101+ Squid Game Names for Your Little Champion

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Explore 101+ Korean names inspired by Squid Game, highlighting meaningful character names, actor names, and other options tied to themes of resilience and hope.

When my teenage cousin first mentioned Squid Game to me, I'll admit I was skeptical. A Korean survival drama in a game format? Not exactly my cup of tea. But after watching just one episode, I found myself completely hooked—not just by the intense storyline, but by the beautiful Korean names woven throughout the series.

So, whether you're expecting a little one, looking for uncommon middle names, or simply curious about Korean culture and naming traditions, let's take a deeper look into names inspired by the Squid Game universe, from fictional characters to virtue names inspired by resilience!

Main Character Names in Squid Game Season 1

The main characters of Squid Game carry names that reflect their personalities and journeys throughout the series. Here are the key Squid Game character names that left the biggest impact on viewers:

Ali - Elevated or noble; Ali Abdul is Player 199
Deok-su - Virtue and longevity
Gi-hun - Righteousness and merit; the protagonist's name reflects his moral compass throughout the series
Il-nam - First man; Oh Il Nam (Player 001) carries this name
In-ho - Benevolent leader; the Front Man's name
Jung-ho - Righteous and good; the Front Man's real name
Jun-ho - Talented and good
Sae-byeok - New dawn or daybreak; representing the character's North Korean roots
Mi-nyeo - Beautiful woman
Sang-woo - Mutual help
Young-hee - Eternal joy; the killer doll's name in "Red Light, Green Light"

Squid Game Season 2 Names That Caught Our Attention

During a rewatch of the whole series to get ready for Squid Game's third season, these are some of the top characters who stood out, with names and meanings worthy of a second look.

Cheol-su - Strength, longevity; Young-hee's giant robot doll boyfriend
Hye-won - Graceful garden (Player 196)
Jun-hee - Talented, bright; Player 222 was a young pregnant woman whose partner Lee Myeong-gi abandoned her
Min-su - Quick, excellent (Player 125)
Nam-gyu - South, precious; Player 124, who lost millions following Lee Myung-gi’s advice and serves as Thanos' right-hand man
Su-bong - Water peak or highest point; Player 230 chose the nickname "Thanos"

Other Character Names in Squid Game

The supporting characters in Squid Game also carry meaningful Korean names that add depth to the storytelling. These Squid Game names showcase the rich variety of Korean naming traditions:

Byeong-gi - Bright, foundation
Geum-ja - Golden child
Hyun-ju - Wise, beautiful
Jang Geum-ja - Golden, precious
Min-su - Clever, excellent
Myung-gi - Bright, foundation
Nam-gyu - South, standard
Se-mi - Beautiful, smile
Woo-seok - Help, stone
Yong-sik - Brave and 식 (harvest)

Actor Names in Squid Game

The talented cast brought these characters to life with incredible performances. Here are the real names of the actors behind your favorite characters:

Anupam - Incomparable, unique; Anupam Tripathi played Ali Abdul
Choi - Lofty, peak; T.O.P (Choi Seung-hyun) portrays Thanos, Player 230
Gong - Palace, respectful; Gong Yoo played the salesman/recruiter who starts many players' journeys
Heo - Bright, shining; Heo Sung-tae played the intimidating Deok-su
Hoyeon - Beautiful lotus; Hoyeon Jung played Kang Sae-byeok
Jo - Strength, courageous; Jo Yu-ri plays Kim Jun-hee
Kim - Gold, metal; Kim Joo-ryoung brought Mi-nyeo to life
Lee - Plum tree, a shelter; Lee Jung-jae brought Gi-hun to life
Oh - Soft, gentle; O Yeong-su played Oh Il Nam
Park - Cypress tree; Park Hae-soo portrayed the complex character Sang-woo
Roh - Wise, noble; Roh Jae-won brings complexity to Nam-gyu
Wi - Protection, safety; Wi Ha-jun played detective Jun-ho

Korean Names Inspired by Squid Game

For parents who love the show's themes of resilience, hope, and determination, here are Korean names that capture similar meanings!

Ah-reum - Beautiful
Arirang - A traditional Korean folk song
Bada - Ocean
Bae-dal - Pear, moon
Bit-na - Shining light
Bong-cha - Phoenix, tea
Byung-ho - Bright, good
Chae-won - Colorful, garden
Cheon-sa - Angel
Dae-hyun - Great, wise
Dae-jung - Great, righteous
Duri - Two
Eun-ji - Silver, wisdom
Geon - Strong
Hae-reum - Sunrise
Hae-won - Ocean, garden
Haneul - Sky
Hyun-woo - Wise, help
In-su - Benevolent, excellent
Iseul - Dew
Jangmi - Rose
Ji-hoon - Wisdom, teaching
Ji-sung - Wisdom, success
Kang-min - Strong, quick
Ki-tae - Foundation, great
Komawo - Thank you
Min-ho - Quick, good
Min-jun - Quick, talented
Mi-young - Beautiful, eternal
Nari - Lily
Noeul - Sunset
Sae-ron - New, orchid
Seo-yun - Auspicious, allow
Seok-jin - Stone, precious
Seung-min - Victory, clever
Seung-woo - Victory, help
Soo-jin - Excellent, precious
Tae-ho - Great, good
Tae-yang - Sun
Woo-jin - Help, precious
Ye-eun - Art, grace
Ye-jun - Art, handsome
Yong-ho - Brave, good
Yun-seo - Allow, auspicious

Korean Names for Girls from Squid Game

If you want a more subtle nod to Squid Game, check out these Korean girl names that have the same vibe as the show.

Ae-cha - Loving daughter
Bong-sun - Phoenix, good
Cho-hee - Beautiful, joy
Da-som - Love
Eun-hye - Silver, grace
Ga-eul - Autumn
Hae-young - Ocean, eternal
In-young - Benevolent, eternal
Ja-hee - Child, joy
Ki-young - Foundation, eternal

Korean Names for Boys from Squid Game

These boys' names have Korean meanings that align with the entire storyline of the series, including cleverness, swiftness, and the will to survive.

Baek-hyun - White, wise
Chang-min - Flourishing, quick
Dong-hyun - East, wise
Eun-woo - Silver, help
Ho-seok - Good, stone
Jae-sung - Talent, success
Kyung-soo - Respectful, excellent
Moon-bin - Literate, refined
Nam-joon - South, talented
Sang-hoon - Mutual, teaching

Unisex Korean Names from Squid Game

Finally, Korean names also have unisex or gender-neutral options, great for parents who want a more fluid name that still has a strong meaning.

Ah-in - Beautiful, benevolent
Baram - Wind
Bo-ram - Precious, hoped for
Byeol - Star
Chae-young - Colorful, eternal
Da-bin - All, refined
Eun-bin - Silver, refined
Ga-on - Center of the world
Ga-ram - River
Ha-eun - Summer, grace
Hae - Ocean
I-jun - Second, talented
In - Benevolent
Ja-eun - Purple, grace
Jae - Talent
Ka-eun - Beautiful, grace
Min - Quick
Nuri - World
Sarang - Love
Woo - Help

The Pronunciation Factor

Even though names from different cultures might seem intimidating to spell and pronounce, I have found that a lot of Korean names are actually pretty simple to master. For example:

Gi - sounds like "key"
Hun - sounds like "hoon"
Sae - sounds like "say"
Woo - sounds like "woo"
Jun - sounds like "June"

I've also noticed that most Korean speakers are very patient with my pronunciation attempts, and are more than happy to help me wrap my brain (and tongue) around the syllables!

Summing Up Squid Game Names

Let's be real—Korean culture has been quietly taking over everything for years now. My youngest niece went from obsessing over BTS to learning Korean on Duolingo to asking if she could legally change her middle name to Ji-woo. The Squid Game phenomenon just amplified what was already happening! And that’s exactly why Korean names are having a moment right now, and why parents looking for name inspiration are here for it.

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