Hwang (Korean Name)

Hwang (Korean Name)

Hwang is a common Korean family name. Hwang is the equivalent of the Chinese surname Huang. Hwangs make up roughly 1.5% of the Korean population; the 2000 South Korean census found 644,294 in that country. The Chinese character for Hwang used most commonly literally means "yellow" or "golden". However, originally, the Chinese character for Hwang used to be "皇", which means "emperor". The latter character represents the origins of the surname. The character was later changed during the Joseon Dynasty after the ruling family, Yi or Lee, ordered the change due to their newly founded status as the monarch of the Korean peninsula.