North Korean Name Generator
Realistic DPRK-style Korean names, surname first
Generate authentic North Korean full names in the romanization used in Pyongyang: surnames like Ri, Pak, Choe and Jong instead of Lee, Park, Choi and Jung, and given names like Chol Su, Un Hui, Kwang Ho and Sol Mi written as two capitalized syllables. Useful for fiction, screenwriting, games and research characters set in the DPRK.
About North Korean names
North and South Koreans share the same pool of names, but a North Korean name looks different on the page because the DPRK uses its own romanization. Ri replaces Lee, Pak replaces Park, Choe replaces Choi, Jong replaces Jung, Jo replaces Cho and Rim replaces Lim, and the initial r that the South drops is kept, so Ryong, Ryon and Ryol are normal given-name syllables. Given names are written as two separate capitalized syllables with no hyphen (Ri Chol Su, not Lee Chul-soo), aspirated consonants sometimes appear as th and ph (Thae, Phyong), and the vowel the South writes eo becomes o, which is why you see Chol, Song, Myong and Hyok instead of Cheol, Seong, Myeong and Hyeok.
The name stock skews toward syllables popular across Korea in the mid-twentieth century: Chol (iron), Song (pine), Il (sun), Kwang (light), Hyok, Myong and Ung for men; Hui, Ok, Sun, Hyang, Ran, Suk and Hwa for women; Un, Sol, Jin and Yong for either. Ja and Sik endings mark the oldest generation, while pure Korean names like Pyol (star), Sol and Ha Na appear among people born since the 1990s.
Surname frequency follows the rest of the peninsula: Kim, Ri, Pak, Choe and Jong cover roughly half the population, so lean on them and save Ryom, Thae or Kye for a character meant to stand out.
How to choose North Korean names
- Use the North's spellings consistently: Ri, Pak, Choe, Jong, Jo, Rim, Ryu, Ryang and Ra rather than Lee, Park, Choi, Jung, Cho, Lim, Yoo, Yang and Na, and write given names as two separate capitalized syllables without a hyphen.
- Match the name to the birth year. Ja, Sik, Suk and Hwan endings suit grandparents, Chol, Song, Hui and Ok fit the middle generation, and pure Korean names like Pyol, Sol Mi or Ha Na are more plausible for young characters.
- Gender cues come from the syllables: Chol, Ung, Hyok, Guk, Il and Nam read as male, Hui, Ok, Sun, Hyang, Ran, Suk and Ae as female, while Un, Sol, Song, Jin and Yong are used for both.
- Keep the surname first in dialogue and documents. People are addressed by full name plus title (Ri Chol Su tongji, Kim sonsaengnim), so a character called only by the surname would sound foreign.
- Give most of your cast the big five surnames (Kim, Ri, Pak, Choe, Jong) and reserve rare ones like Thae, Kye, Pyon, Ryom or Kuk for a character who is meant to be memorable.
Frequently asked questions
How are North Korean names different from South Korean names?
The names themselves overlap almost completely; the difference is mainly spelling and fashion. The DPRK romanizes Ri, Pak, Choe and Jong where the South writes Lee, Park, Choi and Jung, writes given names as two separate syllables, and keeps initial r sounds (Ryong, Ryon). Northern name trends also froze around mid-century styles, so Chol, Song, Hui and Ok remain common where the South moved on to Seo-yeon, Min-jun and Ha-eun.
Why are North Korean names spelled without hyphens?
The DPRK's official romanization writes each syllable of the given name as its own capitalized word, for example Ri Sol Ju or Choe Ryong Hae. South Korea's passport style usually hyphenates (Seo-yeon) or joins (Seoyeon). Using the spaced form is the quickest way to make a name read as North Korean to an English-speaking audience.
What are the most common North Korean surnames?
Kim, Ri, Pak, Choe and Jong, in that order, then Kang, Jo, Yun, Jang, Rim, Han, O, So, Sin, Kwon and Hwang. These are the same clans as in the South with different spellings; Kim alone accounts for about one person in five.
Are these names of real people?
No. The generator combines common surnames with ordinary given-name syllables in the North's spelling, so most entries will match someone somewhere simply because Korean names repeat so often, but none are drawn from real individuals.
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All 500 North Korean names
A: 8 names
- An Bom Hyang
- An Chol Hun
- An Chong Il
- An Hye Sim
- An Phil Su
- An Song Hyok
- An Sun Gyong
- An Yong Nam
C: 32 names
- Cha Chan Ho
- Cha Hyang Ja
- Cha Kwang Hyok
- Cha Sun Ae
- Cha Yong Ae
- Chae Chol Ung
- Chae Hye Hwa
- Chae In Sok
- Chae Na Yong
- Chae Ung Chol
- Choe Hak Chol
- Choe Hye Ryong
- Choe Il Chol
- Choe Jin Gol
- Choe Jong Ae
- Choe Kwang Il
- Choe Mi Suk
- Choe Na Ri
- Choe Ok Ja
- Choe Ryon Ok
- Choe Ryong Nam
- Choe Sang Il
- Choe Song Ho
- Choe Sun Bok
- Choe Tong Hun
- Choe Un Gyong
- Choe Un Hui
- Chon Hye Ja
- Chon Kwang Hui
- Chon Ok Gyong
- Chon Ok Ju
- Chon Tu Man
H: 42 names
- Ha Chol Ung
- Ha Man Sik
- Ha Sol Hui
- Ha Un Hye
- Ha Ye Gyong
- Han Chol Yong
- Han Hye Suk
- Han Jong Hui
- Han Kwang Bom
- Han Kwang Ho
- Han Pong Ju
- Han Pyol Mi
- Han Se Hun
- Han Song Jun
- Han Un Hwa
- Han Yong Ja
- Ho Bom Sun
- Ho Kil Nam
- Ho Mi Gyong
- Ho Ryon Hui
- Ho Song Nam
- Hong Chol Jin
- Hong Jae Sok
- Hong Kwang Ryol
- Hong Mi Yong
- Hong Song Il
- Hong Tok Song
- Hong Un Hui
- Hong Yong Ja
- Hwang Chol Gyu
- Hwang Kil Song
- Hwang Kwang Un
- Hwang Ok Ja
- Hwang Se Jin
- Hwang Sun Hui
- Hwang Un Mi
- Hwang Yong Ran
- Hyon Chol Yong
- Hyon Man Gil
- Hyon Pyol Song
- Hyon Un Ryong
- Hyon Yu Jong
J: 60 names
- Jang Chol Ryong
- Jang Hyok Song
- Jang In Hun
- Jang Kwang Hun
- Jang Mi Ok
- Jang Na Yong
- Jang Pyol Song
- Jang Sam Guk
- Jang Song Il
- Jang Un Sil
- Jang Yong Sil
- Ji Chong Sik
- Ji Chun Hwa
- Ji Ha Nul
- Ji Song Hyon
- Ji Un Jong
- Jin Kil Chol
- Jin Kwang Nam
- Jin Ok Ja
- Jin Sok Chol
- Jin Sun Hwa
- Jo Chan Il
- Jo Chol Hyok
- Jo Hyang Hui
- Jo Hyok Chol
- Jo Kwang Ung
- Jo Mi Ja
- Jo Myong Song
- Jo Pom Chol
- Jo Sol Ran
- Jo Sun Gyong
- Jo Tok Hyon
- Jo Un Gum
- Jo Yong Ran
- Jon Bit Na
- Jon Chol Jin
- Jon Kwang Sok
- Jon Ok Sun
- Jon Sang Hun
- Jon Un Ha
- Jon Yong Sun
- Jon Yop Chol
- Jong Bom Sil
- Jong Chol Su
- Jong Ha Na
- Jong Hyang Ok
- Jong Hyok Nam
- Jong Ik Song
- Jong Kwang Ho
- Jong Kwang Yong
- Jong Myong Il
- Jong Pong Sik
- Jong Sol Gyong
- Jong Song Hui
- Jong Un Ok
- Ju Hak Chol
- Ju Hye Gyong
- Ju Na Ri
- Ju Song Ryong
- Ju Tok Man
K: 117 names
- Kang Chol Guk
- Kang Hye Rim
- Kang Hyong Jun
- Kang Jin Myong
- Kang Kyong Sun
- Kang Man Sok
- Kang Sol Mi
- Kang Song Il
- Kang Sun Ja
- Kang Tong Chol
- Kang Un Hyang
- Kang Ye Rim
- Kang Yong Hui
- Kim Bom Mi
- Kim Chan Sik
- Kim Chol Gyong
- Kim Chol Hwan
- Kim Chol Sik
- Kim Chol Su
- Kim Chun Sil
- Kim Chung Song
- Kim Ha Na
- Kim Hak Song
- Kim Hyang Mi
- Kim Hyang Ryon
- Kim Hyang Suk
- Kim Hye Ran
- Kim Hye Sun
- Kim Hyok Jin
- Kim Hyong Jun
- Kim Ik Chol
- Kim Il Hyok
- Kim Il Nam
- Kim Jin Hyok
- Kim Jong Hyok
- Kim Kil Ung
- Kim Kwang Chol
- Kim Kwang Hyok
- Kim Kwang Sik
- Kim Kyong Chol
- Kim Mi Ryong
- Kim Mi Suk
- Kim Myong Guk
- Kim Na Ri
- Kim Ok Hui
- Kim Ok Sil
- Kim Pok Ja
- Kim Pu Song
- Kim Pyol Hui
- Kim Pyong Hwa
- Kim Ryon Hwa
- Kim Ryong Hae
- Kim Sam Hyok
- Kim Se Hyok
- Kim Sol Bom
- Kim Sol Gyong
- Kim Sol Song
- Kim Song Chol
K, continued
- Kim Song Gun
- Kim Song Hwan
- Kim Song Myong
- Kim Sun Hyang
- Kim Sun Ja
- Kim Sun Ok
- Kim Sung Ri
- Kim Tae Hyok
- Kim Tok Hyok
- Kim Tong Hyok
- Kim Un Ae
- Kim Un Jong
- Kim Un Ryong
- Kim Un Sim
- Kim Ye Sol
- Kim Yon Ok
- Kim Yong Ok
- Kim Yong Ryol
- Ko Chol Song
- Ko Chu Il
- Ko Hye Sil
- Ko Kum Hui
- Ko Kwang Ryong
- Ko Mi Hye
- Ko Pu Sik
- Ko Sun Hyang
- Kong Chol Hyon
- Kong Hye Gyong
- Kong Ik Jun
- Kong Mi Ja
- Kong Un Ae
- Ku Kwang Song
- Ku Sang Hyok
- Ku Tae Song
- Ku Un Ok
- Ku Ye Rim
- Kuk Jin A
- Kuk Mi Hye
- Kuk Ryon Mi
- Kuk Sang Hwan
- Kuk Song Hwan
- Kwak In Chol
- Kwak Mi Ja
- Kwak Pom Il
- Kwak Song Il
- Kwak Yong Ok
- Kwon Chol Min
- Kwon Hye Yon
- Kwon Il Hun
- Kwon Jong Ja
- Kwon Ki Chol
- Kwon Kum Ok
- Kwon Myong Chol
- Kwon Song Ju
- Kye Kwang Il
- Kye Pong Hyok
- Kye Sol Ju
- Kye Song Nam
- Kye Ye Sil
M: 13 names
- Min Chol Ryong
- Min Hye Sil
- Min Pong Il
- Min Pyol
- Min Un Byol
- Mun Chang Ryol
- Mun Chol Guk
- Mun Kon Ho
- Mun Song Hyok
- Mun Sun Ja
- Mun Sung Il
- Mun Un Hyang
- Mun Yong Ae
N: 5 names
- Nam Chol Hyon
- Nam Chun Ja
- Nam Hye Ryon
- Nam Il Guk
- Nam Se Ung
O: 14 names
- O Chol Nam
- O Hak Su
- O Hye Yong
- O Ik Chol
- O Kum Ja
- O Kwang Chon
- O Mi Hyon
- O Song Ryong
- O Yong Suk
- Om Chol Jun
- Om Hye Suk
- Om Jong Ja
- Om Kwang Il
- Om Se Chol
P: 54 names
- Pae Chol Il
- Pae Hye Sun
- Pae Kum Ok
- Pae Pok Sun
- Pae Tong Hun
- Paek Kwang Chol
- Paek Kyong Nam
- Paek Sam Chol
- Paek Sol Yong
- Paek Ye Na
- Pak Bom I
- Pak Chan Ho
- Pak Chol Jun
- Pak Chol Ryong
- Pak Hyang Suk
- Pak Hye Ok
- Pak Hye Rim
- Pak Hyok Il
- Pak Hyong Il
- Pak Ik Hun
- Pak Jin U
- Pak Jong Ho
- Pak Kil Song
- Pak Kum Sun
- Pak Kwang Hyok
- Pak Kwang Nam
- Pak Mi Gyong
- Pak Mi Hyang
- Pak Myong Chol
- Pak Ok Gyong
- Pak Sol A
- Pak Sol Sim
- Pak Song Guk
- Pak Song Jin
- Pak Sun Ae
- Pak Sun Yong
- Pak Tae Jun
- Pak Tok Chol
- Pak Un Ha
- Pak Un Jin
- Pak Ye Sol
- Pak Yong Ja
- Pak Yong Nam
- Pak Yong Sik
- Pang Chan Hyok
- Pang Hye Ryong
- Pang Il Hwan
- Pang Sol Ran
- Pang Song Jin
- Pyon Chol Sok
- Pyon Hye Ok
- Pyon Ok Sun
- Pyon Sam Il
- Pyon Yong Gil
R: 83 names
- Ri Bom Hyang
- Ri Chang Il
- Ri Chol Ho
- Ri Chol Jin
- Ri Chong Sik
- Ri Chun Guk
- Ri Chun Ja
- Ri Ha Nul
- Ri Hyang Ran
- Ri Hye Jin
- Ri Hye Ryon
- Ri Hye Sun
- Ri Hyok Chol
- Ri Hyong Chol
- Ri Il Song
- Ri Jin Song
- Ri Kwang Chol
- Ri Kwang Hun
- Ri Kwang Myong
- Ri Kyong Hui
- Ri Mi Yong
- Ri Myong Hun
- Ri Na Rae
- Ri Ok Hui
- Ri Pok Hui
- Ri Pong Il
- Ri Ryong
- Ri Sang Hyok
- Ri Se Hun
- Ri Sok Ho
- Ri Sol Hwa
- Ri Sol Mi
- Ri Son
- Ri Song Guk
- Ri Song Hyok
- Ri Song Jin
- Ri Sun Gyong
- Ri Sun Hwa
- Ri Tok Sam
- Ri Tong Chol
- Ri Tong Ho
R, continued
- Ri Un Gyong
- Ri Un Hyang
- Ri Un Ju
- Ri Ye Jin
- Ri Ye Na
- Ri Yon Hui
- Ri Yong Gwan
- Ri Yong Sil
- Ri Yong Ung
- Rim Chol Gyong
- Rim Chun Ja
- Rim Hyon Ju
- Rim Sang Guk
- Rim Song Hyon
- Rim Sun Ae
- Rim Tae Il
- Rim Tok Hun
- Rim Un Jong
- Ro Chang Su
- Ro Hak Chol
- Ro Hyang Sil
- Ro Ryon Ok
- Ro Song Chol
- Ryang Chol Song
- Ryang Hye Ok
- Ryang Ik Hun
- Ryang Kwang Ho
- Ryang Sol Hyang
- Ryang Yon Hwa
- Ryom Bom I
- Ryom Kwang Song
- Ryom Sin Hyang
- Ryom Tok Hyon
- Ryom Un Sil
- Ryu Chol Yun
- Ryu Ha Na
- Ryu Hun Sik
- Ryu Hye Il
- Ryu In Hwan
- Ryu Song Hwa
- Ryu Tong Il
- Ryu Yong Guk
S: 41 names
- Sim Hyon Sil
- Sim Kwang Hyok
- Sim Pong Sik
- Sim Sol A
- Sim Un Gyong
- Sin Chan Il
- Sin Chol Man
- Sin Jong Ok
- Sin Kwang Hyok
- Sin Man Sok
- Sin Na Rae
- Sin Ok Ran
- Sin Ye Song
- So Chol Uk
- So Hwan Ung
- So Hye Ran
- So Jin Hyok
- So Song Min
- So Sun Ja
- So Tu Sik
- So Un Ok
- Sok Chong Hun
- Sok Ran Hui
- Sok Sol Ok
- Sok Song Myong
- Sok Un Hwa
- Son Chong Hak
- Son Ju Song
- Son Kwang Jin
- Son Pok Ja
- Son Sang Il
- Son Song Hyon
- Son Un Yong
- Song Chol Hyon
- Song Hyang Gum
- Song Hyang Ok
- Song Ki Ho
- Song Kwang Myong
- Song Sam Guk
- Song Un Bok
- Song Ye Ryong
T: 10 names
- Thae Chol Ung
- Thae Hyang Suk
- Thae Hyong Il
- Thae Kwang Guk
- Thae Na Ra
- Tong Chol Jin
- Tong Hye Jong
- Tong Hyon U
- Tong Kil Hyok
- Tong Yong Ja
U: 5 names
- U Chol Hyok
- U Ik Song
- U Jong Sun
- U Sol Hui
- U Sun Bok
W: 5 names
- Won Bom Sil
- Won Hak Hun
- Won Kwang Hyon
- Won Suk Hui
- Won Yong Mi