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Concept
Korean name
Summary
A Korean name in the modern era typically consists of a family name followed by a given name, with no middle names. A number of Korean terms for names exist. For full names, seongmyeong (), seongham (), or ireum () are commonly used. When a Korean name is written in Hangul, there is no space between the family and given names.
Most Korean family names consist of a single syllable, although multisyllabic family names exist (e.g. Sun-woo). Upon marriage, both partners keep their full names, but children inherit the father's family name unless otherwise specified during the marriage registration process. Family names have been historically grouped into bongwan (clans or extended families). Each bongwan is identified by a specific place and common patrilineal ancestor. For example, the Jeonju Yi clan comes from Jeonju and descends from Yi Han. In 2000, a census showed that there were a total of 286 surnames and 4,179 clans. However, the three most common surnames (Kim, Lee, and Park) are shared by nearly half of South Koreans.
Given names usually have two syllables, although names with one, three, or more syllables also exist. Generation names (where names for a generation of an extended family are related in some way, usually by sharing a character) are also traditional, although now increasingly less common. In North Korea, the generational syllable is shared only among siblings, but in the South, it is shared by all members of the same generation. The use of personal names is guided by a strict system of honorifics; it can be rude to refer to a stranger or person of higher social status by their personal name. Perceived gender in names is less consistent than in Western names.
Naming practices have changed over time. Family names were once exclusively used by royalty and nobility, but eventually became acceptable for lower class usage. Even until 1910, more than half of Koreans did not have a surname. While now significantly less common, Confucian and cultural traditions dictate systems of naming taboos, childhood names, courtesy names, pen names, and posthumous names.
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