Hyung
An East Asian masculine given name meaning "elder brother".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Hyung. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hyung today is around 51 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hyung births was 1970 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hyung. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Hyung. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1970
5 babies that year
Average age
51
years old
1970 SSA rank
#5,029
Tracked since 1970
Census
Hyung in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,548 people with the first name Hyung, which placed it at #9,122 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#9,122
National first-name rank
People counted
1.5K
1,548 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.5
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
98.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hyung
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Hyung is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.7%. The next largest groups are White (0.5%) and Two or More Races (0.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Hyung described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Hyung at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander98.7% · 1,528
- White0.5% · 7
- Two or more races0.5% · 7
- Black or African American0.2% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.1% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Popularity
Hyung: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Hyung by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Hyung during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Hyung
The name Hyung originates from the Korean language and culture. It is derived from the Korean word "hyeong," which means "older brother" or "elder male relative." The name has its roots in the traditional Korean familial system, where hierarchy and respect for elders were deeply ingrained values.
In ancient Korean society, the concept of filial piety and reverence for elders played a significant role. The name Hyung was likely used to address or refer to an older brother or a respected male relative within the family or clan. It carried connotations of honor, loyalty, and duty towards one's elders.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Hyung can be traced back to historical records and literature from the Three Kingdoms period (57 BC - 935 AD) in ancient Korea. During this time, the name was likely associated with nobility and influential families who valued traditional Confucian values and hierarchical structures.
One of the most famous individuals with the name Hyung in Korean history was Hyung Sam, a renowned scholar and writer who lived during the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392 AD). He is known for his contributions to Korean literature and his promotion of Confucian ideals.
In the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897 AD), the name Hyung gained popularity among the yangban class, which was the noble class of scholar-officials. Hyung Sung-gwon (1566-1628) was a notable scholar and politician during this period, known for his efforts in reforming the civil service examination system.
Another notable figure was Hyung Ik (1622-1673), a prominent Confucian scholar and philosopher who played a key role in the intellectual discourse of his time. His works and teachings had a lasting impact on Korean neo-Confucian thought.
During the Korean Empire (1897-1910), the name Hyung continued to be associated with traditional values and respect for elders. Hyung Sang-yun (1862-1932) was a prominent educator and writer who advocated for modern educational reforms while preserving traditional Korean values.
In contemporary times, the name Hyung is still used in Korea, although its popularity may have diminished compared to its historical significance. It remains a symbol of respect and a reminder of the importance of filial piety and reverence for elders in Korean culture.
People
Hyung + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hyung as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Hyung: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hyung?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hyung going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Hyung a common name?
We classify Hyung as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hyung most popular?
The single biggest year for Hyung was 1970, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hyung is about 51 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Hyung in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,548 people with the name Hyung, or 0.51 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #9,122 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Hyung in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Hyung?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Hyung on both sides of the split. Of the 1,541 people counted with this name, 1,222 were male (79.3%) and 319 were female (20.7%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Hyung?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Hyung is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.7%. The next largest groups are White (0.5%) and Two or More Races (0.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Hyung most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Hyung in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.7% (1,528 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Hyung in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hyung a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hyung in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Hyung still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hyung in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Hyung can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have Hyung as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Hyung on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.