# Korean naming system



## Karrie6427

Hi there!  I've recently been watching a Korean TV program called Produce X 101 and in this show there is a trainee called 백진 (Baek Jin).

And a question popped up in my mind,  is 백 his family name and 진 given name? Is it common for a Korean person to have a given name that is only one letter?

I thought he might have family name like Kim Bake Jin or something and he chose to go with his given name only, but then  I saw his graduation photos with his name. So i assume this is his full birth name (or at least not a stage name)...

I'm not familiar with Korean naming system so any information would be helpful!

감사합니다


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## Karrie6427

Karrie6427 said:


> Hi there!  I've recently been watching a Korean TV program called Produce X 101 and in this show there is a trainee called 백진 (Baek Jin).
> 
> And a question popped up in my mind,  is 백 his family name and 진 given name? Is it common for a Korean person to have a given name that is only one letter?
> 
> I thought he might have family name like Kim Bake Jin or something and he chose to go with his given name only, but then  I saw his graduation photos with his name. So i assume this is his full birth name (or at least not a stage name)...
> 
> I'm not familiar with Korean naming system so any information would be helpful!
> 
> 감사합니다



There are also 이협 and 원혁!


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## pcy0308

Hello Karrie6427,
As you may know, Koreans put the surname or family name before the given name, so you are right in saying Baek is his family name and Jin the first name. One-syllable given names (i.e. two-syllable full names) are quite common in Korea though I must say the vast majority of people have three-syllable full names. Hope this helps.


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## Karrie6427

Thank you pcy0308!
It helped a lot!


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