seob

Seob is a romanization of a Korean syllable that can appear in given names and, less commonly, as a component of a surname. In Hangul the syllable is typically written as 섭, though the exact spelling and use in names can vary. The meaning attached to "seob" in Korean names depends on the hanja characters chosen to represent the syllable; there are multiple possible hanja readings, each with its own meaning. Because Korean given names are often composed of two syllables, seob commonly appears as either the first or second element in a two-syllable given name.

In usage, seob is not among the most common standalone given-name syllables in contemporary Korean naming practice, but it does occur as part of various two-syllable names. It is also less common as a surname component. As with other Korean name elements, the interpretation of a name containing seob is influenced by cultural, familial, and regional naming traditions, as well as the hanja chosen for its hanja-derived meaning.

There are no widely recognized meanings or definitions of "seob" outside of Korean onomastics. The lowercase form seob has no established meaning in English beyond its role as a phonetic rendering of a Korean name element, and it should not be confused with SEO, the common abbreviation for search engine optimization. In cases where "seob" appears in discussions, it is usually in the context of Korean names or as a transcription rather than as an independent English term.