Names / Jin
Is Jin a first name or a last name?
Jin is both: a family name in some places and a given name in others. It is mostly a family name in China, South Korea, Taiwan and North Korea; mostly a given name in Japan.
How to address someone called Jin
- China. Jin is a family name and is usually written first. Write Dear Mr. Jin or Dear Ms. Jin, or use the full name if you cannot tell which title fits.
- South Korea. Jin is a family name and is usually written first. Write Dear Mr. Jin or Dear Ms. Jin, or use the full name if you cannot tell which title fits.
- Japan. Jin is part of the given name, which comes after the family name. Use it only on first-name terms; formally, the title goes with the family name.
- Taiwan. Jin is a family name and is usually written first. Write Dear Mr. Jin or Dear Ms. Jin, or use the full name if you cannot tell which title fits.
Not sure which part of a full name is which? Check the full name with the country where the person is based.
Jin by country
People recorded in Wikidata who carry Jin as a family name or as a given name, by country of citizenship (560 in total).
| Country | As family name | As given name | Family name share |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 190 | 34 | 85% |
| South Korea | 161 | 19 | 89% |
| Japan | 8 | 41 | 16% |
| Taiwan | 47 | 0 | 100% |
| United States | 18 | 8 | 69% |
| North Korea | 13 | 0 | 100% |
| Malaysia | 0 | 5 | 0% |
| Singapore | 2 | 2 | 50% |
| Canada | 1 | 2 | 33% |
Wikidata covers notable people, so counts show how the name is used, not how many people carry it.
Jin in the United States
- As a surname: about 10,432 people in the 2010 census, rank 3,421 among US surnames.
- As a first name: 1,443 babies born between 1950 and 2017, 25% of them girls.
Jin as a given name: men or women?
About 7% of people with Jin as a given name in Wikidata are women, and 25% of US babies given the name. This describes the name, not any one person: it is not a safe basis for Mr. or Ms., and the full name without a title is always polite.
More on this naming tradition: How Chinese names work.
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