Hwang or Whang (or in some cases, Whong) is a
Korean family name
This is a list of Korean surnames, in Hangul alphabetical order. Note: (S) North–South differences in the Korean language, denotes South Korea. (N) North–South differences in the Korean language, denotes North Korea.
The most common Korean fa ...
. Today, Hwangs comprise approximately 1.4% of the Korean population. The
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
n census in the year 2000 found that there were 644,294 Hwangs with over 68
Bon-gwan
Bon-gwan (or Bongwan) is the concept of clan in Korea, which is used to distinguish clans that happen to share the same family name (clan name). Since Korea has been traditionally a Confucian country, this clan system is similar to ancient Chinese ...
family clans, making it the 16th most common last name in the country. Also, it is estimated that there are over 29,410,000 individuals whose last names are the variations of
Huang Huang or Hwang may refer to:
Location
* Huang County, former county in Shandong, China, current Longkou City
* Yellow River, or Huang River, in China
* Huangshan, mountain range in Anhui, China
* Huang (state), state in ancient China.
* Hwang Riv ...
, including the Korean Hwang and the Vietnamese
Hoang around the world. The Chinese character, or Hanja, for Hwang indicates "
yellow
Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In the R ...
" or “
Huang Kingdom”.
Bon-gwan
In the traditional Korean clan system, which remains as the basis of the family registry system in
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
, each clan is distinguished by its ''
bon-gwan
Bon-gwan (or Bongwan) is the concept of clan in Korea, which is used to distinguish clans that happen to share the same family name (clan name). Since Korea has been traditionally a Confucian country, this clan system is similar to ancient Chinese ...
'' (본관,本貫). Each
bon-gwan
Bon-gwan (or Bongwan) is the concept of clan in Korea, which is used to distinguish clans that happen to share the same family name (clan name). Since Korea has been traditionally a Confucian country, this clan system is similar to ancient Chinese ...
in Korea originates from the clan progenitor's settlement, which can be explained as the traditional home of the family clan's first male ancestor. Typically in Korea, a last name includes many distinct bon-gwans, which leads to the last name becoming a broad umbrella designation that involves numerous family clans. Therefore, individuals with Korean descent may be completely unrelated even if their last names are identical, depending on their family clan, or
bon-gwan
Bon-gwan (or Bongwan) is the concept of clan in Korea, which is used to distinguish clans that happen to share the same family name (clan name). Since Korea has been traditionally a Confucian country, this clan system is similar to ancient Chinese ...
. In the Korean language,
Bon-gwan
Bon-gwan (or Bongwan) is the concept of clan in Korea, which is used to distinguish clans that happen to share the same family name (clan name). Since Korea has been traditionally a Confucian country, this clan system is similar to ancient Chinese ...
s are expressed before the family name when necessary and often involves the family progenitor's first settlement as the name of the
bon-gwan
Bon-gwan (or Bongwan) is the concept of clan in Korea, which is used to distinguish clans that happen to share the same family name (clan name). Since Korea has been traditionally a Confucian country, this clan system is similar to ancient Chinese ...
. The last name is referred to as the Ssi (씨-氏) in Korean. This arranges every Korean family clan name as
bon-gwan
Bon-gwan (or Bongwan) is the concept of clan in Korea, which is used to distinguish clans that happen to share the same family name (clan name). Since Korea has been traditionally a Confucian country, this clan system is similar to ancient Chinese ...
ssi, or in other words, family clan - last name.
History
The Korean Hwang surname originates from a
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
Han Dynasty
The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...
's diplomatic
ambassador
An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...
to
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
, named Hwang Rak (황락,黃洛). Hwang Rak is recorded in
AD 28 as having become lost at sea during a voyage from
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
to
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
, and instead having arrived in
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
during the
Silla Dynasty
Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms of Ko ...
. Hwang Rak arrived at a place in Korea called Pyeong-Hae (평해,平海), located in the Eastern province of GyeongSang-BukDo, as currently known in South Korea. Upon settling in Pyeong-Hae, Hwang Rak naturalized as a
Silla
Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms of K ...
citizen and became the first progenitor of the last name Hwang (황) in Korea. His grave is located at GulMi-Bong (봉, 峰, peak), 423-8 BunJi, Wolsong-Ri, PyeongHae-Eub, WolJin-Kun, KyeongSang-BukDo,
Republic of Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its east ...
, but only the altar of the grave remains as a marker.
Before his death, Hwang-Rak had three sons named Gab-Go (갑고,甲古), Eul-Go (을고,乙古), and Byung-Go (丙古), from eldest to youngest. Gab-Go, the oldest son, is recorded as having remained in Pyeong-Hae, continuing the main Pyeong-Hae family clan. The second son, Eul-Go, is said to have left home Westwards and eventually settled in Jang-Su, becoming the first progenitor of the Jang-Su Hwang family clan. The third and youngest son, Byung-Go, is said to have settled in Chang-Won, becoming the first progenitor of the Chang-Won Hwang family clan. These migrations of the two sons have resulted in the three major
Bon-gwan
Bon-gwan (or Bongwan) is the concept of clan in Korea, which is used to distinguish clans that happen to share the same family name (clan name). Since Korea has been traditionally a Confucian country, this clan system is similar to ancient Chinese ...
s being created under the Hwang family name.
Notable clans
*
Changwon Hwang clan
Changwon Hwang clan () is a Korean clan. With its bon-gwan in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, it remains the largest Hwang clan in South Korea.
Origins
Hwang Rak (), a minister in the Han dynasty, began the clan in Korea after being cast as ...
- 252,814 members.
*
Jangsu Hwang clan
Jangsu Hwang clan () is one of the Korean clans. Their Bon-gwan is in Jangsu County, North Jeolla Province. According to the research held in 2015, the number of Jangsu Hwang clan’s member was 170988. Hwang Rak (), a chief vassal in Han dynasty ...
- 146,575 members.
*
Pyeonghae Hwang clan - 137,150 members.
*
Hoideok Hwang clan - 7,393 members.
*
Sangju Hwang clan - 7,031 members.
*
Deoksan Hwang clan
Deoksan Hwang clan () is one of the Korean clans. Their Bon-gwan is in Yesan County, South Chungcheong Province. According to the research held in 2015, the number of Deoksan Hwang clan’s member was 3857. Hwang Rak (), a minister in Han dynasty ...
- 3,364 members.
*
Jaeahn Hwang clan
Jaeahn Hwang clan () is one of the Korean clans. Their Bon-gwan is in Hwangju County, North Hwanghae Province. According to the research held in 2015, the number of Jaeahn Hwang clan's member was 3098. Their founder was , a great-grandchild of ...
- 2,752 members.
*
Hangjoo Hwang clan
Hangju Hwang clan () is a Korean clan. Their Bon-gwan is in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. , there was 402 members of this clan. Their founder was , who was from Hangzhou, living during the Ming dynasty, and worked as Commander (). He was naturaliz ...
- 402 members.
All figures are from the 2000 South Korean census.
To this day, the three primary branches of the Hwang family are the Chang-Won (창원황씨,昌原黃氏), Jang-Su (장수황씨,張水黃氏), and Pyeonghae (평해황씨,平海黃氏) clans, with the largest member counts of the 55 Hwang clans.
Notable people
*
Hwang Bo-reum-byeol
Hwang Bo-reum-byeol (, born December 21, 1999), is a South Korean actress and model. She began her acting career with Naver TV's web series, ''The World of My 17'' (2020).
Early life
Hwang was born on December 21, 1999, in Changwon, South Gye ...
— South Korean actress and model
*
Hwang Chan-sung
Hwang Chan-sung ( ko, 황찬성, born February 11, 1990), also known mononymously as Chansung, is a South Korean singer, rapper, songwriter and actor. He is a member of the Korean boy band 2PM. He made his debut as an actor in the 2006 comedy ...
— South Korean singer and actor, member of boy band
2PM
*
Hwang Chi-yeul
Hwang Chiyeul (; born 3 December 1982) is a South Korean singer. Outside his career as a solo artist, he has also hosted '' Immortal Songs 2'' and competed in the Chinese version of singing competition show ''I Am a Singer''. He made his offici ...
— South Korean singer
*
Hwang Dae-heon
Hwang Dae-heon ( ko, 황대헌; born 5 July 1999) is a South Korean short track speed skater. He also currently holds the world record in men's 1000 metres short track speed skating.
He represented South Korea in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter ...
— South Korean short track speed skater
*
David Henry Hwang
David Henry Hwang (born August 11, 1957) is an American playwright, librettist, screenwriter, and theater professor at Columbia University in New York City. He has won three Obie Awards for his plays '' FOB'', '' Golden Child'', and '' Yell ...
— American playwright, librettist, screenwriter, and theater professor
*
Dennis Hwang
Hwang Jeong-mok ( ko, 황정목; born 1978), known professionally as Dennis Hwang, is an American-born South Korean graphic artist currently working for Niantic, who was the original designer of some of the festive logos for Google.
Early life ...
– American-born South Korean graphic artist
*
Hwang Dong-hyuk
Hwang Dong-hyuk (, Hanja: 黃東赫; born May 26, 1971) is a South Korean film director, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for directing the 2011 crime drama film '' Silenced'', and for creating the 2021 Netflix survival drama series ' ...
– South Korean director, screenwriter and producer
*
Hwang Eun-bi (stage name SinB) — South Korean singer, former member of girl group
GFriend
GFriend (stylized in all caps; ) was a South Korean girl group formed by Source Music in 2015. The group consisted of six members: Sowon, Yerin, Eunha, Yuju, SinB, and Umji. They debuted with the extended play (EP) '' Season of Glass'' on Jan ...
*
Harold Y. Hwang — American physicist
*
Hwang Hee-chan
Hwang Hee-chan ( ko, 황희찬; born 26 January 1996) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers and the South Korea national team.
Hwang is nicknamed the "Bull" (''Hwang ...
— South Korean football player
*
Hwang Hui
Hwang Hui (8 March 1363 – 28 February 1452) was a politician of the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties, who came from the Jangsu Hwang clan and once served as prime minister of the Joseon dynasty from 1431 to 1449.
Biography
Hwang Hui was an offi ...
— 14th-century royal prime minister (영의정, 領議政) during the rule of
Taejong
Taejong of Joseon (13 June 1367 – 8 June 1422), personal name Yi Bang-won (Korean: 이방원; Hanja: 李芳遠), was the third ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea and the father of King Sejong the Great. Before ascending to the throne, he wa ...
and
Sejong the Great
Sejong of Joseon (15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), personal name Yi Do (Korean: 이도; Hanja: 李祹), widely known as Sejong the Great (Korean: 세종대왕; Hanja: 世宗大王), was the fourth ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. Initial ...
of the
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...
*
Hwang In-youp
Hwang In-youp (; born January 19, 1991) is a South Korean actor, model, and singer. He began his career in modeling industry before making his screen debut with a main role in the web series ''Why '' (2018). He rose to international prominence ...
— South Korean actor, model and singer
*
Hwang Jae-hun – South Korean football player
*
Hwang Jang-lee
Hwang Jung-lee (Korean: 황정리; born December 21, 1944), known to many with the spelling of Hwang Jang-lee is a Japanese-born Korean martial artist and actor. Hwang is perhaps best known for his role as "Thunderleg" in 1978's ''Drunken Mast ...
— Japanese-born Korean martial artist and film actor
*
Hwang Jang-yop
Hwang Jang-yop ( ko, 황장엽; 17 February 192310 October 2010) was a North Korean politician who served as the Chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly from 1972–1983 and was largely responsible for crafting ''Juche'', the state ideology o ...
— former North Korean politician and
North Korean defector
Since the division of Korea after the end of World War II, North Koreans have fled from the country in spite of legal punishment for political, ideological, religious, economic, moral, personal, or nutritional reasons. Such North Koreans are re ...
to South Korea
*
Hwang Jini
Hwang Jini or Hwang Jin-Yi (; 1506 – 1560), also known by her gisaeng name Myeongwol ("bright moon", ), was one of the most famous gisaeng of the Joseon Dynasty. She lived during the reign of King Jungjong. She was noted for her exceptional ...
— legendary
gisaeng
Kisaeng (Hangul: 기생, Hanja: 妓生, RR: ''Gisaeng''), also called ginyeo (Hangul: 기녀, Hanja: 妓女), were women from outcast or slave families who were trained to be courtesans, providing artistic entertainment and conversation to men ...
of the
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...
*
Hwang Jin-Woo – South Korean auto racing driver
*
Hwang Jung-eum
Hwang Jung-eum is a South Korean actress and singer. She rose to stardom through the sitcom ''High Kick Through the Roof'' and received her first leading role with television series '' Listen to My Heart''.
Career
Hwang Jung-eum debuted with K ...
— South Korean actress and singer
*
Hwang Jung-eun
Hwang Jung Eun (born 1976) is a South Korean writer and podcast celebrity.
Life
Hwang was born in Seoul, South Korea. She dropped out of Incheon National University. Hwang learned Korean at a younger age than most kids and was skilled in learni ...
— South Korean writer and podcaster
*
Hwang Jung-Oh
Hwang Jung-oh (born 1 April 1958) is a retired judoka from South Korea, who represented South Korea at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. There he won the silver medal in the men's half-lightweight division (65 kg), af ...
— South Korean judoka
*
Jun-Muk Hwang
Jun-Muk Hwang (; born 27 October 1963) is a South Korean mathematician, specializing in algebraic geometry and complex differential geometry.
Personal life
Hwang is the eldest son of ''gayageum'' musician Hwang Byungki and novelist Han Malsook. ...
— South Korean mathematician
*
Hwang Jun-seok — South Korean engineer
*
Hwang Kwang Hee
Hwang Kwang-hee (Hangul: 황광희; Hanja: 黃光熙; born August 25, 1988), also known Mononymous person, mononymously as Kwanghee, is South Korean singer, actor, and TV personality. He debuted in 2010 as a member of the boy band ZE:A. He is al ...
— South Korean singer
*
Hwang Kyo-ahn
Hwang Kyo-ahn (; born 15 April 1957) is a South Korean politician and prosecutor who served as acting president of South Korea from 9 December 2016 to 10 May 2017 and the 40th prime minister of South Korea from 18 June 2015 to 11 May 2017.
Hwa ...
— South Korean politician and prosecutor, 40th
Prime Minister of South Korea
The prime minister of the Republic of Korea (PMOTROK or PMOSK; ) is the deputy head of government and the second highest political office of South Korea who is appointed by the President of the Republic of Korea, with the National Assembly's app ...
*
Hwang Hyo-sook (stage name Lexy) — South Korean singer
*
Hwang Min-hyun
Hwang Min-hyun (; born August 9, 1995), known mononymously as Minhyun, is a South Korean singer, songwriter and actor. He began his professional career in 2012 as a lead vocalist of the South Korean boy group NU'EST. In 2017, he participated in s ...
— South Korean singer, member of boy band
NU'EST
NU'EST (; short for New Establish Style Tempo) was a South Korean boy band formed and managed by Pledis Entertainment. The group consisted of five members: JR, Aron, Baekho, Minhyun and Ren. They debuted on March 15, 2012, with the single ...
and a former member of boy band
Wanna One
Wanna One () was a South Korean boy band formed by CJ E&M through the second season of ''Produce 101''. The group was composed of eleven members: Kang Daniel, Park Ji-hoon, Lee Dae-hwi, Kim Jae-hwan, Ong Seong-wu, Park Woo-jin, Lai Kuan-lin, Yo ...
*
Serra Miyeun Hwang
Serra Miyeun Hwang (born 1962) is a Korean–American composer. Her work uses elements of Korean folk music. She is also a percussionist, playing Korean drums.
Biography
Hwang was born in Seoul, South Korea and emigrated to the United States ...
— Korean-American composer
*
Hwang Seung-eon
Hwang Seung-eon (; born October 31, 1988) is a South Korean actress, model and singer. She was a member of the co-ed project group Temporary Idols under YG Entertainment. She has appeared in numerous films, television series, variety shows, and ...
— South Korean actress, model and singer
*
Hwang Sok-yong
Hwang Sok-yong (born January 4, 1943) is a South Korean novelist.
Life
Hwang was born in Hsinking (today Changchun), Manchukuo, during the period of Japanese rule. His family returned to Korea after liberation in 1945. He later obtained ...
— South Korean author
*
Hwang Sun-hong
Hwang Sun-hong (born 14 July 1968) is a South Korean former football player and current head coach of the South Korea national under-23 football team. He was the most notable South Korean striker in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Club career
Af ...
— South Korean football player
*
Hwang Sun-hee
Hwang Sun-hee (born August 15, 1986) is a South Korean actress.
Career
After supporting roles in the miniseries '' Sign'', ''City Hunter'' and '' Wild Romance'', she played her first leading role in the daily drama '' Love, My Love''.
In May 2 ...
— South Korean actress
*
Hwang Sun-won
Hwang Sun-wŏn (March 26, 1915 – September 14, 2000) was a Korean short story writer, novelist, and poet."황순원" biographical PDF available at LTI Korea Library or online at:
Life
Hwang was born while Korea was under Japanese colonial ...
— South Korean author and defining figure of modern
Korean literature
Korean literature is the body of literature produced by Koreans, mostly in the Korean language and sometimes in Classical Chinese. For much of Korea's 1,500 years of literary history, it was written in Hanja. It is commonly divided into classica ...
*
Tiffany Hwang
Stephanie Young Hwang (born August 1, 1989), known professionally as Tiffany or Tiffany Young, is an American singer-songwriter. Born and raised in California, she was discovered by South Korean entertainment agency SM Entertainment at the age ...
— Korean-American singer-songwriter, member of girl group
Girls' Generation
Girls' Generation (), also known as SNSD, is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group is composed of eight members: Taeyeon, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun. Originally a nine-piece ensembl ...
*
Hwang Young-min (known as Tim) – Korean-American singer
*
Hwang Ui-jo
Hwang Ui-jo ( ko, 황의조; born 28 August 1992) is a South Korean professional association football, footballer who plays as forward (association football), forward for K League 1 club FC Seoul, on loan from Nottingham Forest F.C., Nottingha ...
— South Korean football player
*
Hwang Woo-Suk
Hwang Woo-suk ( ko, 황우석, born January 29, 1953)Sources disagree on the birthdate due to confusion between different calendar systems. Hwang was born on January 29, 1953 in the Gregorian calendar. However, older Koreans often list their bir ...
— discredited South Korean biomedical scientist
*
Hwang Young-Cho
Hwang Young-cho (born 22 March 1970) is a former South Korean athlete, winner of the marathon race at the 1992 Summer Olympics and 1994 Asian Games.
Career
Born in Samcheok, South Korea, Hwang was a promising track athlete in his junior year ...
— South Korean athlete
*
Hwang Yu-mi
Hwang Yu-mi (Hangul: 황유미; born 18 March 1983) is a South Korean former badminton player. She competed at the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics.
Career
In 2003, she won the silver medal at the Asian Championships in the women's doubles even ...
— South Korean badminton player
Fictional characters
*
Hwang Seong-gyeong — a recurring video game character who first appeared in ''
Soul Edge
is a fighting game developed by the Namco team Project Soul and published by Namco as the first installment in the ''Soulcalibur'' series of 3D fighting games. Originally released as an arcade game in December 1995 in video gaming, 1995, an upgra ...
''
See also
*
List of Korean family names
This is a list of Korean surnames, in Hangul alphabetical order. Note: (S) denotes South Korea. (N) denotes North Korea.
The most common Korean family name (particularly in South Korea) is Kim, followed by Lee and Park. These three family name ...
*
Korean name
A Korean name (Hangul: ; Hanja: ) consists of a family name followed by a given name, as used by the Korean people in both South Korea and North Korea. In the Korean language, ''ireum'' or ''seongmyeong'' usually refers to the family name (''seon ...
*
Korean culture
The traditional culture of Korea is the shared cultural and historical heritage of Korea and southern Manchuria before the division of Korea in 1945. Manchuria refers to the ancient geographical and historical region in Northeast Asia, includ ...
*
Korean language
Korean ( South Korean: , ''hangugeo''; North Korean: , ''chosŏnmal'') is the native language for about 80 million people, mostly of Korean descent. It is the official and national language of both North Korea and South Korea (geographic ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hwang (Korean Name)
Korean-language surnames