Gwon

Gwon is a Korean surname written in Hangul as 권. In English, it is commonly romanized as Gwon under the Revised Romanization of Korean, though the same surname is frequently rendered as Kwon or Kwan in older texts and in some diaspora communities. The surname is associated with several bon-gwan (lineages) indicating regional origins within Korea, reflecting historical migrations and clan reorganizations.

The most typical hanja for this surname is 權, meaning power or authority. Because multiple hanja can share the same pronunciation, other characters may be used, but 權 is the standard in modern Korean contexts.

Today, Gwon is found throughout Korea, with concentrations in urban centers, and there is a global diaspora in North America, Europe, and elsewhere. Like many Korean surnames, Gwon is passed patrilineally, and individuals with the same surname may belong to different bon-gwan.

Notable people with this surname appear in various fields, including politics, academia, arts, and sports, reflecting its broad distribution. In popular culture and media, the spelling Gwon helps differentiate from other spellings such as Kwon or Kwan in English-language references.

If you are researching genealogies or records, note that romanization variations can affect indexing, so checking alternative spellings like Kwon and Gwoun can be helpful.