Min is an uncommon

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 ...

as well as a common syllable in

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 (''seon ...

As a family name

The Korean family name Min is written with only one hanja (). The 2000 census found 142,752 people in 43,887 households belonging to this clan (about 0.35% of the South Korean population at the time), making it the 47th-most-common surname among the 286 surnames listed in the census. This represented a growth of 3.8 percent from 137,317 in the 1985 census, a far smaller increase than the fifteen percent growth in the overall South Korean population over the same period. The family name Min has one major clan

lineage Lineage may refer to: Science * Lineage (anthropology), a group that can demonstrate its common descent from an apical ancestor or a direct line of descent from an ancestor * Lineage (evolution), a temporal sequence of individuals, populati ...

, the

Yeoheung Min clan The Yeoheung Min clan () is a Korean clan that traces its origin to Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province. The 2015 Korean Census counted 167,124 members of the Yeoheung Min clan. Origin The Yeoheung Min clan's progenitor was Min Ching-do (민칭도, 閔� ...

, whose ''

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 the lineage, not necessarily the residence of living members) is present-day

Yeoju Yeoju () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Yeoju was a county but was raised to the status of a city in September 2013. Together with the neighboring city of Icheon, it is known as a major center of contemporary South Korean ceramics, ...

Gyeonggi Province Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Its name, ''Gyeonggi'', means "京 (the capital) and 畿 (the surrounding area)". Thus, ''Gyeonggi-do'' can be translated as "Seoul and the surrounding areas of Seoul". Seoul, the na ...

. Yeoju has traditionally been called Yeoheung (during Joseon dynasty) and Hwangryeo (Goryeo dynasty), and the Min family has accordingly been referred to as Hwangryeo Mins or other variations during different times in history. The Yeoheung Min clan is subdivided into 46 sub-clans ("Pa"). In addition to the Yeoheung Mins, the Korean census lists families using the syllable Min in their family names including the

Gyeongju Gyeongju ( ko, 경주, ), historically known as ''Seorabeol'' ( ko, 서라벌, ), is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province in South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, ...

Mins and

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 ...

Mins. These clans are not listed in the official family tree (Jokbo) of the Yeoheung Min clan and their origins are unverified. People with the family name Min include: *

Queen Wongyeong Queen Wongyeong (원경왕후 민씨; 29 July 1365 – 18 August 1420) of the Yeoheung Min clan, was the primary wife of Taejong of Joseon, and the mother of Sejong the Great. She was queen consort of Joseon from 1400, and was honored as Queen J ...

(1365–1420), queen consort of King Taejong *

Queen Inhyeon Queen Inhyeon (Hangul: 인현왕후 민씨, Hanja: 仁顯王后閔氏; 15 May 1667 – 16 September 1701), of the Yeoheung Min clan, was the second wife and queen consort of King Sukjong, the 19th Joseon monarch. She was Queen of Joseon fr ...

(1667–1701), queen consort of King Sukjong of Joseon * Stephen Min Kuk-ka (1787–1840), Korean Roman Catholic saint *

Empress Myeongseong Empress Myeongseong or Empress Myungsung (명성황후 민씨; 17 November 1851 – 8 October 1895In lunar calendar, the Empress was born on 25 September 1851 and died on 20 August 1895), informally known as Empress Min, was the official wife ...

(1851–1895), queen consort of King Gojong of Joseon *

Min Young-hwan Min Yeong-hwan (민영환, 閔泳煥; 7 August 1861 - 30 November 1905) was a politician, diplomat, and general of the Korean Empire and known as a conservative proponent for reform. He was born in Seoul into the powerful Yeoheung Min clan whi ...

(1861–1905), Korean Empire official *

Empress Sunmyeong Empress Sunmyeonghyo or literally known as Sunmyeong, the Filial Piety Empress (Hangul: 순명효황후, Hanja: 純明孝皇后; 20 November 1872 – 5 November 1904), of the Yeoheung Min clan, was the first wife and Crown Princess Consort of ...

(1872–1907), princess consort of Emperor Sunjong of Korea *

Min Yeong-chan Min Yeong-chan (3 December 1873 – 16 November 1948), was scion of the powerful Min clan of the late Joseon period in Korea. Along with his elder brother Min Yeong-hwan, Yeong-chan served in a number of official positions towards the end of th ...

(1873–1948), Korean Empire official *

Min Won-sik Min Won-sik (, July 12, 1886 – February 17, 1921) was a politician and journalist during the late Joseon dynasty and the Japanese colonial era. He was an advocate for Korean political rights and autonomy. Also a noted writer and poet, he used ...

(1886–1921), Korean male journalist of the Japanese colonial period * Aleksandr Min (1915–1944), first Korean awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union *

Min Byung-dae Min Byung-dae (Hangul: 민병대, Hanja: 閔丙大; 20 February 1918 – 4 January 1983) was a South Korean football defender who played for the South Korea in the 1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of th ...

(1918–1983), South Korean male football defender *

Min Hyun-sik Min Hyun-sik (born 21 October 1946) is a South Korean architect. Biography Min was born in 1946, in Gyeongnam, Korea. After having worked and studied under architect Kim Swoo Geun of Space Group and architect Yoon Seung Joong of Wondoshi Arch ...

(born 1946), South Korean male architect *

Min Young-sam Min Young-sam (born 30 March 1954) is a South Korean sport shooter Shooting sports is a group of competitive and recreational sporting activities involving proficiency tests of accuracy, precision and speed in shooting — the art of using range ...

(born 1954), South Korean sport shooter *

Min Byung-doo Min Byung-doo (; born 10 June 1958) is a South Korean politician in the liberal Minjoo Party of Korea who has been a member of the National Assembly for Dongdaemun, Seoul, from 2012 to 2020. He was formerly a party list member from 2004 to 20 ...

(born 1958), South Korean male politician *

Min Gyeong-seung Min Gyeong-seung (born 10 February 1962) is a South Korean fencer. He competed in the team épée event at the 1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) w ...

(born 1962), South Korean male fencer *

Min Hae-kyung Min Hae-kyung (born April 18, 1962) is a South Korean female singer. She became famous as a performing artist in the 1980s and is noted for her singing and dancing. Biography She was a student at Seoul National Art High School Seoul (; ...

(born 1962), South Korean female singer *

Min Joon-ki Min Joon-ki (born February 19, 1968) is a South Korean film director. He wrote and directed ''Heaven's Soldiers'' (2005), in which Halley's Comet causes North and South Korean soldiers to travel back in time from 2005 to 1572, where they join Ko ...

(born 1968), South Korean male film director *

(born 1962), South Korean female singer *

Min Se-hun Min Se-hun (born 26 July 1963) is a South Korean athlete. He competed in the men's discus throw at the 1988 Summer Olympics. References 1963 births Living people Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics South Korean ma ...

(born 1963), South Korean male discus thrower * Janice Min (born 1969), American female writer of Korean descent *

Min Hye-sook Min Hye-Sook (born March 15, 1970) is a South Korean team handball player and Olympic champion. She competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital ...

(born 1970), South Korean female team handball player *

Min Kyu-dong Min Kyu-dong (born September 12, 1970) is a South Korean film director, screenwriter and film producer, producer. He made his feature directorial debut in horror film ''Memento Mori (film), Memento Mori'' (1999), followed by romantic comedy, roma ...

(born 1970), South Korean male film director * Min Kyung-gab (born 1970), South Korean male wrestler * Min Byeong-sun (born 1974), South Korean male rower *

Klara Min Klara Yu-Kyoung Min (born c. 1976) is a South Korean-born classical pianist. She has performed in North America, Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy and South Korea in such venues as New York's Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, Barge Music, Gasteig Ha ...

(born 1976), South Korean female pianist * Min Young-ki (born 1976), South Korean male football defender *

Min Hee-jin Min Hee-jin (; born 1979) is a South Korean art director and graphic designer. She is the current CEO of ADOR, a subsidiary of entertainment company Hybe Corporation, where she previously served as chief brand officer. She was formerly a creati ...

(born 1979), South Korean female creative director *

Min Ryoung Min Ryoung (; born July 14, 1982 in Daegu) is a retired South Korean short track speed skater. He is the 2000 Overall World Champion. 2002 Winter Olympics Min participated in the 2002 Winter Olympics held in Salt Lake City, Utah. Prior to th ...

(born 1982), South Korean male short track speed skater *

Min Kyung-hoon Min Kyung-hoon (; born October 6, 1984) is a South Korean singer and television personality. He is the lead vocalist of the rock band Buzz and one-half of the duo Universe Cowards with Kim Hee-chul. His first solo album, ''Im·pres·sive'', was ...

(born 1984), South Korean male singer *

Min Ji-hyun Min Ji-hyun (born November 6, 1984) is a South Korean actress. Filmography Television series Film Music video Awards and nominations References External links * * * * * 1984 births Living people South Korean television a ...

(born 1984), South Korean actress *

Min Young-won Min Young-won (born Jo Hyo-kyung on January 5, 1984) is a South Korean actress. She has mostly played supporting roles in Korean drama, television dramas such as ''Boys Over Flowers (TV series), Boys Over Flowers'' and ''Brilliant Legacy'' (both ...

(born Jo Hyo-kyung, 1984), South Korean actress *

Min Jin-woong Min Jin-woong (born August 22, 1986) is a South Korean actor. He starred in TV series such as ''Yong-pal'' (2015) and ''Drinking Solo'' (2016) and Memories of the Alhambra . Min gained popularity through his role in KBS' weekend family drama ' ...

(born 1986), South Korean actor *

Zizo Min Ju-hong (Hangul: 민주홍, born January 1, 1986), better known by his stage name Zizo (Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Kore ...

(born Min Ju-hong, 1986), South Korean male rapper *

Min Hyo-rin Min Hyo-rin (; born Jung Eun-ran on 5 February 1986) is a South Korean actress, model and singer. Career Born in Daegu as Jung Eun-ran, she adopted the stage name Min Hyo-rin when she began modeling for the clothing brand Flapper in 2006. Sh ...

(born Jung Eun-ran, 1986), South Korean actress *

Jenna Ushkowitz Jenna Noelle Ushkowitz (; born April 28, 1986) (born Min Ji []) is a South Korean-born American actress, singer, producer and podcast host. She is known for her performances in Broadway musicals such as ''The King and I'' and '' Waitress (musical ...

(born Min Ji, 1986), Korean-American actress * Min Byung-hun (born 1987), South Korean male baseball outfielder * Min Sun-ye (born 1989), South Korean female singer, former member of Wonder Girls *

Min Na-on Min Na-on ( ko, 민나온, born 5 November 1988) is a South Korean professional golfer who has played on the LPGA Tour. Min won the Sun City Nedbank Challenge as an amateur in 2002 and turned professional after earning non-exempt status on the ...

(born 1988), South Korean female golfer * Min Ok-ju (born 1990), North Korean female volleyball player *

Justin H. Min Justin Hong-Kee Min (born March 20, 1990) is an American actor. He began his acting career with roles in several Wong Fu productions. He plays Ben Hargreeves in the Netflix original series ''The Umbrella Academy'' (2019–present). He is also k ...

(born 1990), American actor * Min Sang-gi (born 1991), South Korean male football midfielder *

Suga (rapper) Min Yoon-gi (; born March 9, 1993), known professionally by his stage names Suga (stylized in all caps) and Agust D, is a South Korean rapper, songwriter and record producer. Managed by Big Hit Music, he debuted as a member of the South Korea ...

(born Min Yoon-gi, 1993), South Korean rapper, member of BTS *

Min Do-hee Min Do-hee (born September 25, 1994), professionally known as Dohee, is a South Korean actress and singer. She debuted in 2012 as a lead vocal of South Korean girl group Tiny-G. She made her acting debut in 2013 with tvN drama '' Reply 1994'' ...

(born 1994), South Korean actress *

Grace Min Grace Min (born May 6, 1994) is an American tennis player who won the 2011 US Open girls' singles title.Yura Min Yura Min (Hangul: 민유라; born August 15, 1995) is a Korean-American ice dancer who skates with Daniel Eaton for South Korea, with whom she is the 2020 Korean National Champion. With former partner Alexander Gamelin, she is a two-time So ...

(born 1995), South Korean female ice dancer * Min Kyeong-ho (born 1996), South Korean male track cyclist *

Anna Min Anna Min is an American photographer. Min's work focuses on grassroots groups that otherwise could not afford professional level photography and are often overlooked regarding mainstream publicity. Life and work Min is a Korean American born in ...

, 21st-century American photographer of Korean descent * Min Jong-gi, 21st-century South Korean male politician *

Pyong Gap Min Pyong Gap Min (born 18 February 1942) is a sociologist, currently a Distinguished Professor of Sociology at City University of New York, Director of the Research Center for Korean Community at Queens College and also a published author. In 2012, ...

, 21st-century American sociologist

In given names

Hanja and meaning

In given names, the meaning of Min 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, wh ...

used to write it. There are 27 hanja with the reading Min, and four variant forms, on the South Korean government's official list of hanja which may be used in given names; they are: # (): "the people" # (): "agile" # (): "pity" # (): "beautiful gemstone" # (): "heaven" # (): "gentle" # (): the surname Min # (): "jade" #*: variant forms # (): the name of a mountain # (): "to exert" #*: variant form # (): "intelligence" # (): "tough" # (): "concerned" # (): "trickling water" # (): "robustness" # (): "strong" # (): "to perish" # (): "stifling" # (): "fishing line" # (, a variant form of ) # (): " coin string" # () # (): name of a tribe # (): "sight" # (): "net" # (): "jade" # (): "jade"

As name element

Many names containing the syllable Min have been popular for newborn children 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 ...

in recent decades: ;Newborn boys *

Min-ho Min-ho is a Korean masculine given name. The meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 27 hanja with the reading "min" and 49 hanja with the reading " ho" on the South Korean government's official list o ...

(9th place in 1980) * Min-kyu (8th place in 1990) * Min-soo (5th place in 1990) * Min-jun (1st place in 2008, 2009, and 2011) * Sung-min (8th place in 1970, 2nd place in 1980, 3rd place in 1990) ;Newborn girls * Min-ji (4th place in 1990) * Min-seo (2nd place in 2008 and 2009, 3rd place in 2011) * Ji-min (3rd place in 2008, 6th place in 2009 and 2011) Other given names with this syllable include: * Min-a *

Min-chul Min-chul, also spelled Min-chol, is a Korean masculine given name. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 27 hanja with the reading "min" and 11 hanja with the reading " chul" on the South Korean ...

Min-hee Min-hee is a Korean unisex given name. The meaning depends on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 27 hanja with the reading "min" and 25 hanja with the reading " hee" on the South Korean government's official list of hanja ...

Min-hyuk Min-hyuk is a Korean masculine given name. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 27 hanja with the reading "Min (Korean name), min" and nine hanja with the reading "hyuk" on the South Korean gov ...

* Min-ju * Min-jung * Min-kyung * Min-ki * Min-seok *

Min-sun Min-sun is a Korean unisex given name. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 27 hanja with the reading "min" and 41 hanja with the reading " seon" on the South Korean government's official list ...

Min-woo Min-woo is a Korean masculine given name. Its meaning depends on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 27 hanja with the reading "min" and 41 hanja with the reading " woo" on the South Korean government's official list of han ...

Min-young Min-young is a Korean unisex given name. Its meaning depends on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 27 hanja with the reading "min" and 34 hanja with the reading " young" on the South Korean government's official list of h ...

* Chang-min * Cheol-min *

Hyung-min Hyung-min, also spelled Hyeong-min, is a Korean male given name. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 21 hanja with the reading "hyung" and 27 hanja with the reading "min" on the South Korean go ...

* Jung-min * Kang-min *

Kwang-min Kwang-min, also spelled Gwang-min, is a Korean masculine given name. The meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 13 hanja with the reading "kwang" and 27 hanja with the reading "min" on the South Korea ...

* Kyung-min * Seung-min *

Soo-min Soo-min, also spelled Su-min, is a Korean unisex name. Its meaning depends on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 67 hanja with the reading " soo" and 27 hanja with the reading "min" on the South Korean government's officia ...

* Young-min

People

People with the single-syllable given name Min include: * Geum Min (born 1962), South Korean politician *

Namkoong Min Namkoong Min (Hangul: 남궁민, born March 12, 1978) is a South Korean actor, director and screenwriter. He first gained recognition with neo-noir film ''A Dirty Carnival'' (2006), and has since received praise for his performances in '' Rememb ...

(born 1978), South Korean film and television actor *

Kang Min Kang Min (born March 15, 1982), also known as Nal_rA, is a South Korean former professional '' StarCraft'' player and ''League of Legends'' commentator. Since retiring from gaming, he has worked as an instructor at Seoul Institute of the Arts ...

(born 1982), South Korean professional ''StarCraft'' player *

Sung Min (swimmer) Sung Min (also ''Seong Min'', ko, 성 민; born October 15, 1982) is a South Korean former swimmer, who specialized in freestyle and backstroke events. He represented South Korea in three editions of the Olympic Games (2000 to 2008), and held m ...

(born 1982), South Korean swimmer * Park Min (born 1986), South Korean football player

References