Hoon (훈) is a Korean masculine given name that consists of a single syllable. It can also appear as a morpheme in many two‑syllable Korean given names. The name’s meaning varies according to the hanja (Chinese characters) used to write it; one commonly employed character is 勳, which conveys “merit” or “achievement.” Alternative spellings include Hun, reflecting different romanisation systems (Revised Romanization: hun; McCune–Reischauer: hun).
Usage and Popularity
From the 1960s through the 1980s, given names that incorporated the morpheme Hoon ranked among the ten most popular names for newborn boys in South Korea. Examples of such composite names include Ji‑hoon, Jung‑hoon, Sang‑hoon, Sung‑hoon, and many others. Among these, Ji‑hoon remained in the top ten throughout the 1990s and 2000s.
Notable Bearers
People with Hoon as a standalone given name include:
- Sim Hun (1901–1936) – Korean novelist born Sim Daeseop.
- Isao Harimoto (born Jang Hun, 1940) – Zainichi Korean baseball player.
- Kim Hoon (born 1948) – South Korean novelist.
- Suh Hoon (born 1954) – South Korean government official.
- Chung Hoon (born 1969) – South Korean judo practitioner.
- Lee Hoon (actor, born 1973) – South Korean actor.
- Hoon Lee (born 1973) – American actor of Korean descent.
- Jang Hoon (born 1975) – South Korean film director.
- Sung Hoon (singer, born 1980) – Member of the boy band Brown Eyed Soul.
- Jung Hoon (born 1985) – South Korean footballer.
- Lee Hun (footballer, born 1986) – South Korean football player.
A fictional example is Jhun Hoon, a character from the The King of Fighters video‑game series.
Derived Names
Names that contain the Hoon morpheme include:
- Byung‑hoon, Chang‑hoon, Do‑hun, Dong‑hoon, Ji‑hoon, Jong‑hoon, Jung‑hoon, Kwang‑hoon, Myung‑hoon, Sang‑hoon, Seung‑hoon, Se‑hun, Sung‑hoon, Young‑hoon.
These compound names combine Hoon with another syllable to form a two‑syllable given name, each variant taking on meanings defined by the specific hanja chosen for both elements.
