The History of Korean Middle Names

Rafflesia
3 min readJul 24, 2023

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You may not know this, but in Korea, it is very common for people to have two names’a full name and a middle name. The full name is the name that appears on all official documents, such as your passport, ID, and diploma. The middle name, on the other hand, is more like a nickname that you would use with your friends and family. It’s also the name that you would use if you ever wrote a book, or if you were a musician and needed to come up with a stage name.

So, where do middle names come from? In Korea, there are two main ways that people come up with their middle names. The first way is to simply use the first letter of their full name. For example, if your full name is Kim Seung-hwan, your middle name would be “S.” The second way is to use a word that has some meaning in Korean. For example, if your full name is Park Ji-young, your middle name could be “Jiyong,” which means “wisdom.”

Interestingly, there is a third way to come up with a middle name, but it’s not as common as the first two. In this third way, parents simply choose a name that they like the sound of. It doesn’t necessarily have to have any meaning in Korean. For example, if your full name is Choi Da-in, your middle name could be “Dain,” which is a very pretty sounding name, but doesn’t have any real meaning.

So, why do Koreans have middle names? The answer is quite simple. In Korean culture, it is very important to respect your elders. Therefore, when you meet someone for the first time, you should always address them by their full name. However, once you get to know someone better, it is considered more respectful to address them by their middle name.

So, there you have it! Now you know a little bit more about Korean culture and the history of middle names in Korea.

Did you know that in Korea, it’s customary to have two names? In addition to your first name, you also have a middle name. For many years, the only way to get a middle name was to have it bestowed upon you by your parents or grandparents. However, in recent years, the trend has been to choose your own middle name.

The tradition of having two names began in the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910). During this time, the first name was the name given to a child by his or her parents, and the second name was the name given to the child by his or her grandparents. The second name was often chosen based on the birth order of the child, with the firstborn child being given the name of his or her paternal grandfather, the second child being given the name of her maternal grandfather, and so on.

The tradition of choosing your own middle name began in the early 1990s. This change was brought about by the increasing popularity of hanja (Chinese characters used in the Korean language). At the time, many parents were giving their children hanja names for their first names. However, they were having difficulty finding appropriate hanja for their second names. As a result, they began letting their children choose their own middle names.

Nowadays, it’s quite common for people to have middle names. In fact, it’s become something of a trend to have an interesting or unique middle name. It’s not uncommon to see middle names that are words in other languages, such as English or French. And it’s not uncommon to see middle names that are the names of famous people or fictional characters.

If you’re looking for a middle name for your child, or if you’re simply curious about the history of Korean middle names, we hope you’ve found this article informative.

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Rafflesia
Rafflesia

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