Hyun, also spelled Hyeon or Hyon, Hyoun, is a

Korean surname 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 (''seo ...

, a single-syllable

Korean given 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 (''seo ...

, and an element in many two-syllable Korean given names. As given name meaning differs based on the

hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, ...

used to write it. There are 42 hanja with the reading "''hyun''" on the

South 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 eas ...

n government's official list of hanja which may be used in given names.

As a surname

Overview

The family name Hyun is written with only one hanja (; 검을 현 ''geomeul hyeon'') meaning "dark" or "mysterious". The 2000 South Korean Census found 81,807 people and 25,547 households with this family name. In a study by the

National Institute of the Korean Language The National Institute of Korean Language is a language regulator of the Korean language. It was created on January 23, 1991, by Presidential Decree No. 13163 (November 14, 1990). It is based in Seoul, South Korea. The institute was originall ...

based on 2007 application data for South Korean passports, it was found that 80.5% of people with this surname spelled it in Latin letters as Hyun in their passports. Another 14.9% spelled it as Hyeon, and 2.2% as Hyoun. Rarer alternative spellings (the remaining 2.4%) included Heon and Hyean.

Clans

The surviving ''

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 ...

'' (origin of a clan lineage, not necessarily the actual residence of the clan members) as of 2000 included: # Yeonju (

Nyongbyon County Nyŏngbyŏn County (in standard Southern dialect: Yŏngbyŏn) is a county in North Pyŏngan province, North Korea. It borders the cities of Kaechŏn and Anju, and covers an area of 504 km². Description The city was heavily fortified du ...

North Pyongan Province North Pyongan Province (Phyŏnganbukto; , also spelled North P'yŏngan), is a western province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former P'yŏng'an Province, remained a province of Korea until 1945, the ...

: 59,096 people and 18,686 households. Yeonju is an old name of Nyongbyon County, and is located in territory which became part of

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

after the

division of Korea The division of Korea began with the defeat of Japan in World War II. During the war, the Allied leaders considered the question of Korea's future after Japan's surrender in the war. The leaders reached an understanding that Korea would be l ...

. The clan members claim descent from Hyeon Dam-yun (현담윤; 玄覃胤), who held the position of ''munha sirang pyeongjangsa'' (문하시랑평장사; 門下侍郞平章事) in the

Secretariat-Chancellery Secretariat-Chancellery was a central government department in several dynasties in imperial China and Korea. It was created in the Tang dynasty by combining the Secretariat and the Chancellery. It was a particularly important office in late Tang ...

under

Myeongjong of Goryeo Myeongjong of Goryeo (8 November 1131 – 3 December 1202) (r. 1170–1197) was 19th monarch of the Goryeo dynasty of Korea. He was the third son of King Injong. Although it was intended that Injong's second son should succeed his father,It ...

(r. 1170–1197). #

Seongju Seongju County (''Seongju-gun'') is a county in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. This largely agricultural area is located immediately west of the metropolitan city of Daegu. The capital of the county is the town of Seongju. Lotte Skyhill ...

North Gyeongsang Province North Gyeongsang Province ( ko, 경상북도, translit=Gyeongsangbuk-do, ) is a province in eastern South Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Gyeongsang province, and remained a province of Korea until the ...

: 4,938 people and 1,438 households. They are a branch of the Yeonju clan, claiming descent from Hyeon Dam-yun via Hyeon Gyu (현규; 玄珪), who held the position of '' gunsu'' ( 군수; 郡守) for Gobu County (; 古阜郡),

Jeolla Province Jeolla Province (, ) was one of the historical Eight Provinces of Korea during the Kingdom of Joseon in today Southwestern Korea. It consisted of the modern South Korean provinces of North Jeolla, South Jeolla and Gwangju Metropolitan City as w ...

(today

Jeongeup Jeongeup (), also known as Jeongeup-si, is a city in North Jeolla Province, South Korea. The city limits include Naejang-san National Park, a popular destination particularly in autumn due to its foliage. Jeongeup is on the Honam Expressway an ...

North Jeolla Province North Jeolla Province (; ''Jeollabuk-do''), also known as Jeonbuk, is a province of South Korea. North Jeolla has a population of 1,869,711 (2015) and has a geographic area of 8,067 km2 (3,115 sq mi) located in the Honam region in the southwes ...

) under

Sejong of Joseon 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 ...

(r. 1418–1450). # Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province: 3,534 people and 1,099 households. They claim descent from Hyeon Myeong (현명, 玄命), an official under

Injo of Joseon Injo of Joseon (7 December 1595 – 17 June 1649), born Yi Jong, was the sixteenth ruler of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. He was the grandson of King Seonjo and son of Prince Jeongwon. He was the king during the Later Jin invasion of Joseon, i ...

(r. 1623–1649). #

Yeongju Yeongju () is a city in the far north region of North Gyeongsang province in South Korea, covering 668.84 km2 with a population of 113,930 people according to the 2008 census. The city borders Bonghwa county to the east, Danyang county of North ...

, North Gyeongsang Province: 1,724 people and 531 households. # Changwon,

South Gyeongsang Province South Gyeongsang Province ( ko, 경상남도, translit=Gyeongsangnam-do, ) is a province in the southeast of South Korea. The provincial capital is at Changwon. It is adjacent to the major metropolitan center and port of Busan. The UNESCO World H ...

: 1,261 people and 376 households. They are a branch of the Yeonju clan, claiming descent from Hyeon Dam-yun via his son Hyeon Deok-yu (현덕유; 玄德裕), who was also an official under Myeongjong of Goryeo. # Other ''bon-gwan'': 12,343 people and 3,387 households. # Unknown ''bon-gwan'': 172 people and 30 households.

People

People with the surname Hyun include: * Hyun Jae-myung (1902–1960), South Korean composer * Hyun Soong-jong (1919–2020), South Korean politician *

Hyon Chol-hae Hyon Chol-hae ( ko, 현철해/玄哲海;August 13, 1934 – May 19, 2022) was a North Korean military officer. He was born in Country Yanji,Province Jilin,Manchukuo. During the Korean War, Hyon served as Kim Il-sung's bodyguard, a role which ...

(1934–2022), North Korean general *

Hyon Yong-chol Hyon Yong-chol (; January 11, 1949 – rumored April 30, 2015) was a North Korean general and Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) politician. He served as Minister of Defence from 2014 to 2015. In 2015, he was reportedly removed from his post. Perso ...

(1949–2015), North Korean general * Hyun Kil-un (1940–2020), South Korean writer * Hyun Ki-young (born 1941), South Korean author *

Hyun Jae-hyun Hyun Jae-Hyun (born February 12, 1949) is chairman of Tongyang Group, a South Korean conglomerate founded in 1957 as a cement manufacturer. Career Starting in the mid-1980s, Hyun began diversifying the Tongyang Group's business structure, and by ...

(born 1949), South Korean businessman * Hyun In-taek (born 1954), South Korean politician *

Hyeon Taeghwan Taeghwan Hyeon (born in 1964) is a South Korean chemist. He is SNU distinguished professor in the School of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Seoul National University, director of Center for Nanoparticle Research of Institute for Basic Scie ...

(born 1964), South Korean scientist * Hyun Jong-yeol(born 1984), South Korean data scientist *

Hyun Jung-hwa Hyun Jung-hwa (; born October 6, 1969 in Busan, South Korea) is a retired table tennis player from South Korea who competed in the 1988 Summer Olympics, and in the 1992 Summer Olympics. Career National South Korean table tennis player Hyun Jun ...

(born 1969), South Korean table tennis player *

Insoo Hyun Insoo Hyun is the Director of Research Ethics and a faculty member of the Center for Bioethics and senior lecturer on Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He also serves as the Inaugural Director of the Center for Life Sci ...

(born ), Korean American bioethics professor *

Hyun Jin-young Heo Hyeon-seok (Hangul: 허현석; born February 3, 1971), better known by his stage name Hyun Jin-young (Hangul: 현진영), is a South Korean singer, rapper, and dancer. He is known for his role in introducing hip-hop music to South Korea. H ...

(born Huh Hyun-seok, 1971), South Korean singer * Hyun Sook-hee (born 1973), South Korean judo practitioner *

Hyun Joo-yup Hyun Joo-yup (alternate spellings: Hyeon, Joo-yeop, Joo-yeob, Ju-yeop, Ju-yeob; ; born 27 July 1975) is a South Korean former professional basketball player and head coach. He is regarded as one of the greatest power forwards of all time in th ...

(born 1975), South Korean basketball player *

Hyon Song-wol Hyon Song-wol (; born 1977) is a North Korean singer, band leader, and politician. She is the leader of the Moranbong Band and of the Samjiyon Orchestra. She was formerly a featured vocalist for the Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble in the early 200 ...

(born 1977), North Korean pop singer * Martin Hyun (born 1979), German ice hockey player and writer *

Hyun Woo-sung Hyun Woo-Sung (born March 16, 1979) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Television series References External links Hyun Woo-sung Fan Cafeat Daum * Hyun Woo-sung Official Fan Club of Japan South Korean male actors Living people ...

(born 1979), South Korean actor * Hyun Young-min (born 1979), South Korean football player * Hyun Hye-sung (born 1986), South Korean field hockey player *

Hyun Jyu-ni Hyun Jyu-ni (born August 1, 1985), previously known under the stage names Juni or Ju-an, is a South Korean singer and actress. Career Hyun Jyu-ni debuted as the frontman of the four-member girl rock band BellaMafia, which released the album ''O ...

(born 1985), South Korean actress * Hyun Seung-hee (born 1996), main singer of the South Korean girl group

Oh My Girl Oh My Girl (, also stylized as OH MY GIRL and OMG) is a South Korean girl group formed by WM Entertainment. The group is composed of six members: Hyojung, Mimi, YooA, Seunghee, Yubin and Arin. Originally an eight-piece group, JinE left the gro ...

* Hyun Seung-min (born 1999), South Korean actress * Hyon Hak-bong, North Korean diplomat

As a given name

As name element

Many names containing this syllable have been popular for newborn children in

, for newborn girls in the 1950s through the 1990s, and for newborn boys from the 1980s up through the 2010s: ;Newborn boys *

Hyun-jun Hyun-jun, also spelled Hyun-joon, Hyeon-jun, Hyeon-joon, Hyon-jun, or Hyon-joon, is a Korean masculine given name. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 42 hanja with the reading "'' hyun''" and ...

(8th place in 2008 and 2009) * Hyun-woo (5th place in 1980, 2nd place in 1990, 3rd place in 2008, 5th place in 2009) * Do-hyun (9th place in 2008, 10th place in 2011) * Dong-hyun (8th place in 1980, 9th place in 1990, 10th place in 2008) *

Seung-hyun Seung-hyun, also spelled Seung-hyeon, or Seung-hyon, Sung-hyon, is a Korean unisex given name, predominantly masculine. The meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 17 hanja with the reading "''seung'' ...

(10th place in 1990) * Sung-hyun (4th place in 1990) ;Newborn girls * Hyun-joo (4th place in 1970) * Hyun-jung (2nd place in 1970, 8th place in 1980) * Hyun-sook (6th place in 1950, 8th place in 1960 * Ji-hyun (9th place in 1990) Other given names containing this element include: ;First syllable * Hyun-a *

Hyun-hee Hyun-hee, also spelled Hyun-hui, Hyon-hui or Hyon-hi, is a Korean unisex given name, predominantly feminine. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 35 hanja with the reading " hyun" and 24 hanja w ...

* Hyun-jin * Hyun-kyung * Hyun-mi *

Hyun-seok Hyun-seok, also spelled Hyun-suk, is a Korean masculine given name. The meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 35 hanja with the reading " hyun" and 20 hanja with the reading " seok" on the South Kor ...

* Hyun-sik * Hyun-soo * Hyun-tae * Hyun-wook ;Second syllable * Dae-hyun *

Jae-hyun Jae-hyun, also spelled Jae-hyeon, is a Korean unisex given name. Its meaning depends on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 20 hanja with the reading " jae" and 35 hanja with the reading " hyun" on the South Korean governme ...

* Joo-hyun * Jung-hyun *

Kwang-hyun Kwang-hyun, also spelled Gwang-hyun, is a Korean masculine given name. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 13 hanja with the reading "kwang" and 35 hanja with the reading " hyun" on the South K ...

Sang-hyun Sang-hyun is a Korean unisex given name, predominantly masculine. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 35 hanja with the reading " sang" and 35 hanja with the reading " hyun" on the South Korea ...

* Seo-hyun *

Si-hyun Si-hyun, also spelled Si-hyeon, or Shi-hyun, is a South Korean unisex given name. The meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 56 hanja with the reading "'' shi''" and 45 hanja with the reading "'' hy ...

* Soo-hyun *

Tae-hyun Tae-hyun, also spelled Tae-hyeon, is a Korean masculine given name. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 20 hanja with the reading " tae" and 35 hanja with the reading " hyun" on the South Kore ...

People

People with the single-syllable given name Hyun include:

Entertainers

Joo Hyun Joo Hyun (; born Joo Il-choon, ; March 1, 1943) is a South Korean actor. Biography Joo graduated from Konkuk University in Seoul, where he majored in political science and diplomacy. He began his acting career after being selected through a ...

(born Joo Il-choon, 1943), South Korean actor *

Woo Hyun Woo Hyun (born 1964) is a South Korean actor, and former democracy activist. Filmography Film Television series Variety show References External links * Living people People from Gwangju South Korean male television actors So ...

(born 1964), South Korean actor * Lee Hyun (born 1983), South Korean singer

Footballers

Cho Hyun Cho Hyun is a football player from 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 ...

(born 1974), South Korean midfielder (K-League) * Choi Hyun (born 1978), South Korean goalkeeper (K-League) * Yoo Hyun (born 1984), South Korean goalkeeper (K-League) * Park Hyun (born 1988), South Korean midfielder (K-League Challenge) *

Kim Hyun (footballer) Kim Hyun (; born 3 May 1993) is a South Korean footballer who plays as a striker for K League 1 side Suwon FC. Honours South Korea U20 * AFC U-19 Championship: 2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger c ...

(born 1993), South Korean striker (K-League 2)

Other

Choe Hyon Choe Hyon (, 6 May 1907 – 10 April 1982), also known as Sai Ken (after the Japanese pronunciation of his name), was a North Korean general and politician. Born in China to ethnic Korean parents, Choe fought in the anti-Japanese struggle from ...

(1907–1982), North Korean general and politician * Yoon Hyun (born 1966), South Korean judo practitioner * Joh Hyun (born 1969), South Korean novelist * Jung Hyun (born 1994), South Korean baseball player *

Chung Hyeon Chung Hyeon (; ; born 19 May 1996) is a South Korean professional tennis player. He is the 2017 Next Gen Finals champion. As an unseeded player, he became the first Korean player to reach a Grand Slam semifinal at the 2018 Australian Open. ...

(born 1996), South Korean tennis player * Na Hyun, South Korean screenwriter and director

Fictional characters

*Guido-Hyun, a protagonist from ' anime

References

{{given name, type=both Korean given names Korean-language surnames

As a surname

Overview

Clans

People

As a given name

As name element

People

Entertainers

Footballers

Other

Fictional characters

See also

References