Yang
Hangul
양
Hanja
Revised RomanizationYang
McCune–ReischauerYang

Yang (Korean: 양) is a Korean surname. According to the 2000 South Korean Census, 486,645 people in South Korea had the surname Yang.

Overview

The family name Yang can be written with four different hanja, indicating different lineages. The 2000 South Korean Census found a total of 486,645 people in 151,315 households with these family names.[1]

Hanja meaning "bridge" (梁 or 樑)

Deulbo Yang (들보 양, 梁), meaning "bridge", is by far the most common of the four surname hanja read Yang, used by 389,152 people in 120,534 households. This made it the 25th-most common surname among the 288 surnames distinguished by the 2000 Census. Additionally, another 3,254 people in 960 households used the variant form (樑, with a "tree" radical added on the left); that variant alone was the 144th-most common surname.[1] They identified with 32 different bon-gwan (hometown of a clan lineage, not necessarily the actual residence of clan members):

  • Namwon, North Jeolla: 218,546 people in 67,691 households.[1] They claim descent from Yang U-ryang (梁友諒), a descendant of the Jeju Yang clan's ancestor Yang Eul-na who came to Namwon during the reign of Gyeongdeok of Silla.[2]
  • Jeju: 133,355 people in 41,169 households.[1] They claim descent from Yang Eul-na (梁乙那) of the Tamna kingdom in modern-day Jeju, whose surname was originally another character (良). Yang Sun (梁洵), a descendant of Yang Eul-na, then came to Silla in the mainland of Korea during the reign of King Sinmun, and the Namwon and Cheongju clans later branched off from the Jeju clan.[2][3]
  • Namyang (today Hwaseong, Gyeonggi): 7,280 people in 2,173 households. Additionally, this was the bon-gwan reported by nearly all (3,211 people in 957 households) of the people who used the variant form 樑; two others reported a different bon-gwan, while the other 41 did not report a bon-gwan at all.[1]
  • Cheongju, North Chungcheong: 8,499 people in 2,649 households.[1]
  • Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang: 6,274 people in 1,990 households.[1]
  • Other or unreported bon-gwan: 15,171 people in 4,862 households.[1]

Hanja meaning "willow" (楊)

Beodeul Yang (버들 양, 楊), meaning "willow", is the second-most common of the four surname hanja read Yang, used by 93,416 people in 29,558 households. This made it the 55th-most common surname in the 2000 Census.[1]

Hanja meaning "assist" (襄)

Doul Yang (도울 양, 襄), meaning "assist", is the least common of the four surname hanja read Yang, used by 823 people in 263 households. This made it the 182nd-most common surname in the 2000 Census. The census did not report the bon-gwan for this surname.[1]

Notable people with the surname

Academic

  • Yang Ji-won (born 1949), South Korean professor of chemical and bio-molecular engineering at KAIST

Business

  • Michael Yang (born 1961), South Korean-born American entrepreneur

Entertainment/film

Literature

Military

  • Yang Kyu, 11th century Goryeo general who fought the Khitans
  • Yang Kyoungjong, (1920–1992) Korean soldier who fought for the Imperial Japanese Army, the Soviet Red Army, and the German Wehrmacht during World War II
  • Yang Sung-sook, South Korean general

Music

Politics

Sports

  • Yang Dong-geun (born 1981), South Korean retired basketball player
  • Yang Dongi (born 1984), South Korean mixed martial artist
  • Yang Hak-seon (born 1992), South Korean gymnast, country's first Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics
  • Yang Hee-jong (born 1984), South Korean basketball player, national team member
  • Yang Hong-seok (born 1997), South Korean basketball player, national team member
  • Yang Joon-hyuk (born 1969), South Korean retired baseball outfielder
  • Yang Hyeon-jong (born 1988), South Korean professional baseball pitcher
  • Yang Jung-mo (born 1953), South Korean retired freestyle wrestler and the country's first Olympic gold medalist
  • Yang Shin-young (born 1990), South Korean short-track and long-track speed skater
  • Yang Tae-hwa (born 1982), South Korean retired ice dancer, national champion from 1999 to 2002
  • Yang Tae-young (born 1980), South Korean 2004 Olympic bronze medalist in the individual all-around event in artistic gymnastics
  • Yang Yong-eun (born 1972), South Korean professional golfer and winner of 2009 PGA Championship
  • Yang Young-ja (born 1964), South Korean professional table tennis player who won gold at the 1988 Olympics

Visual arts/fashion

  • Niki Yang (born 1985), South Korean animator, writer, storyboard artist, and voice actress

Fictional characters

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "행정구역(구시군)/성씨·본관별 가구 및 인구" [Family names by administrative region (district, city, county): separated by bon-gwan, households and individuals]. Korean Statistical Information Service. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  2. 1 2 "양(梁)". Daejeon: Jokbo Museum. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  3. ↑ "남원 양씨". Encyclopedia of Regional Culture. Academy of Korean Studies. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
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