Yong (Korean Hangul: , Korean Hanja: ) is a

family name In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

used 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 ...

, as well as a character in some

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 ...

s. It may also mean sun in some cases. As a family name, it may also be spelled Ryong in Korea. It is of Sino-Korean origin.

As a family name

Most

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 ...

with the reading Yong are pronounced that way in all dialects of Korean. However, the character used to write the family name (, meaning "dragon"), is also read as Ryong and spelled as such in hangul (룡). This is the standard reading in North Korea and among

Koreans in China Koreans in China (), Korean Chinese (), Joseonjok, Chosŏnjok (), or Chaoxianzu (), are Chinese by nationality and are Koreans by ethnicity (with either full or partial Korean ancestry). A majority of the chaoxianzu are descendants of immigran ...

. 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 a sample of year 2007 applications for South Korean passports, it was found that 97% of people with this surname chose to have it spelled it in Latin letters as Yong, while 3% chose to spell it Young, and none spelled it Ryong. Yong is one of the 100 most common given names in China The 2000 South Korean Census found 14,067 people and 4,320 households with this family name. They identified with the following ''

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 hometown of a 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 ...

, not necessary the actual residence of the clan members): *

Hongcheon Hongcheon (''Hongcheon-gun'') is a county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations ...

(in what is today Gangwon-do, South Korea): 12,733 and 3,930 households *

Gaeseong Kaesong (, ) is a special city in the southern part of North Korea (formerly in North Hwanghae Province), and the capital of Korea during the Taebong kingdom and subsequent Goryeo dynasty. The city is near the Kaesong Industrial Region close to ...

(in what is today

South Pyongan Province South Pyongan Province (Phyŏngannamdo; ) is a province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the southern half of the former Pyongan Province, remained a province of Korea until 1945, then became a province of North Korea. Its ca ...

, North Korea): 439 people and 130 households *

Suwon Suwon (, ) is the capital and largest city of Gyeonggi-do, South Korea's most populous province which surrounds Seoul, the national capital. Suwon lies about south of Seoul. It is traditionally known as "The City of Filial Piety". With a populati ...

(in what is today

Gyeonggi-do 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 ...

, South Korea): 264 people and 72 households *

Gwangju Gwangju () is South Korea's sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home Minister. The city was also the capital of South Jeolla Province until the provincial office ...

(in what is today South Korea): 206 people and 59 households *

Yongin Yongin () is a city in the Seoul Capital Area, the largest in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. With a population over 1 million, the city has developed rapidly since the 21st century, recording the highest population growth of any city in the count ...

(in what is today Gyeonggi-do, South Korea): 174 people and 54 households *

Paju Paju () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Paju was made a city in 1997; it had previously been a county (''gun''). The city area of Paju is ,"Paju (Gyeonggi-do Province)." ''Naver Encyclopedia of Knowledge''. Naver, 2015. 4 Mar. 2016. ...

(in what is today Gyeonggi-do, South Korea): 164 people and 54 households *Other or unreported ''bon-gwan'': 87 people and 21 households People with this family name include: *

Yong Hyun-Jin Yong Jae-hyun (; born 19 July 1988) is a South Korean Association football, footballer who plays for FC Anyang in the K League Challenge. He is a versatile player, capable of playing at left back, right back, or defensive midfield. In 2015, h ...

(born 1988), South Korean football player *

Yong Jun-hyung Yong Jun-hyung (Hangul: 용준형; born Yong Jae-soon on December 19, 1989), commonly known as Junhyung, is a South Korean singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer and actor. Junhyung rose to fame as a member of South Korean boy band Highli ...

(born 1989), South Korean rapper *

Yong Hye-in Yong Hye-in (Korean: 용혜인, born 12 April 1990) is a South Korean civil society activist and politician of the Basic Income Party. She was one of the main proponents of the silent march campaign, '' Stay Where You Are'', that originated in ...

(born 1990), South Korean civil society activist *

Yong Lee-ja Yong may refer to: *Yong (), Chinese character for "permanence", unique in that the character contains eight strokes common to Chinese characters; see Eight Principles of Yong *Yong (), Chinese character for "use" or "function"; in Neo-Confucianis ...

(born 1991), North Korean football player

In given names

Yong is an element in some given names. The meaning differs based on the hanja used to write it. There are 24 hanja with the reading "yong" and one with the reading "ryong" on the South Korean government's official list of hanja which may be used in given names; common ones are listed in the table above.

People

;People 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 border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

with the single-syllable given name Yong or Ryong include: *

Jang Yong Jang Yong (born April 8, 1945) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Television series *'' Hold Me Tight'' (MBC, 2018) *''Our Gap-soon'' (SBS, 2016-2017) *''Five Enough'' (KBS2, 2016) *''Flower of Queen'' (MBC, 2015) *''Miss Korea'' (MBC, 2013) ...

(born 1945), South Korean footballer *

Ryoo Ryong Ryoo Ryong FRSC (born 1955) is a distinguished professor of chemistry at KAIST in Daejeon, South Korea. He was the head of the Center for Nanomaterials and Chemical Reactions, an Extramural Research Center of the Institute for Basic Science. Ryo ...

(born 1957), South Korean chemistry professor *

Jim Yong Kim Jim Yong Kim (; born December 8, 1959), also known as Kim Yong (/金墉), is an American physician and anthropologist who served as the 12th president of the World Bank from 2012 to 2019. A global health leader, Kim was formerly the chair of ...

(born Kim Yong, 1959), South Korean-born American physician, 12th President of the World Bank *

Lee Yong (luger) Lee Yong (born June 23, 1978) is a South Korean luger who has competed since 1997. He finished 43rd in the men's singles event at the FIL World Luge Championships 2007 in Igls. Lee qualified for the 2010 Winter Olympics )'' , nations = 82 ...

(born 1978), South Korean luger *

Kang Yong Kang Yong (Hangul: 강용; Hanja: 康甬; born January 14, 1979) is a South Korean football player who since 2008 has played for Chunnam Dragons. He formerly played for Pohang Steelers and Gwangju Sangmu Bulsajo. From 2009, he was loaned to ...

(born 1979), South Korean footballer *

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 short track speed skater * Lee Yong (footballer born 1986), South Korean footballer *

Lee Yong (footballer born 1989) Lee Yong (; Hanja: 李龍; born 21 January 1989) is a South Korean footballer who plays as defender for Suwon FC. Club career Lee was selected in the priority pick of the 2011 K-League Draft by Gwangju FC. He joined Qatar Stars League side A ...

, South Korean footballer

As name element

Names containing this element include: ;First syllable *

Jae-yong Jae-yong 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 " jae" and 24 hanja with the reading " yong" on the South Korean government's official l ...

Myung-yong Myung-yong is a Korean masculine given name. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 19 hanja with the reading "myung" and 24 hanja with the reading " yong" on the South Korean government's officia ...

* Seung-yong * Sung-yong *

Tae-yong Tae-yong 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 24 hanja with the reading " yong" on the South Korean government's official ...

* Won-yong ;Second syllable * Yong-gi * Yong-ho * Yong-hwa * Yong-joon

References

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

As a family name

In given names

People

As name element

See also

References