Korean Names

Historical origins of both personal names and place names in Korea are reviewed. It is shown that names of native origin have been largely replaced by those of Sino-Korean names. Some statistics are given on the basis of the 2000 census data in South Korea. A unique method of naming personal names which contain a generation marker called hangnyol is reviewed. This enables the person to figure out one's position and others in the family tree up to as many as ten generations without going consulting the book of genealogy. While this practice had a role to play in a vertically structured society where seniority is important, it is less practiced as the society is becoming more egalitarian, so that native names, not writable in Chinese characters, are on the rise. In this global age, a person is not just a member of his family or clan, s/he is also a member of the international community. The author proposes several things that should be considered in naming to fit the modern global age: euphony of names, ambiguity, possible bad connotations when Romanized, unintended homophones with comic meanings, etc.