Yung

Yung is a surname and given name, a variant spelling of Young that appears in various cultures and contexts. It is used in personal names and has also become a recognizable element in popular culture as a stage-name component.

Origins and usage: In English, Yung is historically a variant of Young. In Germanic languages, Jung means “young,” a cognate that helps explain the surname’s appearance in different regions and periods. The spelling Yung has also emerged in East Asian diasporic communities as a transliteration choice for several surnames, depending on dialect and romanization systems. Thus, Yung can be found as a surname or given name, sometimes in combination with other elements or stage names.

In popular culture, Yung is widely used as a prefix in stage names to convey youth or a modern persona. Notable artists using Yung include Yung Lean, a Swedish rapper; Yung Gravy, an American rapper; Yung Joc, an American rapper; Yung Berg, an American rapper; and Yungblud, a British singer. The form has become especially common in hip hop and related genres, where it serves as a stylistic marker.

Historical examples include Yung Wing (1828–1912), a Chinese-American diplomat and the first Chinese student to graduate from Yale University, illustrating Yung as a given name in East Asian contexts and its longer-standing presence in historical records.

See also: Young.