# Young (Korean name)

Young, also spelled Yeong, Yong, or Yung, is an uncommon Korean surname, a single-syllable Korean given name, and an element in many two-syllable Korean given names. As given name meaning differs based on the hanja used to write it. There are 43 hanja with the reading yeong on the South Korean government's official list of hanja which may be registered for use in given names, as well as 28 with the reading ryeong and six with the reading nyeong.

## Family name

As a Korean family name, Young can be written with three different hanja, indicating different lineages. According to the 2000 South Korean Census, a total of 259 people had these family names.
* 永 (길 영 gil yeong 'eternal'): 132 people and 40 households. Reported bon-gwan (clan hometowns) included Gangnyeong, Gyeongju, and Pyeonghae. Although the family name was found in numerous historical records, it was recorded under the census for the first time in a 1930 survey by Japanese colonial government with one family living in Seoul. More families bearing the surname has been found since then in the contemporary census surveys.
* 榮 (영화 영 yeonghwa yeong 'flourishing'): 86 people and 20 households. There was one reported bon-gwan, Yeongcheon, and two people whose bon-gwan was not recorded. This character is also used to write a Chinese family name now pronounced Róng in Mandarin.
* 影 (그림자 영 geurimja yeong 'shadow' or 'reflection'): 41 people and 15 households. There was one reported bon-gwan, Seoncheon, and one person whose bon-gwan was not recorded. Seoncheon is located in an area that became North Korean territory after the division of Korea; one person with this family name who had come from North Korea and was living in Seoul stated that there had previously been many more people with that family name living near Seoncheon.

## Given name
### Hanja and meaning

Article 44 of South Korea's Act on Registration of Family Relations [ko] gives the Supreme Court the power to define the list of hanja permitted for use in given names. Under the Supreme Court's regulations, that list consists of the Basic Hanja for educational use and a list of additional hanja permitted for use in given names. There are nine basic hanja for educational use with the reading yeong, as well as five with the reading ryeong and one with the reading nyeong which may be pronounced as yeong according to the dueum beopchik rule of Korean phonology, among which three have additional approved variant forms
* 永 (길 영 gil yeong): 'eternal'
* 英 (꽃부리 영 kkotburi yeong): 'flower petals'
** (뛰어날 영 ttwieonal yeong): 'outstanding'
* 迎 (맞을 영 majeul yeong): 'welcome'
* 榮 (영화 영 yeonghwa yeong): 'flourishing'
** 栄荣 (variants)
* 泳 (헤엄칠 영 heeomchil yeong): 'swim'
* 詠 (읊을 영 eulpeul yeong): 'recite poetry'
* 營 (경영할 영 gyeong-yeonghal yeong): 'manage'
* 影 (그림자 영 geurimja yeong): 'shadow", "reflection'
* 映 (비칠 영 bichil yeong): 'shine'
** (희미할 앙 huimihal yeong): 'indistinct'
** 暎 (variant)
* 令 (하여금 령 hayeogeum ryeong): 'to force'
* 領 (거느릴 령 geoneuril ryeong): 'to lead'
* 嶺 (고개 령 gogae ryeong): 'mountain pass'
** 岭岺 (variants)
* 零 (떨어질 령 ddeorojil ryeong): 'to fall' (e.g. of rain)
* 靈 (신령 령 sinnyeong ryeong): 'spirit'
* 寧 (편안할 녕 pyonanhal nyeong): 'comfortable'
** 寗 (variant)
While as of June 2022, the list of additional hanja permitted for use in given names contains 34 hanja with the reading yeong (including two which are variant forms of another in the same list), 28 hanja with the reading ryeong (with one permitted variant form, and two which are variant forms of one in the list of Basic Hanja for educational use), and five hanja with the reading nyeong:
* 渶 (물 맑을 영 mul malgeul yeong): 'clear water'
* 煐 (빛날 영 bitnal yeong): 'shine'
* 瑛 (옥빛 영 okbit yeong): 'shining jade'
* 瑩 (밝을 영 balgeul yeong): 'lustrous'
* 瀯 (물 졸졸 흐를 영 mul joljol heureul yeong): 'bubbling'
** 濚濴 (variants)
* 盈 (찰 영 chal yeong): 'full'
* 楹 (기둥 영 gidung yeong): 'pillar'
* 鍈 (방울 소리 영 bang-ul sori yeong): 'bell sound'
* 嬰 (어린아이 영 orinai yeong): 'baby'
* 穎 (이삭 영 isak yeong): 'grain'
* 瓔 (옥돌 영 okdol yeong): 'gemstone'
* 咏 (읊을 영 eulpeul yeong): 'recite poetry'
* 塋 (무덤 영 mudeom yeong): 'tomb'
* 嶸 (가파를 영 gapareul yeong): 'steep'
* 潁 (강 이름 영 gang ireum yeong): Ying River in Anhui, China
* 瀛 (바다 영 bada yeong): 'sea'
* 纓 (갓끈 영 gatkkeun yeong): 'chinstrap'
* 霙 (진눈깨비 영 jinnunkkaebi yeong): 'sleet'
* 嬴 (찰 영 chal yeong): 'to have a surplus'
* 𢥏 (호위할 영 howihal yeong): 'protect'
* 蠑 (영원 영 yeong-won yeong): a species of Asiatic salamander
* 朠 (달빛 영 dalbit yeong): 'moonlight'
* 浧 (거침없이 흐를 영 geochimeopsi heureul yeong): 'flow smoothly'
* 䀴 (똑바로 볼 영 ttokbaro bol yeong): 'look ahead'
* 栐 (나무 이름 영 namu ireum yeong): a species of tree
* 癭 (혹 영 hok yeong): 'goitre'
* 韺 (풍류 이름 영 pungryu ireum yeong): name of a style of music
* 碤 (물속 돌 영 mulsok dol yeong): 'underwater rock'
* 縈 (얽힐 영 eolkil yeong): 'to be tied up'
* 贏 (남을 영 nameul yeong): 'to win'
* 郢 (초나라 서울 영 Chonara seoul yeong): 'Ying' (capital of the state of Chu)
* 旲 (클 영 keul yeong): 'large'
* 伶 (영리할 령 yeongrihal ryeong): 'clever'
* 玲 (옥 소리 령 ok sori ryeong): 'sound of jade'
* 姈 (슬기로울 령 seulgiroul ryeong): 'clever'
* 昤 (햇빛 령 haetbit ryeong): 'sunshine'
* 鈴 (방울 령 bang-ul ryeong): 'bell'
* 齡 (나이 령 nai ryeong): 'age'
* 怜 (영리할 령 yeongrihal ryeong): 'clever'
* 囹 (옥 령 ok ryeong): 'prison'
* 笭 (멍석 령 meongseok ryeong): 'bamboo screen'
* 羚 (영양 령 yeong-yang ryeong): 'antelope'
* 翎 (깃 령 git ryeong): 'wings'
* 聆 (들을 령 deureul ryeong): 'to listen'
* 逞 (쾌할 령 kwaehal ryeong): 'to rejoice'
* 泠: 'cool and refreshing'
* 澪: 'wake' (of a boat)
* 呤 (속삭일 령 soksagil ryeong): 'to whisper'
* 另 (헤어질 령 heeojil ryeong): 'separate'
* 欞 (격자창 령 gyeokjachang ryeong): 'window'
* 鹷 (소금 령 sogeum ryeong): 'salt'
* 秢 (벼 처음 익을 령 byeo cheoum igeul ryeong): 'freshly-cooked rice'
* 苓 (도꼬마리 령 dokkomari ryeong): 'cocklebur'
* 蛉 (잠자리 령 jamjari ryeong): 'dragonfly'
* 軨 (냥 수레 령 nyang sure ryeong): 'wheel'
* 鴒 (할미새 령 halmisae ryeong): 'wagtail'
* 朎 (달빛 영롱할 령 dalbit yeongronghal ryeong): 'bright moonlight'
* 獰 (모질 녕 mojil nyeong): 'fierce'
* 佞 (아첨할 녕 acheomhal nyeong): 'to flatter'
* 儜 (괴로워할 녕 goirowohal nyeong): 'suffering'
* 嚀 (간곡할 녕 gan-gokhal nyeong): 'earnest'
* 濘 (진창 녕 jinchang nyeong): 'mud'

### People

Koreans with the single-syllable given name Young include:
* Ch'oe Yŏng (1316–1388), Goryeo dynasty male general
* Song Yeong (born 1950), South Korean male writer
* Chin Young (born 1950), South Korean male politician
* Kim Young (born 1980), South Korean female professional golfer
* Seo Young (born 1984), South Korean actress
* You Young (born 2004), South Korean female figure skater

### As name element

Names containing this element were popular for newborn boys in South Korea from the 1940s through the late 1960s. Korean names which begin with this element include:
* Young-ae
* Young-chul
* Young-gi
* Young-geun
* Young-ha
* Young-hee
* Young-ho
* Young-hoon
* Young-hwan
* Young-ja
* Young-jae
* Young-jin
* Young-joo
* Young-jun
* Young-mi
* Young-min
* Young-nam
* Yeong-ok
* Young-shin
* Young-sik
* Young-soo
* Young-sook
* Young-tae
* Young-wook
Korean names which end with this element include:
* Bo-young
* Chae-young
* Eun-young
* Ga-young
* Hwa-young
* Hye-young
* In-young
* Ji-young
* Jin-young
* Jun-young
* Mi-young
* Min-young
* Mu-young
* Na-young
* Se-young
* Shin-young
* So-young
* Soo-young
* Sun-young
* Tae-young