Yoon
A Korean surname usually written 윤 in Hangul, commonly romanized as Yoon, meaning “allow” or “permit” in its native Chinese-character form.
The #2,287 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 19,374 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Yoon is a Korean family name, most often written with the hanja 尹. In Korean onomastics, that character is traditionally read 윤 (Yun/Yoon) and is associated with the meaning “to govern,” “to direct,” or “to allow/permit,” depending on how the Chinese character is glossed. Like many Korean surnames, it is a hereditary clan name rather than a descriptive nickname in the European sense.
History
The surname is among the standard Korean family names and is carried by several lineages, each linked to a different bon-gwan, or ancestral origin place. In English-language contexts, Yoon is a common romanization of 윤, though Yun is also widely used. Korean immigration and diaspora communities have made the name familiar in the United States and elsewhere.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A single Korean surname can belong to multiple distinct clans, so two people named Yoon may share the same spelling but not the same ancestral line.