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Roughly half of all Koreans are a Kim, Lee, Park, Choi or Jung. Share of population is from the 2015 national census, rounded.
| Hangul | Hanja | Romanised | Meaning | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 김 | 金 | Kim | gold, metal | 21.5% |
| 이 | 李 | Lee | plum tree | 14.7% |
| 박 | 朴 | Park | simple, unadorned (also: gourd) | 8.4% |
| 최 | 崔 | Choi | lofty, towering | 4.7% |
| 정 | 鄭 | Jung | solemn, a state name | 4.3% |
| 강 | 姜 | Kang | ginger, a river name | 2.4% |
| 조 | 趙 | Cho | a state name (Zhao) | 2.1% |
| 윤 | 尹 | Yoon | to govern, official | 2.1% |
| 장 | 張 | Jang | to draw a bow, to expand | 2.0% |
| 임 | 林 | Lim | forest | 1.7% |
| 한 | 韓 | Han | Korea (the nation's own name) | 1.5% |
| 오 | 吳 | Oh | a state name (Wu) | 1.5% |
| 서 | 徐 | Seo | slowly, calmly | 1.5% |
| 신 | 申 | Shin | to state, the ninth earthly branch (monkey) | 1.4% |
| 권 | 權 | Kwon | authority, power | 1.4% |
| 황 | 黃 | Hwang | yellow | 1.4% |
| 안 | 安 | Ahn | peace, safety | 1.3% |
| 송 | 宋 | Song | a state / dynasty name (Song) | 1.3% |
| 전 | 全 | Jeon | whole, complete | 1.1% |
| 홍 | 洪 | Hong | vast, flood | 1.0% |
| 유 | 柳 | Yoo | willow | 1.0% |
| 고 | 高 | Ko | high, tall | 0.9% |
| 문 | 文 | Moon | writing, literature, culture | 0.9% |
| 양 | 梁 | Yang | beam, bridge | 0.9% |
| 손 | 孫 | Son | grandchild, descendant | 0.9% |
| 배 | 裵 | Bae | long robe | 0.8% |
| 백 | 白 | Baek | white | 0.8% |
| 조 | 曺 | Cho | a clan name | 0.7% |
| 허 | 許 | Heo | to permit, to promise | 0.6% |
| 노 | 盧 | Noh | black, a rice bowl | 0.6% |
| 유 | 劉 | Yoo | battle-axe, a dynasty name (Han rulers) | 0.5% |
| 남 | 南 | Nam | south | 0.5% |
| 심 | 沈 | Shim | deep, to sink | 0.5% |
| 정 | 丁 | Jung | the fourth heavenly stem, sturdy | 0.5% |
| 하 | 河 | Ha | river | 0.4% |
| 곽 | 郭 | Kwak | outer city wall | 0.4% |
| 성 | 成 | Sung | to accomplish | 0.4% |
| 차 | 車 | Cha | cart, vehicle | 0.4% |
| 주 | 朱 | Joo | vermilion red | 0.4% |
| 우 | 禹 | Woo | Yu the Great (legendary flood-tamer) | 0.4% |
| 구 | 具 | Koo | to prepare, tools | 0.4% |
| 신 | 辛 | Shin | bitter, hard-won | 0.3% |
| 임 | 任 | Im | to entrust, responsibility | 0.3% |
| 나 | 羅 | Na | silk net | 0.3% |
| 전 | 田 | Jeon | field, farmland | 0.3% |
| 민 | 閔 | Min | to sympathise | 0.3% |
| 유 | 兪 | Yoo | to agree, so | 0.3% |
| 류 | 柳 | Ryu | willow | 0.3% |
| 진 | 陳 | Jin | to display, a state name (Chen) | 0.3% |
| 엄 | 嚴 | Um | strict, solemn | 0.3% |
| 원 | 元 | Won | origin, first | 0.3% |
| 천 | 千 | Chun | thousand | 0.2% |
| 방 | 方 | Bang | direction, square | 0.2% |
| 공 | 孔 | Gong | hole; the surname of Confucius | 0.2% |
| 현 | 玄 | Hyun | dark, profound, mysterious | 0.2% |
| 변 | 卞 | Byun | impatient, a cap | 0.2% |
| 함 | 咸 | Ham | all, together | 0.2% |
| 석 | 石 | Seok | stone | 0.1% |
| 표 | 表 | Pyo | surface, to express | 0.1% |
| 탁 | 卓 | Tak | outstanding, table | 0.1% |