Won Name Meaning & Historical Trends

Won

Pronunciation: WUN

Meaning Origin, source, or wish (hanja-dependent) Gender Boy
BOYS RANK
#13,802
TREND
2,929

Rank shows the name’s position among U.S. baby names for each gender in 2025. Trend shows how many places it rose or fell since 2024. Rank 1 is the most popular. Based on U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) data. Peak and lowest years are based on the number of boys named Won in the available records.

Fun Facts About the Name Won

  • 102 babies named Won: U.S. records list 102 babies given the name Won from 1880 through 2025.

What Does the Name Won Mean?

Won is a Korean given name written 원 in Hangul. It is a Sino-Korean syllable rather than a fixed word with a single meaning: Korean names of this type use hanja (Chinese characters), and the character chosen supplies the meaning. Common hanja read won include 元 ("first, primary; origin"), 原 ("source, origin; plain"), 源 ("source"), 圓 ("circle, round"), and 願 ("wish"). A common interpretation is "origin" or "source" when the name is written with 元, 原, or 源, but a person named Won may use another character and a different meaning. Without the hanja, the name has no single etymology.

Won Name History & Origins

The syllable 원 (won) entered Korean naming through Sino-Korean vocabulary, in which Chinese characters were given Korean readings. In historical Korean names, the element appears in longer names such as Wonhyo (원효, 元曉), the seventh-century Silla Buddhist monk, and Won Gyun (원균, 元均), a Joseon general; in both, 元 supplies the syllable Won, but the full name is two syllables. A one-syllable given name like Won is written the same way in Hangul regardless of the hanja selected, and many contemporary Korean names are recorded only in Hangul, so the character-based meaning is often not preserved.

How Popular is the Name Won?

Won has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1979. Its best rank was #4,428 in 1972.

U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.

Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.

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How the Name Won Shapes Your Personality and Life?

To express itself, you must follow the divine law of love. You have great persistence and hate to give up. You are a good mixer, charming, magnetic and intuitive. The spirituality is the key to success. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.

You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.

✦ Won's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Won's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.
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