Seong-ho

Seong-ho is a Korean masculine given name primarily composed of Sino-Korean morphemes. The first element seong can come from 成 (seong) meaning 'completed, finished, succeeded' or 盛 (seong) meaning 'abundant, flourishing'. The second element ho can derive from 鎬 (ho) meaning 'stove, bright' or 晧 (ho) meaning 'daybreak, bright'. However, many other hanja character combinations are possible in creating the name, a common feature of Korean given names where parents select characters for their meanings.

Popularity and History

Seong-ho, also Romanized as Sung-ho, rose to prominence in South Korea in the mid-20th century. According to data from Wikipedia, it was the sixth-most popular name for baby boys in South Korea in 1950, climbed to first place by 1960, and was eventually displaced from the top spot in 1970 by Ji-hoon. Its peak usage reflects a cultural preference for virtuous and aspirational meanings in that era.

Notable Bearers

Several notable individuals bear this name across various fields. In entertainment, Sung Kang (Korean name Kang Sung-ho), an American actor of Korean descent, is best known for his role in the Fast & Furious franchise. In music, Park Sung-ho (born 2003) is a South Korean singer, and Park Seong-ho (born 1974) is a comedian. In sports, Hong Sung-ho (born 1954) was a former football goalkeeper for the South Korea national team, Park Sung-ho (born 1982) is a football forward, and Choo Sung-ho (born 1987) a defender. In other sports, Kim Seong-ho (born 1964) is a modern pentathlete, Nam Sung-ho (born 1975) a sprint canoer, Jang Sung-ho (born 1977) a baseball player, and Jang Sung-ho (judoka),a successful judoka who won Olympic bronze.

A variant form of the name is Sung-ho, a common alternate Romanization. Given its construction from a range of positive hanja meanings such as 'success' and 'brightness', the name retains a favorable image in contemporary Korea.

• Meaning: Varied (success, abundance, brightness), primarily a combination of seong (成/盛) and ho (鎬/晧)
• Origin: Sino-Korean
• Type: Given name
• Usage: Korean
• Notable bearers: Sung Kang, Park Sung-ho, Hong Sung-ho