Baek (), also often spelled Paek, Baik, Paik, or Back is a

Korean family name 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 ...

. In the year 2000, there were 351,275 people with this surname in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. The word means the color white.

Baek (白)

"白" has a Cantonese origin from the

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty ( ; zh, c=元朝, p=Yuáncháo), officially the Great Yuan (; Mongolian language, Mongolian: , , literally 'Great Yuan State'), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after Div ...

and

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...

dynasty. *Baek Wu Kyung (白宇經) of the

Suwon Baek clan The Suwon Baek clan () is a Korean clans, Korean clan. It is from Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. According to research conducted in 2015, the number of members of the clan was 354,428. Their founder was , who came to Korea during the Silla period and ...

, cousin of

Bai Juyi Bai Juyi (also Bo Juyi or Po Chü-i; , Mandarin Chinese, Mandarin pinyin ''Bǎi Jūyì''; 772–846), courtesy name Letian (樂天), was a Chinese musician, poet, and politician during the Tang dynasty. Many of his poems concern his career o ...

of the

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 ...

, is the origin of this name.

Baek (苩)

Some

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (; ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BCE to 660 CE. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. While the three kingdoms were in separate existence, Baekje had the h ...

refugees from the late

Silla Silla (; Old Korean: wikt:徐羅伐#Old Korean, 徐羅伐, Yale romanization of Korean, Yale: Syerapel, Revised Romanization of Korean, RR: ''Seorabeol''; International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ) was a Korean kingdom that existed between ...

age had this surname. *Paik Ga (苩加), Mahan ruler *Paik Yong (苩龍), Silla general *Paik Ki (苩奇), Baekje general *Paik Ga (苩加), Baekje painter

Notable people

Back

* Back Hye-ryun (born 1967), South Korean prosecutor-turned parliamentarian * Back Min-chul (born 1977), South Korean retired football goalkeeper * Back Sang-won (born 1988), South Korean baseball player

Baek

Baek A-yeon Baek A-yeon (; born March 11, 1993) is a South Korean singer and songwriter signed under Eden Entertainment. She is best known as the second runner-up contestant of ''K-pop Star.'' As a soloist, she has released a total of five extended plays a ...

(born 1993), South Korean singer and songwriter *

Baek Bong-ki Baek Bong-ki (; born December 16, 1980) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in the noir film '' Once Upon a Time in High School'' (2004) and the military sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) ...

(born 1980), South Korean actor * Cha-seung Baek (born 1980), Korean-American former professional baseball pitcher *

Baek Dong-hoon Baek Min-gi (; born September 16, 1990) is a South Korean former outfielder for the Doosan Bears of the KBO League. He graduated from Chung-Ang University. He joined the Lotte Giants in the draft in 2013. He played in the Lotte Giants from 2013 ...

(born 1990), South Korean baseball player *

Baek Dong-kyu Baek Dong-kyu (; born 30 May 1991) is a South Korean footballer who plays as defender for FC Anyang in K League 2. Career Baek was selected by FC Anyang in the 2014 K League draft. He joined Jeju United on 9 July 2015. On 31 May 2017, Baek ...

(born 1991), South Korean football player * Baek Dong-soo (1743–1816), Korean martial artist and swordsman * Baek Eun-bi (born 1979), South Korean retired speed skater *

Baek Eun-hye Baek Eun-hye (; born 1 September 1986) is a South Korean actress, model and singer. She is known for her roles in dramas such as ''Nokdu Flower'', ''What's Wrong with Secretary Kim'', '' No, Thank You'' and '' The Good Detective''. Early life a ...

(born 1986), South Korean actress *

Baek Ha-na Baek Ha-na (; born 22 September 2000) is a South Korean badminton player who attended Cheongsong Girls' High School. She started playing badminton in 2009 after being recommended by her brother, and was selected to join the national team in 2017 ...

(born 2000), South Korean badminton player *

Baek Hee-na Baek Hee-na (, born 1 December 1971 in Seoul) is a South Korean author of picture books, an illustrator and animator. She writes picture books with characters that have distinct personalities and with charming storytelling based on various illu ...

(born 1971), South Korean author and illustrator *

Baek Hyun-joo Baek Hyun-joo (; born on 22 May 1970) is a South Korean actress. She is alumni of Sogang University, Department of Sociology. She made her acting debut in 2006, since then, she has appeared in number of plays, films and television series. She ...

(born 1970), South Korean actress *

Baek Il-joo Baek Il-Joo (also ''Baek Il-Ju'', ; born August 14, 1985, in Seoul) is a South Korean swimmer, who specializes in freestyle events. Swimming career Baek qualified for the women's 200 m freestyle, as South Korea's oldest swimmer (aged 26), at ...

(born 1985), South Korean swimmer *

Baek Il-seob Baek Il-seob (; born June 10, 1944) is a South Korean film and television actor. In recent years he appeared in the family dramas '' Mom's Dead Upset'', '' My Too Perfect Sons'' and '' Ojakgyo Brothers''. In 2007 Baek landed in the news after h ...

(born 1944), South Korean actor *

Baek In-chul In-Chul Baek (born December 20, 1961) is a South Korean former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 1990. He held the WBA super-middleweight title from 1989 to 1990. Boxing career Baek became a professional boxer in 1980. He won the Ori ...

(born 1961), South Korean retired professional boxer *

Baek In-chun Baek In-chun (born November 27, 1943) is a retired Korean professional baseball catcher, outfielder, player-manager and manager. Baek spent most of his career playing in Nippon Professional Baseball. He finished his career in Korea with the KBO L ...

(born 1943), South Korean retired baseball player *

Baek Ji-eun Baek Ji-eun (born 5 January 1988) is a South Korean basketball player for Bucheon KEB Hana Bank and the South Korean national team. She participated at the 2018 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup The 2018 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, t ...

(born 1988), South Korean basketball player *

Baek Ji-heon Fromis 9 (; stylized in snake case) is a South Korean girl group. The group consists of five members: Song Ha-young, Park Ji-won, Lee Chae-young, Lee Na-gyung, and Baek Ji-heon. Originally a nine-piece group, Jang Gyu-ri departed the group in ...

(born 2003), South Korean singer, member of girl group Fromis 9 *

Baek Ji-hoon Baek Ji-hoon (born 28 February 1985) is a South Korean former footballer who played as a midfielder. Career Debut in the K League After leaving high school, Baek joined the K League side Jeonnam Dragons. He made four appearances in his fir ...

(born 1985), South Korean football player *

Baek Ji-won Baek Ji-won (; born April 30, 1973) is a South Korean actress. She graduated in Horticultural Science from Kyung Hee University. She made her acting debut in 1996 in play ''My father got cancer''. She is known for her role in television serie ...

(born 1973), South Korean actress *

Baek Ji-young Baek Ji-young (; born March 25, 1976), sometimes Anglicisation of names, anglicized as Baek Z Young, is a South Korean singer. She made her debut in 1999, with the release of her album ''Sorrow''. Over her career she has released eight studio a ...

(born 1976), South Korean singer *

Baek Jin-hee Baek Jin-hee (; born February 8, 1990) is a South Korean actress. She began to be known for her role in '' High Kick: Revenge of the Short Legged'' (2011–2012) and rose to prominence for her role in '' Empress Ki'' (2013). She also starred in ...

(born 1990), South Korean actress *

Baek Jong-bum Baek Jong-bum (; born January 21, 2001) is a South Korean professional association football, footballer who plays as a goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for K League 1 club FC Seoul. Born in Daejeon, he attended Osan Middle and High ...

(born 2001), South Korean football player *

Baek Joo-hee Baek Joo-hee (; born 29 November 1976) is a South Korean actress. She is known for her roles in drama such as '' My Name'', ''Extracurricular'', '' Lawless Lawyer'', '' Crazy Love'' and '' Today's Webtoon''. She also appeared in movies ''Someone ...

(born 1976), South Korean actress * Baek Kyu-jung (born 1995), South Korean professional golfer * Baek Mi-kyung (born 1971), South Korean screenwriter * Baek Min-hyun (born 1985), South Korean actor * Baek Minseok (born 1971), South Korean writer * Baek Mok-hwa (born 1989), South Korean volleyball player *

Baek Mu-san Baek Musan (; born 1955) is a South Korean poet and labor activist. Life Baek Mu-san was born in 1955 in Yeongcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. His birth name is Baek Bong-seok (). In 1974 he began working as a laborer at Hyunda ...

(born 1955), South Korean poet and labor activist *

Baek Nak-jun Baek Nak-jun (; March 9, 1895January 13, 1985) was a South Korean politician, who was an acting president for a brief time during the Second Korean Republic. Baek was also known by his English name, "George Paik" and his nickname, "Yongjae" ( ...

(1895–1985), South Korean politician *

Baek Nam-chi Baek Nam-chi (; 22 January 1944 – 4 May 2022) was a South Korean academic and politician. A member of the Reunification Democratic Party and the New Korea Party, he served in the National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either ...

(1944–2022), South Korean academic and politician *

Baek Ok-dam Baek Ok-dam (; born May 24, 1986) is a South Korean actress. Her aunt is screenwriter Im Sung-han, and Baek has mostly starred in television dramas that Im has written, including '' Princess Aurora'' (2013) and ''Apgujeong Midnight Sun ''Apg ...

(born 1986), South Korean actress * Baek Sang-seo (born 1960), South Korean handball player * Baek Sang-seung (1935–2018), South Korean politician * Baek Seo-yi (born 1992), South Korean actress *

Baek Seung-hee Baek Seung-hee (; born 12 September 1986) is a South Korean actress. She is known for her roles in dramas such as ''A Bird That Doesn't Sing ''A Bird That Doesn't Sing'' () is a 2015 South Korean television series starring Oh Hyun-kyung, H ...

(born 1986), South Korean actress * Baek Seung-hyeon (born 1975), South Korean actor *

Baek Seung-Jin Seung Jin Baek (; born 1982) is a South Korean political economist and strategist at the United Nations, specializing in political economy of sustainable development. Early life and education Born in Seoul, South Korea, in 1982, Baek studied mat ...

(born 1982), South Korean political economist and strategist *

Baek Soo-hee Baek Soo-hee is a South Korean actress. She is known for her roles in dramas such as ''Be Melodramatic'', ''Soul Mechanic ''Soul Mechanic'' () is a 2020 Korean drama, South Korean television series starring Shin Ha-kyun, Jung So-min, Tae In-h ...

(born 1992), South Korean actress *

Baek Su-ho Baek Su-ho (; born Baek Seung-hwan on April 17, 1998) is a South Korean actor. He began his career as a child actor The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage, television, or in film, movies. An adu ...

(born 1998), South Korean actor *

Baek Sung-chul Baek Sung-chul (; born March 10, 1999) is a South Korean model and actor. He is best known in '' Tell Me That You Love Me'' (2023–2024). Career Baek Sung-chul debuted as a model at the 2019 F/W Seoul Fashion Week and began his acting career i ...

(born 1999), South Korean actor and model *

Baek Sung-dong Baek Sung-dong (; or ; born 13 August 1991) is a South Korean football midfielder who plays for K League 1 side Pohang Steelers. Career In 2007, Baek participated in the of Watford F.C. on the recommendation of the Korea Football Associati ...

(born 1991), South Korean football player *

Baek Sung-hee Baek Sung-hee (; born 1970) is a South Korean scientist specialising in molecular genetics. Her work is focused on the chromatin dynamics and epigenetic regulatory mechanism in cancer. She received her BS, MS, and Ph.D. degrees from Seoul Nationa ...

(born 1970), South Korean scientist *

Baek Sung-hyun Baek Sung-hyun (; born January 30, 1989) is a South Korean actor. Career Baek Sung-hyun made his acting debut in the 1994 film ''I Wish for What Is Forbidden to Me'' when he was five years old. The child actor practically grew up onscreen, pl ...

(born 1989), South Korean actor * Baek Ye-bin (born 1997), South Korean singer-songwriter, member of girl group DIA * MLMA (born Baek Ye-jin), South Korean artist, rapper, and fashion designer * Yerin Baek (born 1997), South Korean singer-songwriter *

Baek Yoon-sik Baek Yoon-sik (; born 16 March 1947) is a South Korean actor. He is known for his characteristic near-expressionless facial acting. Career Baek Yoon-sik made his debut in 1970 on KBS TV. In the coming years he would appear in four films, takin ...

(born 1947), South Korean actor * Baek Young-ok (born 1974), South Korean writer

Baik

Insook Baik Insook Baik (, born ) is a South Korean-born American gas station owner from Anchorage, Alaska. She is known for giving out free meals on Thanksgiving to residents of Mountain View. In 2022, the Insook Baik Bridge was named after her. Life In ...

(born 1950/1951), South Korean-born American gas station owner * Baik Sou-linne (born 1982), South Korean author *

Baik Tae-ung Baik Tae-Ung (born 1963) is a Professor of Law at the University of Hawaii at Manoa William S. Richardson School of Law in Honolulu, Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii. He is Director of the Center for Korean Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. ...

(born 1963), South Korean lawyer

Bek

Bek Hyun-jin Baek Hyun-jin (; born June 29, 1972) is a South Korean actor, musician, and artist. Film Television Producer * ''The End'' (short, 2009) * ''Eternal Joke'' (short, 2011) Screenwriter * ''The End'' (short, 2009) * ''Eternal Joke'' ( ...

(born 1972), South Korean actor, musician, installation artist

Paek

Paek Hak-rim Paek Hak-rim (October 1918 – October 5, 2006) was the Deputy Director of the North Korean Ministry of Public Security. He occupied a number of high-ranking positions, including serving from 1998 to 2003 on the National Defense Commission. He ...

(1918–2006), North Korean politician *

Jim Paek Jim Paek (, born April 7, 1967) is a Korean-Canadian former professional ice hockey player, who is currently the director of hockey for the Korea Ice Hockey Association and head coach of the South Korean national team. Paek played in the Nation ...

(born 1967), Korean-born Canadian ice hockey coach *

Paek Nam-il Paek Nam-il is a North Korean politician. He has been a delegate to the past four sessions of the Supreme People's Assembly: the 8th beginning in 1986, the 9th beginning in 1990, the 10th beginning in 1998, and the 11th beginning in 2003. See ...

, North Korean politician *

Paek Nam-nyong Paek Nam-nyong (; born 19 October 1949), alternatively Paek Nam-ryong or Baek Nam-Ryong, is a North Korean writer. He was born on 19 October 1949 in Hamhŭng. During the Korean War, his father was killed. At the age of 11, his mother died. After ...

(born 1949), North Korean writer *

Paek Nam-sun Paek Nam-sun (; or ; March 13, 1929 – January 2, 2007) was the North Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1998 until his death. He was one of the few North Koreans to frequently be in the international spotlight. Early life Paek w ...

(1929–2007), North Korean politician * Paek Sang-ho, North Korean Colonel General * Paek Se-bong (born 1938), North Korean politician *

Paek Sol-mi Paek Sol-mi () is a North Korean actress. She was named Best Actress at the 2016 Pyongyang International Film Festival for her performance in the North Korean drama film '' The Story of Our Home''. Career Paek studied acting in Pyongyang. At a ...

, North Korean actress *

Paek Yong-ho Paek Yong Ho ( or ; born 1945) is General Secretary to the Central Committee of the Red Cross Society of North Korea. This body is the North Korean affiliate of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Paek first ...

(born 1945), North Korean politician

Paik

Paik Gahuim Paik Gahuim (; born July 26, 1974) is a modern South Korean writer known for his disturbing stories. Life Paik Gahuim was born July 26, 1974, in Iksan, Jeollanam-do, South Korea. Baek Ga-heum debuted in 2001 when his short story “Flounder” ...

(born 1974), South Korean writer *

Jamie Paik Jamie Kyujin Paik is a Canadian engineer who is a professor and director of the Reconfigurable Robotics Lab at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. Early life and education Paik was born in Canada. Her father is a scientist and her mothe ...

, Canadian roboticist *

Paik Jong-won Paik Jong-won (; born September 4, 1966), sometimes spelled Baek Jong-won, is a South Korean businessman. In television, he is known as the main host of the cooking television series '' Baek Jong-won's Top 3 Chef King'' (2015–2017), '' Baek J ...

(born 1966), South Korean chef and entrepreneur *

Kun-Woo Paik Kun-woo Paik (; born March 10, 1946, in Seoul) is a South Korean pianist. He has performed with multiple orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic. Early life Kun-Woo ...

(born 1946), South Korean pianist *

Paik Kap Yong Paik Kap Yong (, 1914 - 1996) was a South Korean arachnologist. Life He was born in Daegu, Korea, Empire of Japan in 1914, and had his secondary schooling in Daegu and then in Kyoto, Japan. In 1941, he became a graduate of the Department of Agr ...

(South Korean arachnologist) *

Nam June Paik Nam June Paik (; July 20, 1932 – January 29, 2006) was a South Korean artist. He worked with a variety of media and is considered to be the founder of video art. He is credited with the first use (1974) of the term "electronic super highway" ...

(1932–2006), Korean American artist *

Paik Seung-ho Paik Seung-ho (; born 17 March 1997) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Birmingham City and the South Korea national team. Early life In 2009, as a member of Seoul Daedong Elementary School, he play ...

(born 1997), South Korean professional football player *

Paik Sun-yup Paik Sun-yup (; November 23, 1920 – July 10, 2020) was a Republic of Korea Army four-star general who became the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1959 to 1960. Paik is best known for his service during the Korean War, becoming the ...

(1920–2020), South Korean military officer

Fictional characters

* Baek Doo San, character in ''Tekken'' fighting games