Korean Name → English RR + traditional spellings · Apr 2026
Spelling your Korean name on a passport, US embassy form, or LinkedIn? See the official Revised Romanization (RR) + traditional family-name spellings (Kim, Lee, Park, Choi) + meaning of common Korean syllables.
Top 20 Korean Surnames
| Hangul | Traditional | RR | % Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 김 | Kim | Gim | 21.6% |
| 이 | Lee (Yi/Rhee) | I | 14.8% |
| 박 | Park (Pak) | Bak | 8.5% |
| 최 | Choi (Choe) | Choe | 4.7% |
| 정 | Jung (Jeong/Chung) | Jeong | 4.4% |
| 강 | Kang | Gang | 2.4% |
| 조 | Cho (Jo) | Jo | 2.1% |
| 윤 | Yoon (Yun) | Yun | 2.1% |
| 장 | Jang (Chang) | Jang | 2.0% |
| 임 | Lim (Im) | Im | 1.7% |
| 한 | Han | Han | 1.6% |
| 오 | Oh (O) | O | 1.5% |
| 서 | Seo (Suh) | Seo | 1.4% |
| 신 | Shin (Sin) | Sin | 1.4% |
| 권 | Kwon | Gwon | 1.3% |
| 황 | Hwang | Hwang | 1.3% |
| 안 | Ahn (An) | An | 1.2% |
| 송 | Song | Song | 1.2% |
| 전 | Jeon (Chun) | Jeon | 1.1% |
| 홍 | Hong | Hong | 1.1% |
Source: Korean Statistical Information Service (KOSIS) 2015 census. Top 20 = ~76% of population.
FAQ
Why "Kim" instead of "Gim"?
"Kim" is the traditional spelling, used since the late 1800s (predating RR by a century). It's recognized worldwide and matches almost every existing official record. Korean passport authorities accept both, but ~99% of 김s use "Kim".
Should I hyphenate the given name?
Hyphen is recommended (e.g., "Min-jun") for clarity and to indicate two distinct syllables. Without hyphen ("Minjun") is also accepted but can confuse foreign speakers about pronunciation.
What about names with old-style romanization in family?
If your father is "Park" then you should also be "Park" — keep family consistency. Don't switch to RR ("Bak") just because it's official.
Are 'Lee' and 'Yi' for the same Korean name?
Yes. 이 has multiple traditional spellings: Lee (most common), Yi (older transliteration), Rhee (used by President Syngman Rhee, 이승만). All are accepted on passport.
I'm naming my baby. Should I prefer easy-to-pronounce names?
Common easy-to-pronounce names for international families: 한나 (Hanna), 다니엘 (Daniel), 사라 (Sara), 민호 (Mino/Minho), 지나 (Jina). Avoid names with 'eu' (으) or 'eo' (어) sounds if international pronunciation matters.