ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 👦As Boy Name 1972 First Year 2016 Last Year 1989 Peak Year #3809 Peak Rank 263 Total Count 32 Years Active 👧As Girl Name 1957 First Year 1998 Last Year 1982 Peak Year #5910 Peak Rank 168 Total Count 24 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Hyun What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Hyun, also spelled Hyeon or Hyon, Hyoun, is a Korean surname, a single-syllable Korean given name, and an element in many two-syllable Korean given names. As given name meaning differs based on the hanja used to write it. There are 45 hanja with the reading "hyun" on the South Korean government's official list of hanja which may be used in given names. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyun%5F%28Korean%5Fname%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyun%5F%28Korean%5Fname%29) ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * Korean 📖 ## The Story of Hyun ### As a girl name The earliest SSA record of Hyun as a girl name dates back to 1957, when 5 babies received it. 1982 was its biggest year on record, with 11 newborns named Hyun — #5,910 in the national rankings. The 1980s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 35% of all recorded Hyuns. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 1998 (6 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 168 Hyuns have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1950s through the 2020s. ### As a boy name Hyun first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1972, with 9 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1989: 14 births, good for #3,809 nationwide. The 1980s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 33% of all recorded Hyuns. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 2016 (5 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 263 Hyuns have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1970s through the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time Girls Boys ## Popularity by State 👧 Girls 👦 Boys ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🔗 ## Variants & Related Forms of Hyun Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Hyun. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * Hyeon ⭐ ## Notable people named Hyun A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia. * ●Hyun Bong-sik (born 1984), South Korean actor * ●Hyun Byung-chul (born 1974), South Korean cyclist * ●Hyon Chol-hae (1934–2022), North Korean general * ●Hyon Hak-bong , North Korean diplomat * ●Hyun Hee (born 1976), South Korean retired épée fencer * ●Hyun Hong-choo (1940–2017), South Korean lawyer, politician, diplomat * ●Hyun Hye-sung (born 1986), South Korean field hockey player * ●Insoo Hyun (born c. 1970 ), Korean American bioethics professor Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyun%5F%28Korean%5Fname%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyun%5F%28Korean%5Fname%29) 🎶 ## Names that sound like Hyun Phonetically similar names — useful when Hyun is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * Hyen * [Hian](/hian) * Heian * [Hyon](/hyon) * [Huyen](/huyen) * Higham * Heon * [Hiam](/hiam) * [Chaim](/chaim) * Hying * One * Wion Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Hyun What does the name Hyun mean? Hyun, also spelled Hyeon or Hyon, Hyoun, is a Korean surname, a single-syllable Korean given name, and an element in many two-syllable Korean given names. As given name meaning differs based on the hanja used to write it. There are 45 hanja with the reading "hyun" on the South Korean government's official list of hanja which may be used in given names. What is the origin of the name Hyun? Hyun has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Korean. How popular is Hyun in 2026? In 2026, Hyun ranks #12,182 among boys' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year. When was Hyun most popular? Hyun reached its peak popularity in 1989, ranking #3,809 that year with 14 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Hyun most popular? Hyun has historically been most popular in New York. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Hyun. Is Hyun a unisex name? Yes — Hyun is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 39% of Hyuns assigned female and 61% assigned male historically. What names go well with Hyun? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Hyun include Duell, Cramer, Ronson. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. What are nicknames or variants of Hyun? Common variants and related forms of Hyun include Hyeon. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms. ## Similar Names ### 👦 Similar Boy Names [👦DuellPeak #3809](/duell)[👦CramerPeak #3809](/cramer)[👦RonsonPeak #3809](/ronson)[👦LevellePeak #3809](/levelle) ### 👧 Similar Girl Names [👧RoseanaPeak #5910](/roseana)[👧SamiePeak #5910](/samie)[👧EmeritaPeak #5910](/emerita)[👧YvonePeak #5910](/yvone) ## About the name Hyun Hyun is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1972 and has accumulated 263 births in the dataset. Hyun's peak popularity came in 1989 when it ranked #3,809\. Use the chart and map above to compare Hyun's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 1989 → ](/year/1989) * [ Names of the 1980s → ](/decade/1980s) * [ Names starting with "H" → ](/letter/h) * [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) * [ Browse unisex names → ](/names/unisex) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships. * Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.