Revised Romanization spelling is I, which is hard to use as a name. Lee, Yi and Rhee are older spellings that became fixed through use, and Lee is the most common abroad. All are the same surname 이.
Can I change my surname spelling on a passport?
Rules for changing the romanized name on a Korean passport are strict. The spelling on the passport is an identity record, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs allows a change only in limited cases. Check the current rules with the ministry before applying.
What does the same surname with different Hanja mean?
Surnames with the same sound can come from different families and write with different Chinese characters. For example, 조 can be 趙 or 曺, and each is a separate surname with its own clan origins and count.