Yang (Korean surname) explained

Hangul:	양
Hanja:	楊, 梁,,
Rr:	Yang
Mr:	Yang

Yang is a Korean surname. According to the 2000 South Korean Census, 486,645 people in South Korea had the surname Yang.

Overview

The family name Yang can be written with four different hanja, indicating different lineages. The 2000 South Korean Census found a total of 486,645 people in 151,315 households with these family names.^[1]

Hanja meaning "bridge" (梁 or 樑)

Deulbo Yang (들보 양,), meaning "bridge", is by far the most common of the four surname hanja read Yang, used by 389,152 people in 120,534 households. This made it the 25th-most common surname among the 288 surnames distinguished by the 2000 Census. Additionally, another 3,254 people in 960 households used the variant form (with a "tree" radical added on the left); that variant alone was the 144th-most common surname.^[1] They identified with 32 different bon-gwan (hometown of a clan lineage, not necessarily the actual residence of clan members):

Namwon, North Jeolla: 218,546 people in 67,691 households.^[1] They claim descent from Yang U-ryang (梁友諒), a descendant of the Jeju Yang clan's ancestor Yang Eul-na who came to Namwon during the reign of Gyeongdeok of Silla.^[2]
Jeju

133,355 people in 41,169 households.^[1] They claim descent from Yang Eul-na (梁乙那) of the Tamna kingdom in modern-day Jeju, whose surname was originally another character (良). Yang Sun (梁洵), a descendant of Yang Eul-na, then came to Silla in the mainland of Korea during the reign of King Sinmun, and the Namwon and Cheongju clans later branched off from the Jeju clan.^[2] ^[3]

Namyang (today Hwaseong, Gyeonggi): 7,280 people in 2,173 households. Additionally, this was the bon-gwan reported by nearly all (3,211 people in 957 households) of the people who used the variant form ; two others reported a different bon-gwan, while the other 41 did not report a bon-gwan at all.^[1]
Cheongju, North Chungcheong: 8,499 people in 2,649 households.^[1]
Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang: 6,274 people in 1,990 households.^[1]
Other or unreported bon-gwan: 15,171 people in 4,862 households.^[1]

Hanja meaning "willow" (楊)

Beodeul Yang (버들 양,), meaning "willow", is the second-most common of the four surname hanja read Yang, used by 93,416 people in 29,558 households. This made it the 55th-most common surname in the 2000 Census.^[1]

Hanja meaning "assist" (襄)

Doul Yang (도울 양,), meaning "assist", is the least common of the four surname hanja read Yang, used by 823 people in 263 households. This made it the 182nd-most common surname in the 2000 Census. The census did not report the bon-gwan for this surname.^[1]

Notable people with the surname

Academic

Yang Ji-won (born 1949), South Korean professor of chemical and bio-molecular engineering at KAIST

Business

Michael Yang (born 1961), South Korean-born American entrepreneur

Entertainment/film

Yang Byung-yeol (born 1993), South Korean actor
Yang Dong-geun (born 1979), South Korean actor, rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer and breakdancer
Yang Hee-kyung (born 1954), South Korean actress
Yang Hye-ji (born 1996), South Korean actress
Yang Ik-june (born 1975), South Korean actor and director
Yang Jin-sung (born 1988), South Korean actress
Yang Jung-a (born 1971), South Korean actress
Yang Mi-kyung (born 1961), South Korean actress
Shin Min-a (born Yang Min-a, 1984), South Korean actress and model
Yang Se-jong (born 1992), South Korean model and actor
Yang Seung-pil (born 1992), South Korean actor
Yang Soobin (born 1994), South Korean mukbang entertainer
Yang Yong-hi (born 1964), Japanese-born Korean film director
Yang Yun-ho (born 1966), South Korean film director and screenwriter
Yang Se-hyung (born 1985), South Korean comedian and entertainer
Yang Se-chan (born 1986), South Korean comedian
Eugene Lee Yang (born 1986), South Korean American actor, producer, author, director, activist and internet celebrity

Literature

Yang Gui-ja (born 1955), South Korean writer

Military

Yang Chil-seong (1919–1949), Indonesian freedom fighter of Korean descent known as Komarudin
Yang Kyu, 11th century Goryeo general who fought the Khitans
Yang Kyoungjong (1920–1992), Korean soldier who fought for the Imperial Japanese Army, the Soviet Red Army, and the German Wehrmacht during World War II
Yang Sung-sook, South Korean general

Music

Yang Bang-ean (born 1960), Tokyo-born Korean composer, arranger, record producer, and pianist
Yang Da-il (born 1992), South Korean singer
Yang Hee-eun (born 1952), South Korean singer and songwriter
Yang Hong-seok (born 1994), South Korean singer, member of boy group Pentagon
Yang Hyun-suk (born 1970), South Korean music executive, founder and CEO of YG Entertainment
Yang Ji-won (born 1988), South Korean singer and actress, former member of girl groups Spica and Uni.T
Yang Joon-il (born 1969), Korean-American singer-songwriter
Yang Jung-yoon (stage name Jiyul, born 1991), South Korean singer and actress, member of girl group Dal Shabet
Yang Seung-ho (born 1987), South Korean singer, leader of boy group MBLAQ
Sung-Won Yang, South Korean cellist, professor of cello at the Yonsei University School of Music
Yang Yeon-je (born 1999), South Korean singer, former member of girl group Alice
Yang Yo-seob (born 1990), South Korean singer, member of boy group Highlight

Politics

Yang Gi-tak (1871–1938), Korean independence activist, 9th president of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea
Yang Sung-chul (born 1939), South Korean diplomat who served as Seoul's ambassador to the U.S. from 2000 to 2003

Sports

Yang Dong-geun (born 1981), South Korean retired basketball player
Yang Dongi (born 1984), South Korean mixed martial artist
Yang Hak-seon (born 1992), South Korean gymnast, country's first Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics
Yang Hee-jong (born 1984), South Korean basketball player, national team member
Yang Hong-seok (born 1997), South Korean basketball player, national team member
Yang Joon-hyuk (born 1969), South Korean retired baseball outfielder
Yang Hyeon-jong (born 1988), South Korean professional baseball pitcher
Yang Jung-mo (born 1953), South Korean retired freestyle wrestler and the country's first Olympic gold medalist
Yang Shin-young (born 1990), South Korean short-track and long-track speed skater
Yang Tae-hwa (born 1982), South Korean retired ice dancer, national champion from 1999 to 2002
Yang Tae-young (born 1980), South Korean 2004 Olympic bronze medalist in the individual all-around event in artistic gymnastics
Yang Yong-eun (born 1972), South Korean professional golfer and winner of 2009 PGA Championship
Yang Young-ja (born 1964), South Korean professional table tennis player who won gold at the 1988 Olympics

Visual arts/fashion

Niki Yang (born 1985), South Korean animator, writer, storyboard artist, and voice actress

Fictional characters

Cristina Yang: fictional character on Grey's Anatomy played by Sandra Oh
Suzanne "Z" Yang: American Girl character

External links

Yang family history at ancestry.com

Notes and References

Web site: 행정구역(구시군)/성씨·본관별 가구 및 인구. Family names by administrative region (district, city, county): separated by bon-gwan, households and individuals. Korean Statistical Information Service. 23 October 2015.
Web site: 양(梁). Jokbo Museum. Daejeon. 13 July 2016.
Book: http://busan.grandculture.net/Contents?local=busan&dataType=01&contents_id=GC04219345. 남원 양씨. Encyclopedia of Regional Culture. Academy of Korean Studies. 13 July 2016.