Park, also spelled as Pak or Bak is the third-most common surname in Korea, traditionally traced back to 1st century King Hyeokgeose Park and theoretically inclusive of all of his descendants. Park or Bak is usually assumed to come from the Korean noun Bak, meaning "gourd". As of the South Korean census of 2015, there were 4,192,074 people with the name in South Korea, or roughly 8.4% of the population.

[Percentage of family names in South Korea

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Founding legend

All the Park clans in Korea trace their ancestry back to the first king of Silla, Hyeokgeose. According to a legend, the leaders of the six clans of the Jinhan confederacy were gathering on a hilltop to choose a king, when they looked down and saw lightning strike at the foot of the Yangsan mountain and a white horse bow at the same place. When they went there to check, they found a red egg, which hatched a baby boy. They bathed the boy in the nearby stream and he was emitting bright light and the sun and the moon rose at the same time, indicating the divine birth of the child. Thus the child was named Hyeokgeose, meaning "ruling with a bright light" and his clan name became Bak or "gourd" after the round shape of the egg he hatched from. At age 13 he was given the title, the equivalent of "king" at the time. The birth legends of early Korean kings were necessary to validate the "divine" nature of their rule. According to Yang Ju-dong's research, both and in are repeatedly written with the meaning of . According to the Samguk Sagi, the Jin people called gourd as "park", and the first large egg looked similar to the shape of the gourd, so his last name become Park.

Clans

As with other Korean surnames, different lineages, known as bon-gwan or clans, are inherited from a father by his children. These designate the region of Korea or paternal ancestor, from which they claim to originate. Out of the kings of Silla, ten had the Park surname. During the rule of King Pasa (80–112), the Park clans became divided and during the reign of King Gyeongmyeong (917–924) they became even more fractured, creating several lineages. This is when the nine Park clans named after the nine sons of Gyeongmyeong came into existence. 70–80% of the current bearers of the surname belong to the Miryang Park clan. In 2015, there were 314 Park clans in South Korea, with about 4.19 million people altogether. The clans which produced the most number of notable people in Korean history are collectively called the "Eight Parks", these are: the Miryang Park clan, the Bannam Park clan, the Goryeong Park clan , the Hamyang Park clan , the Juksan Park clan , the Suncheon Park clan , the Muan Park clan and the Chungju Park clan.

Position in society

King Hyeokgeose was said to have founded the Korean kingdom of Silla at the age of thirteen in 57 BC. Pak was one of three houses of the Korean kingdom of Silla. Among the houses of Pak, Kim, and Seok, princes rotated on the throne of Silla. According to historical records, all three houses have been recorded as having worshipped the founding father, Bak Hyeokgeose as their ancestral shrine. For example, the 4th king Talhae of Silla, the 9th king Beolhyu of Silla, the 10th king Naehae of Silla, the 11th king Jobun of Silla, the 12th king Cheomhae of Silla, the 14th King Yurye of Silla and the 15th king Girim of Silla were house of Seok, but according to the Samguk sagi Silla bongi, all of them worshipped Bak Hyeokgeose as their progenitor. In addition, the 13th king Michu of Silla, the 16th king Heulhae of Silla, the 17th king Naemul of Silla, the 18th king Silseong of Silla, the 19th king Nulji of Silla, the 20th king Jabi of Silla, the 21st king Soji of Silla, the 22nd king Jijeung of Silla, the 40th king Aejang of Silla, the 41st king Heondeok of Silla and the 42nd king Heungdeok of Silla are descendants of Kim Al-chi, but according to the Samguk sagi Silla bongi, all of them worshipped Bak Hyeokgeose as their progenitor. In addition, according to Samguk sagi, the Shrine Shingung(神宮) was founded in the birthplace of the progenitor Bak Hyeokgeose and every king has been recorded as paying their respects at this shrine. All of these historical records imply that the three lineages of Pak, Seok, and Kim worshipped Bak Hyeokgeose as their founding ancestor. When Seonggols have died out followed by two consecutive queens, Kim Chun-Chu from Jingol began to monopolize the throne, which lasts 258 years. However, even during this period, the Kims did not fully occupy the throne. In the later period of Silla, the Pak clan from Jingol succeed in restoring the throne. During the last century of the dynasty, the Pak clan from Jingol regained the ruling house position in 728 years. However, the Pak dynasty was cut off when Gyeongae of Silla was forced to commit suicide by King Kyŏn Hwŏn of Later Baekje. The reign of the Pak clan lasted only 15 years. After that, Kim Bu became the last king of Silla, but soon surrendered to the Wang Geon of Goryeo and Silla finally collapsed in 992 years. During the Unified Silla the Miryang Pak Clan, along with Gimhae Kim clan became the most prominent of the aristocracy, based on the bone rank system. Within the bone rank system, the two clans of Gimhae Kims and Miryang Paks were considered the most Jingol, or "True Bone". As Seonggol, or Divine bones died out through intermarriage, these two clans became the dominant noble houses on the peninsula following the conquest of rival dynasties. After the fall of Silla, it continued as a major noble house of Goryeo. During the Goryeo dynasty, many of the people who passed the highest-level state examination, which was implemented to recruit ranking officials during the Goryeo dynasty, were Parks. The first General to defeat the Mongols in world history was General Park Seo, who commanded the successful defense of the fortress of Guju in 1231 against the forces led by Mongol General Salitai. During Joseon period, Parks continued to thrive as one of the main Yangban households. With the Gabo Reform of 1894, when the caste system was abolished, some peasants adopted the surname of Park, bloating the population of the Park family. Simultaneously with the abolition of the Gwageo national service examination, the Yangban system came to an end. During the Japanese Occupation Period, three of the ten Korean aristocrats admitted into Japanese House of Peers were of the Park Clan. According to Kojiki, Nihon Shoki and 播磨国風土記, one of Pak Princes, recorded in various names as Amenohiboko (天日槍), Amenohihoko (天之日矛), Hiboko (日桙), Amenohibokonomikoto (天日槍命), Amenohibokonomikoto (天日桙命) and Amanohiboko (海檜槍) migrated to Japan in 27 BC and 糸井氏 clan, Miyake clan, 橘守氏 clan, 但馬氏 clan, 絲井氏 clan and Tajimamori are recorded as descendants of Amenohiboko.

Notable people of the past

The following is a list of notable people of the past with the Korean family name Park.

Kings

Historical people

Notable people of recent times

Actors

Actresses

Athletes

Comedians

Directors

Literary figures

Politicians

Singers

Other

Fictional characters