Seong, also spelled Song or Sung, is an uncommon

Korean family name This is a list of Korean surnames, in Hangul alphabetical order. Note: (S) denotes South Korea. (N) denotes North Korea. The most common Korean family name (particularly in South Korea) is Kim, followed by Lee and Park. These three family nam ...

, 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 (''se ...

, as well as a common element in two-syllable Korean given names. The meaning differs based on the hanja used to write it.

Family name

The family name Seong is written with only one hanja, meaning "succeed" or "accomplish" (). The 2000 South Korean Census found 167,903 people with this family name, up by six percent from 158,385 in the 1985 census. This increase was far smaller than the fifteen percent growth in the overall South Korean population over the same period. They traced their origins to only a single ''

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 Chine ...

'',

Changnyeong County Changnyeong County (''Changnyeong-gun'' 창녕군) is a county in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. In the early Three Kingdoms period, Changnyeong was the seat of Bihwa Gaya, a member of the Gaya confederacy which was later conquered by ...

. This was also the place where they formed the highest concentration of the local population, with 2,360 people (3.61%). 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 67.4% of people with this surname spelled it in Latin letters as Sung in their passports. The Revised Romanisation spelling Seong was in second place at 29.4%. Rarer alternative spellings (the remaining 3.2%) included Seung, Shung, and the Yale Romanisation spelling Seng.

Government and politics

* Seong Sam-mun (1418–1456), Joseon Dynasty official * Seong Seung (died 1456), Joseon Dynasty official * Seong Huian (1461–1513), Joseon Dynasty official * Seong Hon (1535–1598), Joseon Dynasty official * Ui-bin Seong (1753–1786), Joseon Dynasty concubine *

Sung Jusik Sung Jusik ( Korean: 성주식; Hanja:成周寔; 1891 - 1959) is a Korean soldier, socialist independence activist at the time of Korea under Japanese rule and politician of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. In the time of Korea under ...

(1891–1956), Korean independence activist, later a North Korean politician *

Seong Hye-rang Seong Hye-rang (born 1935) is a North Korean defector and author. Early life Her father was a wealthy South Korean landowner who moved to the North for political reasons, while her mother was an editor of the official North Korean newspaper '' ...

(born 1935), North Korean defector * Sung Yun-mo (born 1963), South Korean politician * Sung Jae-gi (1967–2013), South Korean activist

Popular culture

Sung Dong-il Sung Dong-il (born April 27, 1967) is a South Korean actor. Sung made his acting debut in theater in 1987, then was recruited at the 1991 SBS open talent auditions. He rose to fame as the comic, Jeolla dialect-speaking character "Red Socks" in ...

(born 1964), South Korean actor *

Sung Ji-ru Sung Ji-ru (born October 16, 1968) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Film Television series Awards and nominations References External links * * * 1968 births Living people People from Gongju 20th-century Sout ...

(born 1968), South Korean actor * Sung Hyun-ah (born 1975), South Korean actress *

Sung Si-kyung Sung Si-kyung (; born April 17, 1979) is a South Korean singer, entertainer and television host. He debuted in 2001 and has released eight studio albums in Korean and two studio albums in Japanese. He has also hosted and appeared on numerous So ...

(born 1979), South Korean ballad singer *

Sung Yu-ri Sung Yu-ri (born March 3, 1981) is a South Korean actress and singer. She made her entertainment debut in 1998 as a member of the now-defunct K-pop group Fin.K.L. Sung turned to acting in 2002, starring in television dramas such as '' Thousan ...

(born 1981), South Korean pop singer * Sung Yu-bin (born 2000), South Korean actor

Sport

Sung Nak-woon Sung Nak-Woon (Hangul: 성낙운, Hanja: 成樂雲, 2 February 1926 – 28 May 1997) was a South Korean football forward who played for the South Korea in the 1954 FIFA World Cup The 1954 FIFA World Cup was the fifth edition of the FIFA Wo ...

(1923–1986), South Korean football forward *

Seong Nak-gun Seong Nak-gun (born 26 February 1962) is a South Korean sprinter. He competed in the men's 4 × 100 metres relay at the 1988 Summer Olympics. Seong attended Busan Sports High School () and was active in track and field there. He went on to ...

(born 1962), South Korean sprinter * Sung Han-kook (born 1963), South Korean badminton player *

Sung Jung-a Sung Jung-A (born 25 December 1965 in Jinju, Gyeongsangnam-do) is a South Korean former basketball player who won the silver medal in the women's basketball tournament at the 1984 Summer Olympics. Sung was also a member of ...

(born 1965), South Korean basketball player * Sung Kyung-hwa (born 1965), South Korean handball player *

Sung Hee-jun Sung Hee-Jun (born 8 June 1974) is a retired South Korea long jumper. He finished sixteenth at the 1995 Summer Universiade and fourth at the 1998 Asian Games. He also competed at the 1992 World Junior Championships, the 1996 Olympic Games, the ...

(born 1974), South Korean long jumper *

Sung Han-soo Sung Han-soo (born March 10, 1976) is a South Korean football player who played at Changwon City. Club career *1999–2001 Daejeon Citizen *2002–2004 Chunnam Dragons The Jeonnam Dragons (Korean: 전남 드래곤즈) are a South Korean ...

(born 1976), South Korean football forward (K League 1) * Sung Jong-hyun (born 1979), South Korean football defender (K League 1, China League One) *

Sung Kyung-mo Sung Kyung-Mo (born 26 June 1980) is a South Korean Association football, football player who played for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, Incheon United and Gwangju FC. He was released for accepting bribes as part of a probe into match-fixing in the le ...

(born 1980), South Korean football goalkeeper (K League 1) *

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 * Sung Hyun-ah (footballer) (born 1982), South Korean football forward * Seong Kyung-il (born 1983), South Korean football goalkeeper (K League 1) * Sung Si-bak (born 1987), South Korean short track speed skater * Seong Se-hyeon (born 1990), South Korean curler *

Sung Ji-hyun Sung Ji-hyun (; born 29 July 1991) is a South Korean badminton player from Seoul. She is an Asian Championship gold medalist, a two-time Summer Universiade gold medalist, and a World Championship bronze medalist. She was also part of South Kor ...

(born 1991), South Korean badminton player *

Sung Eun-ryung Sung Eun-ryung (born 14 April 1992 in Seoul) is a South Korean luger. Sung competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics for South Korea. In the Women's singles she placed 29th. She was also a part of the South Korean relay team, which finished 12th. ...

(born 1992), South Korean luger * Seong Eun-jeong (born 1999), South Korean professional golfer * Sung Nak-so, South Korean table tennis player

Other

Seong Baek-in Seong Baek-in (born 7 December 1933) is professor emeritus of linguistics at Seoul National University. His primary area of research is on the Manchu language. Career Seong served as a professor at Myongji University from March 1968 to May 1982. ...

(born 1933), South Korean Tungusologist * Dan Keun Sung (born 1952), South Korean electronic engineer * Wonyong Sung (born ), South Korean professor of electronic and information engineering *

Jung Mo Sung Jung Mo Sung (born 1957) is a Roman Catholic lay theologian trained in theology, ethics, and education. He works within the paradigm of liberation theology and can be considered a "next generation" theologian-practitioner. He has served ...

(born 1957), South Korean-born Brazilian theologian * Doris Sung (born 1964), American educator of Korean descent * Seung-Yong Seong (born 1965), South Korean immunologist * Kiwan Sung (born 1967), South Korean poet * Hugh Sung (born 1968), American classical pianist of Korean descent * Shi-Yeon Sung (born 1975), South Korean classical conductor * Steve Sung (born 1985), South Korean poker player *

Mikyung Sung Mikyung Sung (Korean Language, Korean: , sometimes spelled Mikyung Soung, born September 1, 1993 in Seoul, South Korea) is a classical double bass player. Education Born into a musical family, Mikyung Sung first studied piano and cello, then sta ...

(born 1993), South Korean double bass player * Lea Seong, South Korean fashion designer

Fictional characters

*Seong Chun-hyang, the title character of the folk tale ''

Chunhyangjeon ''Chunhyangjeon'' (춘향전; 春香傳; lit. ''The Story of Chunhyang or'' ''The Tale of Chunhyang'') is one of the best known love stories and folk tales of Korea. It is based on the pansori ''Chunhyangga'', the most famous of the five surviving ...

'' *

Seong Mi-na The following is a comprehensive list of characters from the '' Soulcalibur'' series of video games, beginning with '' Soul Edge'' (''Soul Blade'') in 1995. Overview The ''Soulcalibur'' series is a weapon-based fighting game franchise developed ...

, in Japanese fighting game series ''Soul'' *Sung Jinwoo, protagonist of the South Korean light novel and manhwa, '' Solo Leveling'' *Seong Gi-hun, the main character of the television series ''

Squid Game ''Squid Game'' () is a South Korean survival drama television series created by Hwang Dong-hyuk for Netflix. Its cast includes Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Wi Ha-joon, HoYeon Jung, O Yeong-su, Heo Sung-tae, Anupam Tripathi, and Kim Jo ...

In given names

Hanja

, regulations of the

Supreme Court of Korea The Supreme Court of Korea () is the highest ordinary court in the judicial branch of South Korea, seated in Seocho, Seoul. Established under Chapter 5 of the Constitution of South Korea, the Court has ultimate and comprehensive jurisdicti ...

permit the following 24 hanja with the reading Seong, plus six variant forms, to be registered for use in given names. Ten characters from the table of

basic hanja for educational use Basic Hanja for educational use ( ko, 한문 교육용 기초 한자, hanmun gyoyukyong gicho Hanja) are a subset of Hanja defined in 1972 (and subsequently revised in 2000) by the South Korean Ministry of Education for educational use. Students ...

: # (): "family name" # (): "character", "personality" # (): "accomplish" #* ''(variant)''This variant uses in place of the hook stroke used in the standard form.This is officially listed as a separate character in Schedule 1 of the regulations, rather than a variant form in Schedule 2 of the regulations. # (): "castle" #* ''(variant)'' # (): "sincere" #* ''(variant)'' # (): "abundant" #* ''(variant)'' # (): "to observe" # (): "sage" # (): "voice" # (): "star" Fourteen characters from the table of additional hanja for name use: # (): name of a kind of jade # (): "beautiful" # (): "brightness of jade" # (): "to realise" # (): "to awaken" # (): "library" # (): "

orangutan Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in the gen ...

" # (): "reed" # (): "rotting meat" # (): "property", "valuables" # (): "victory" # (): "bright" #* ''(variant)'' #* ''(variant)''This variant form is not yet encoded in Unicode. #: "sharp hearing"This character is part of the CJK Unified Ideographs Extension B block and might not be displayed or printed properly. It consists of the ear radical and a character meaning "star" (). # (): "red horse"

People

People with the monosyllabic given name Seong include: *Seong Gi (died 108 BC), Gojoseon general killed during the

Han conquest of Gojoseon The Han conquest of Gojoseon was a campaign launched by Emperor Wu of Han China against Wiman Joseon between 109 and 108 BCE. It resulted in the fall of Gojoseon and the establishment of the Four Commanderies of Han in the northern half of th ...

Seong of Baekje Seong of Baekje (also ''Holy King'', died 554) (r. 523–554) was the 26th king of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was a son of Muryeong of Baekje and is best known for making Buddhism the state religion, moving the national capit ...

(–554), 26th king of Baekje * Seong of Balhae (died 795), 5th ruler of the kingdom of Balhae *

Jin Xing Jin Xing (; born August 13, 1967) is a Chinese ballerina, modern dancer, choreographer, actress, founder and artistic director of the contemporary dance company Shanghai. She is a transgender celebrity. Early life Jin was born in 1967 in Shen ...

(; born 1967), Chinese ballet dancer of Korean descent

As name element

Many names starting with this element have been popular names for newborn baby boys in earlier decades, according to South Korean government data: *1940: Sung-ki (9th place) *1950: Sung-soo (3rd place) and Sung-ho (6th place) *1960: Sung-ho (1st place) and Sung-soo (7th place) *1970: Sung-ho (2nd place), Sung-jin (3rd place), Sung-hoon (5th place), and Sung-min (8th place) *1980: Sung-min (2nd place) and Sung-hoon (6th place) *1990: Sung-min (3rd place) and Sung-hyun (4th place) Other names containing beginning with this element include: * Sung-chul (masculine) * Sung-ha (masculine) * Seong-han (unisex) * Sung-hee (unisex) * Seong-ja (feminine) * Sung-keun (masculine) * Seong-gyeong (unisex) * Sung-mi (feminine) * Sung-nam (masculine) * Sung-sook (feminine) * Sung-woo (masculine) * Sung-yong (masculine) Other names ending with this element include: * Dae-sung (masculine) * Hae-seong (masculine) * Hee-sung (unisex) * Hye-sung (unisex) * Il-sung (masculine) * Jae-sung (masculine) * Jin-sung (unisex) * Oh-seong (masculine) * Tae-sung (masculine) * Woo-sung (masculine)

Notes

References

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