Park Surname: Meaning, Origin & History (Korean 박)

Park is one of the most common Korean surnames, romanized from the Korean 박 (Bak or Pak) and written with the hanja (Sino-Korean character) 朴. In Chinese, that same character 朴 is read Piáo when it is used as this surname. Korean surnames derive their meaning from clan lineage and their hanja rather than from an ordinary word, so Park is best understood through its history — traced traditionally to Bak Hyeokgeose, the legendary founder of the Silla kingdom.

What does the surname Park mean?

Unlike many Western surnames, Korean family names usually do not translate as a simple everyday word. Their significance comes from two things: the hanja used to write them and the clan (bongwan) a family belongs to. The hanja for Park is 朴. As a general Chinese word this character can mean “plain, simple, unadorned” (read pu), but as the Korean surname it is read Bak/Park, and its importance is genealogical rather than lexical. There is also a well-known traditional association with the native Korean word bak (박), “gourd,” which comes from the clan’s founding legend; this is a cultural link tied to the myth below rather than a strict etymology, so it is best treated as traditional lore.

Where does the Park surname come from?

By tradition, all Park clans trace back to Bak Hyeokgeose, the founding monarch of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, conventionally dated to 57 BCE. In the legend he emerged from a large egg said to be shaped like a gourd (bak), which is why the clan name became Bak. It is important to be honest here: this descent is traditional genealogy and founding myth, not verified history, and careful sources describe the Park surname as “traditionally” traced to Hyeokgeose rather than as a documented fact. Over the centuries the surname branched into many regional clans (bongwan), such as the Miryang Park, the largest.

For the hanja and its Chinese reading — a common point of confusion — the Korean surname Park in Chinese characters is 朴, and when Chinese renders Korean names it reads this surname character as Piáo (for example, the former South Korean president Park Geun-hye is written 朴槿惠). The character has other readings in Chinese (such as pu and po) for unrelated senses, but Piáo is the surname reading.

How common is the Park surname?

Park is generally ranked the third most common Korean surname, after Kim (김) and Lee (이), and is borne by several million Koreans — on the order of roughly eight percent of the population of South Korea. Exact figures vary between censuses, so it is safest to say Park is one of the three dominant Korean surnames rather than to fix a precise percentage.

Variations and related surnames

The name is romanized in several ways, most often Park, but also Pak, Bak, and Bahk; all represent the same 박 / 朴. The Chinese (Mandarin) reading of the surname character is Piáo. Rather than spelling variants in the Western sense, Park’s main internal distinctions are its clans (bongwan), including Miryang, Bannam, Goryeong, Hamyang, and Muan, among others.

Notable people with the surname Park

Real bearers include Park Chung-hee (1917–1979), President of South Korea; Park Geun-hye (born 1952), President of South Korea and his daughter; Park Ji-sung (born 1981), the footballer who played for Manchester United; and Park Chan-wook (born 1963), the film director known for Oldboy.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Korean surname Park in Chinese characters?

It is written with the hanja 朴. In Chinese this character is read Piáo when used as this surname.

Does Park mean “gourd”?

There is a traditional association with the Korean word bak (박), “gourd,” drawn from the founding legend of Bak Hyeokgeose. It is cultural lore rather than a strict dictionary meaning.

Are Park, Pak, and Bak the same name?

Yes. They are different romanizations of the same Korean surname 박 (hanja 朴). Park is simply the most common English spelling.

Is the Korean Park related to the Chinese surname Piao?

They share the character 朴, and Chinese reads the Korean surname as Piáo. The Korean Park, however, has its own distinct clan lineage rather than being a branch of a Chinese family.

The bottom line

Park (박, hanja 朴, Chinese Piáo) is among Korea’s most common surnames, carrying meaning through clan and character rather than as a plain word. Traditionally traced to Silla’s founder Bak Hyeokgeose and his gourd-shaped-egg legend, it is a name whose real story lies in lineage and history, not in a one-word translation.