Na (Korean surname)

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Na
Pronunciation[na]
Language(s)Korean
Origin
Meaninggauze, net, catch
Region of originKorea
Other names
Variant form(s), , ,
Na
Hangul
Hanja
Revised RomanizationNa
McCune–ReischauerNa

Na or Ra is a relatively uncommon Korean family name. The name is written as (Na) in South Korea, and as (Ra) in North Korea. As of 2015, an estimated 160,946 people[1] (0.32% of the population of South Korea) had the surname Na or Ra.[2]

Origin[edit]

The name Na or Ra comes from the Chinese surname Luo, written as .[3] In Cantonese the surname is typically romanized as Lo or Law. Other possible romanizations include Nah, La, Lah, Rha, Rah, and Law.

The variant hanja derives from the Chinese toponymic name Na, referring to a small state during the Zhou dynasty.

Clans[edit]

Naju Na clan[edit]

The Naju Na clan (Korean나주 나씨; Hanja羅州 羅氏) was founded by Na Bu (나부 羅富), a Chinese native who travelled to Korea during the Goryeo period. The clan's bon-gwan is in Naju, South Jeolla Province, where Na Bu settled after coming to Korea. According to research as of 2000, there were 108,139 members of the Naju Nu clan. Notable members include Na Kyung-won, Na Moon-hee, Ra Jong-yil, Rha Woong-bae, Na Woon-gyu, and Na Hyeseok.

Notable people[edit]

Notable people with the surname Na or Ra include:

Fictional Characters[edit]

  • Hwajin Na, one of the protagonists of Get Schooled, a Korean YLAB webtoon.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Excluding the North Korea population. Sources that guess at the North Korean population give around 161,015 people.
  2. ^ "2015년 인구주택총조사 전수집계결과 보도자료" [Results of the 2015 Census of Population and Housing survey]. Korean Statistical Information Service. Retrieved 28 May 2019. provided by the ROK National Statistical Office. The total population was 49,705,663 for the statistical sample, which does not include any data from North Korea.
  3. ^ "Family Names". koreangenealogy.org. Retrieved 18 July 2022.