Na (Korean surname)

Na

Pronunciation	[na]
Language(s)	Korean
Origin
Meaning	gauze, net, catch
Region of origin	Korea
Other names
Variant form(s)	羅, 蘿, 邏, 那

Na
Hangul	나
Hanja	羅
Revised Romanization	Na
McCune–Reischauer	Na

Na or Ra is a relatively uncommon Korean family name. The name is written as 나 (Na) in South Korea, and as 라 (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

The name Na or Ra comes from the Chinese surname Luo, written as 羅.[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 那 derives from the Chinese toponymic name Na, referring to a small state during the Zhou dynasty.

Clans

Naju Na clan

Main article: Naju Na clan

The Naju Na clan (Korean: 나주 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 Na clan. Notable members include Na Kyung-won, Na Moon-hee, Ra Jong-yil, Rha Woong-bae, Na Woon-gyu, and Na Hyeseok.

Notable people

Notable people with the surname Na or Ra include:

Na

• Na Ah-reum (born 1990), South Korean racing cyclist
• Na Byung-yul (born 1985), South Korean former football midfielder
• Na Dae-yong (1556–1612), Korean naval officer during the Imjin War
• Na Dohyang (1902–1927), 20th-century Korean writer
• Na Go-eun (born in 1999), South Korean singer
• Na Gyun-an (born 1998), South Korean professional baseball player
• Na Hae-ryung (born 1994), South Korean actress and singer, former member of girl groups EXID and Bestie
• Na Hong-jin (born 1974), South Korean film director, producer, and screenwriter
• Na Hoon-a (born 1951), South Korean trot singer
• Na Hye-mi (born 1991), South Korean actress and model
• Na Hye-sok (1896–1948), early Korean poet, painter, and feminist
• Na Hyeon (born 1970), South Korean screenwriter, director, script editor, and actor
• Na Hyeon-jeong (born 1990), South Korean volleyball player
• Na Hyeon-hui (born 1970), South Korean actress and singer
• Na In-woo (born 1994), South Korean actor
• Na Jae-min (born 2000), South Korean rapper and actor, member of boy band NCT
• Na Ji-wan (born 1985), South Korean former professional baseball outfielder
• Na Jung-woong (born 1992), South Korean tennis player
• Kevin Na (born 1983), Korean American professional golfer
• Na Kwang-hyun (born 1982), South Korean footballer
• Na Kyung-won (born 1963), South Korean judge and politician
• Na Moon-hee (born 1941), South Korean actress
• Na Ry (born 1985), South Korean model, Miss Korea 2008
• Na Sang-ho (born 1996), South Korean professional footballer
• Na Seok-ju (1892–1926), Korean independence activist
• Na Sung-bum (born 1989), South Korean baseball outfielder
• Na Tae-ju (born 1990), South Korean actor, singer, and taekwondo practitioner
• Na Woon-gyu (1902–1937), early Korean actor, screenwriter, film director
• Na Yeong-seok (born 1976), South Korean television producer and director
• Na Yoon-sun (born 1969), South Korean jazz musician
• Na Young-hee (born 1961), South Korean actress

Ra

• Ra Heeduck (born 1966), South Korean poet
• Ra Jong-yil (born 1940), former South Korean ambassador
• Ra Mi-ran (born 1975), South Korean actress
• Rha Woong-bae (1934–2022), South Korean politician and businessman

Fictional Characters

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

References

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.