Ko (), also variously romanized Go, Goh, or Koh, is a common
Korean surname.
Among Koreans with this surname, the largest clan is the , named for its ''
bon-gwan'' (clan hometown) of
Jeju Island
Jeju Island (Jeju language, Jeju/) is South Korea's largest island, covering an area of , which is 1.83% of the total area of the country. Alongside outlying islands, it is part of Jeju Province and makes up the majority of the province.
The i ...
; they claim descent from , the first ruler of the kingdom of
Tamna, which ruled Jeju until being absorbed by the
Joseon dynasty
Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...
.
Origin
According to the ''
Samguk Sagi'', the Goguryeo royal family claimed descent from the mythical god
Gao Yang, who was the grandson of the
Yellow Emperor
The Yellow Emperor, also known as the Yellow Thearch, or Huangdi ( zh, t=黃帝, s=黄帝, first=t) in Chinese, is a mythical Chinese sovereign and culture hero included among the legendary Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. He is revered as ...
of
Chinese mythology
Chinese mythology () is mythology that has been passed down in oral form or recorded in literature throughout the area now known as Greater China. Chinese mythology encompasses a diverse array of myths derived from regional and cultural tradit ...
, and thus took the surname of "Go" (高);
however, this legend was discredited in the commentaries () by
Kim Busik, the compiler of the ''Samguk Sagi'', who concluded that both Baekje and Goguryeo originated from Buyeo.
Liaoyang (
Hanja
Hanja (; ), alternatively spelled Hancha, are Chinese characters used to write the Korean language. After characters were introduced to Korea to write Literary Chinese, they were adapted to write Korean as early as the Gojoseon period.
() ...
: 遼陽) based Go (
Hanja
Hanja (; ), alternatively spelled Hancha, are Chinese characters used to write the Korean language. After characters were introduced to Korea to write Literary Chinese, they were adapted to write Korean as early as the Gojoseon period.
() ...
: 高) family is The Royal of
Goguryeo
Goguryeo (37 BC – 668 AD) (; ; Old Korean: Guryeo) also later known as Goryeo (; ; Middle Korean: 고ᇢ롕〮, ''kwòwlyéy''), was a Korean kingdom which was located on the northern and central parts of the Korea, Korean Peninsula an ...
,
Northern Yan ruler
Gao Yun (
Hanja
Hanja (; ), alternatively spelled Hancha, are Chinese characters used to write the Korean language. After characters were introduced to Korea to write Literary Chinese, they were adapted to write Korean as early as the Gojoseon period.
() ...
: 高雲),
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
general
Gao Xianzhi (
Hanja
Hanja (; ), alternatively spelled Hancha, are Chinese characters used to write the Korean language. After characters were introduced to Korea to write Literary Chinese, they were adapted to write Korean as early as the Gojoseon period.
() ...
: 高仙芝) has
Goguryeo
Goguryeo (37 BC – 668 AD) (; ; Old Korean: Guryeo) also later known as Goryeo (; ; Middle Korean: 고ᇢ롕〮, ''kwòwlyéy''), was a Korean kingdom which was located on the northern and central parts of the Korea, Korean Peninsula an ...
origin. In South Korea,
Hoengseong Go clan is also descended from the Royal dynasty of
Goguryeo
Goguryeo (37 BC – 668 AD) (; ; Old Korean: Guryeo) also later known as Goryeo (; ; Middle Korean: 고ᇢ롕〮, ''kwòwlyéy''), was a Korean kingdom which was located on the northern and central parts of the Korea, Korean Peninsula an ...
and the clan's genealogy book specifies
Dongmyeong of Goguryeo
Dongmyeong of Goguryeo (), personal name Ko Chumong (), was the founding monarch of the kingdom of Goguryeo, and was worshipped as a god-king by the people of Goguryeo and Goryeo. King Dongmyeong was also an important figure for the kingdom of ...
as the direct ancestor.
Statistics
According to the 2000 South Korean census, there were 435,839 people in 135,488 households with this surname. Among these, 325,950 people in 100,954 households were members of the Jeju Go clan.
In a study based on a sample of applications for
South Korean passports in 2007, 67.5% chose to spell it as Ko, 18.3% as Go, and 11.4% as Koh.
Go or Goh
*
Go Ah-sung (born 1992), South Korean actress
*
Go Ara (born 1990), South Korean actress and model
*
Go Bo-gyeol (born 1988) South Korean actress
*
Go Bong-jae (born 1993), South Korean professional baseball pitcher
*
Go Dae-woo (born 1987), South Korean footballer
*
Go Doo-shim (born 1951), South Korean actress
*
Go Eun-bi (1992–2014), South Korean singer and member of
Ladies' Code
*
Go Hui-dong
Go Hui-dong (; 1886–1965), also known by the pen name Chun-gok, born in Seoul
Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompa ...
(1886–1965), South Korean painter
*
Go Hyun-jung (born 1971), South Korean actress
*
Go Jae-hyeon (born 1999), South Korean footballer
*
Go Jin-won (born 1956), South Korean wrestler
*
Go Joo-won (born 1981), South Korean actor
*
Goh Kun (born 1938), South Korean politician, former
Prime Minister of South Korea and former Acting President of South Korea.
*
Go Kyung-pyo (born 1990), South Korean actor
*
Go Min-si (born 1995), South Korean actress
*
Go Seul-ki (born 1986), South Korean footballer
*
Go Soo (born 1978), South Korean actor
*Go Tae-seob (stage name
Holland
Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...
, born 1996), South Korean singer
*
Go Woo-ri (born 1988), South Korean actress and singer, former member of girl group
Rainbow
A rainbow is an optical phenomenon caused by refraction, internal reflection and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a continuous spectrum of light appearing in the sky. The rainbow takes the form of a multicoloured circular ...
*
Go Yo-han (born 1988), South Korean footballer
*Go Yoon-hwan (stage name
Ryeoun, born 1998), South Korean actor
*
Go Youn-ha (born 1988), South Korean singer-songwriter and record producer
*
Go Youn-jung (born 1996), South Korean model and actress
*Go Young-jun (stage name
Youngjun, born 1978), South Korean singer, member of Brown Eyed Soul
*
Goh Young-jun (born 2001), South Korean footballer
Ko or Koh
*
Ko Chang-seok (born 1970), South Korean actor
*
Koh Chun-son (born 1954), North Korean long-distance runner
*
Koh Dong-Jin (born 1961), South Korean businessman, former CEO of Samsung
*
E. J. Koh (born 1988), American writer and translator
*
Koh Gou Young (born 1957), South Korean biologist
*
Harold Hongju Koh (born 1954), American diplomat, lawyer, legal scholar
*
Howard Koh (born 1952), former United States Assistant Secretary for Health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human
*
Ko Hye-in (born 1994), South Korean ice hockey player
*
Ko Hyeong-ryeol (born 1954), South Korean poet
*
Ko Hyung-jin (born 1982), South Korean football referee
*
Ko Im-pyo (born 1962), South Korean film editor
*
Irene Koh (born 1990), South Korean-born comics artist in the United States
*
Ko Jae-hyo (born 1980), South Korean former footballer
*
Ko Jae-sung (born 1985), South Korean footballer
*
Ko Jae-wook (born 1951), South Korean football manager and former player
*
Jennifer Koh (born 1976), American violinist
*
Ko Jeong-woon (born 1966), South Korean football manager and former player
*
Ko Ji-yong (born 1980), South Korean singer and businessman, former member of boy band
Sechs Kies
*
Ko Jong-soo (born 1978), South Korean football coach and former player
*
Ko Joo-yeon (born 1994), South Korean actress
*
Ko Kwang-min (field hockey) (born 1981), South Korean field hockey player
*
Ko Kwang-min (footballer) (born 1988), South Korean footballer
*
Ko Kyu-pil (born 1982), South Korean actor
*
Lucy Koh (born 1968), American judge
*
Lydia Ko
Dame Lydia Ko (born 24 April 1997) is a New Zealand professional golfer, member of the LPGA Hall of Fame, and the reigning Olympic champion. She first reached number one in the Women's World Golf Rankings on 2 February 2015 at of age, makin ...
(born 1997), South Korea-born New Zealand golfer
*
Ko Moo-yeol (born 1990), South Korean footballer
*
Ko Myeong-seok (born 1995), South Korean professional footballer
*
Koh Myong-jin (born 1988), South Korean footballer
*
Ko San (born 1976), South Korean entrepreneur
*
Ko Seong-il (born 1974), South Korean voice actor
*
Ko Seung-beom (born 1994), South Korean footballer
*
Ko Seung-wan (born 1981), South Korean curler
*
Ko So-young (born 1972), South Korean actress and model
*
Koh Suk-chang (born 1963), South Korean handball player
*
Ko Sung-hee (born 1990), Korean-American actress
*
Ko Sung-hyun (born 1987), South Korean badminton player
*
Ko Sung-kuk (born 1955), South Korean political scientist
*
Ko Tae-won (born 1993), South Korean footballer
*
Ko Un (born 1933), South Korean poet
*
Ko Yong-hui (1952–2004), North Korean dancer and mother of
Kim Jong-un
Kim Jong Un (born 8 January 1983 or 1984) is a North Korean politician and dictator who has served as supreme leader of North Korea since 2011 and general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is the third son of Kim ...
See also
*
List of Korean surnames
This is a list of Korean surnames, in Hangul alphabetical order.
The most common Korean surname (particularly in South Korea) is Kim (Korean name), Kim (), followed by Lee (Korean name), Lee () and Park (Korean surname), Park (). These three sur ...
*
Korean name
References
{{surname, Ko
Korean-language surnames