There are many different reasons on how a child receives their given name. They are told that they were named after their mother or their father or maybe their grandfather or grandmother. Some of us may have been named after a favorite character in a movie or television show. Some families will name a child because of family heritage. My own daughter was given her name because of family heritage. Some of us are not so fortunate as to have children of our own and decide to adopt. When adopting outside our own nationality, carrying on the family heritage and culture is something to seriously consider. Raising the adoptive child while valuing their heritage will allow them to understand how important tradition is and will help them to continue their homeland traditions with their offspring. Korean adoption is a good cultural example. The following is brief explanation on Korean family tradition and may come in handy, if deciding to adopt internationally.
Koreans write their surname (family name) first, followed by their given name with out any comma separating the surname from the given name, (for example, Kim Soo). Koreans with the same surname who come from the same hometown are not allowed to marry each other. This is because the people with the same surname are considered family members, even if they are only distantly related. If two people with the same surname meet, they immediately ask for their ancestral hometown before they get seriously involved. Korean women keep their surname when married and the children usually use their father’s surname. Some Koreans may insist that they be called by their surname. When a couple has a child, the father in-law names the child and the given name usually has two syllables. The given name of the child is meant to carry a “wish” for the child’s life.
The following is a list of Korean Baby names and their meanings
Female names Meaning
Bo-Bae treasure, precious
Cho butterfly, beautiful
Dae greatness
Ha-Neul sky (can also be used for a boy’s name)
Hea grace
Jin jewel (can also be used for a boy’s name)
Joo-Eun silver pearl
Kyon brightness
Min cleverness
Moon letters
Shin belief
Soo long life
Sun goodness (can also be used for a boy’s name)
Yon lotus blossom
Male names Meaning
Bae inspiration
Chin precious one
Gi brave one
Ho goodness
Joo-Chan praise the lord
Jung righteous
Kwan strong
Seung successor, winning
Yong brave one
The names listed above are the most popular Korean names and are just a sample. If you choose to adopt a child of Korean decent, you may use the above examples as the given name for the child or you may choose to use a popular American given name and use a Korean name from the list above as a middle name for the child. It is important to retain the Korean culture. Koreans value their homeland and the traditions that go along with it, and the agencies may take that into careful consideration when it comes to international adoptions.
