Oh (surname)
Oh (Hangul: 오, Hanja: 吳; 伍; 吾; 五; 晤) is a Korean family name. It is written with several hanja characters, including 吳, 伍, 吾, 五, and 晤.
In the 2015 South Korea census, 763,281 people had the Oh surname. The earliest believed ancestor is Oh Eung (오응, 吳應) from Silla, the son of Oh Cheom, a Chinese royal descendant who moved to Korea and married the daughter of Kim Jong-ji in Silla. Sixteen Oh clans have formed over time. The five largest clans are Haeju, Dongbok, Boseong, Hamyang, and Gunwi. The three biggest clans were founded by brothers Oh Hyeon-bo, Oh Hyeon-jwa, and Oh Hyun-pil, who each became governor of Haeju, Dongbok, and Boseong in reward for defending Goryeo against Khitan raids. The five largest clans trace their origins to these early leaders.
In modern times, the Oh family in North Korea is noted for close ties to the ruling Kim family, partly because of O Jung-hup, a revolutionary fighter who supported Kim Il-sung. They are considered highly influential in the regime, second only to the Kim family.
Many Koreans in the United States prefer the spelling Oh rather than O, since a single letter O can be mistaken for an abbreviation or misprint.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 01:12 (CET).