Sung-ho

Sung-ho is a Korean given name, representing an alternate transcription of Seong-ho. The late Romanization system that produced "Sung-ho" was common in South Korea from the 1950s through the 1970s, and this spelling was particularly popular for baby boys during that period.

Etymology

Sung-ho is composed of two Korean syllables, each written with one hangul character:성 (seong) and 호 (ho). Unlike native Korean words, the underlying hanja (Sino-Korean characters) can vary from person to person. The syllable seong may be written with the hanja 成 meaning "completed, finished, succeeded" or 盛 meaning "abundant, flourishing," while ho often appears as 鎬 "stove, bright" or 晧 "daybreak, bright." However, many other hanja combinations are possible, giving the name a range of potential meanings.

Popularity

According to South Korean statistics, Sung-ho was the sixth-most popular name for baby boys in 1950 and surged to the first place in 1960. It remained a top-tier name until the 1970s, when Ji-hoon took the top spot.

Notable Bearers

Several public figures bear this name: entertainers include American actor Sung Kang (born 1972, Korean name Kang Sung-ho); singer Park Sung-ho (born 2003) of the K-pop group SF9; and comedian Park Seong-ho (born 1974). In sports, notable bearers are football goalkeeper Hong Sung-ho (born 1954), forward Park Sung-ho (born 1982), defender Choo Sung-ho (born 1987), modern pentathlete Kim Seong-ho (born 1964), sprint canoer Nam Sung-ho (born 1975), and baseball player Jang Sung-ho (born 1977).

• Meaning: Varies by hanja; commonly “completed, succeeded” + “bright”
• Origin: Korean (Sino-Korean)
• Type: Given name
• Usage Regions: South Korea