About 20 percent of South Korea’s population of 49.3 million (2015 est.) has the family name Kim. That’s about 10 million people. Lee is the second most common name, and Park (or Pak) is the third. All told, about 45 percent of Koreans have one of these three names! But why are Kims so particularly plentiful? And are they all related to each other?
The answer lies in the historical significance of the Kims. In the Silla kingdom (57 BCE–935 CE)—which variously battled and allied with other states on the Korean peninsula and ultimately unified most of Korea in 668—Kim (which means “gold”) was the name of a family that rose to prominence and became the rulers of Silla for 700 years. For many centuries in Korea, surnames were rare among anyone but royalty and the aristocracy. This circ*mstance held until the granting of surnames became a mark of favor by the king during the Goryeo dynasty (935–1392). Later, during the late Joseon dynasty (1392–1910), some commoners adopted family names for social and economic advantage, a practice that proliferated after the class system was abolished in 1894 and the Japanese colonizers forced Koreans to take surnames. Commoners often chose the names of lofty clans like the Kims, the Lees, or the Parks.
But not even all those who are Kims by inheritance are the same. A basic unit of the Korean traditional kinship system is the clan, or bongwan, a group whose surname signifies a common geographical origin. Thus, different Kims can trace their lineage to different places, most notably Gimhae. The southeastern city was the birthplace of Kim Su-Ro, the man recognized as the original Kim and the founder (42 CE) of Gaya, another ancient Korean kingdom. There are some 300 other Kim clans, including those who originate from Gyeongju, Andong (which actually has two Kim clans), and Gwangsan.
Are all Koreans who share a surname considered to be related to one another? Nowadays, the origins of Korea’s clans are remote enough that people whose ancestral roots are in different villages are considered eligible to marry one another. Nevertheless, there was long a law in place to forbid marriage between people with the same surname and ancestral paternal origin. In 1997, however, South Korea’s Constitutional Court ruled the law unconstitutional, and the civil code was amended in 2005 to forbid only marriage between closely related people. Thus, a Mr. Kim and Ms. Kim who meet and fall in love at university in Seoul, who had never heard of each other before but learn they are both Gyeongju Kims, may now marry, Romeo and Juliet no more.
In the Silla kingdom (57 BCE–935 CE)—which variously battled and allied with other states on the Korean peninsula and ultimately unified most of Korea in 668—Kim (which means “gold”) was the name of a family that rose to prominence and became the rulers of Silla for 700 years.
King Taejo Wang Geon, gave family clans and last names to the ruling classes. The last names were assigned by region. A lot of lower-class people bought last names and family clans with money from poor noblemen.They bought common last names to not get caught.
The most common Korean surname (particularly in South Korea) is Kim (김), followed by Lee (이) and Park (박). These three surnames are held by around half of the ethnic Korean population.
Park (Korean: 박, Korean pronunciation: [pak̚]) or Bak is the third-most common surname in Korea, traditionally traced back to 1st century King Hyeokgeose Park and theoretically inclusive of all of his descendants. Park or Bak is usually assumed to come from the Korean noun Bak (박), meaning "gourd".
Today, South Koreans use Hanguk (한국, 韓國) to refer to just South Korea or Korea as a whole, Namhan (남한, 南韓; "South Han") for South Korea, and Bukhan (북한, 北韓; "North Han") for North Korea.
Wang. Wang is a patronymic (ancestral) name that means “king” in Mandarin, and it's shared by more than 92 million people in China, making it the most popular last name in the world. ...
Kim (Korean: 김; Hanja: 金) is the most common surname in Korea. As of the 2015 South Korean census, there were 10,689,959 people by this name in South Korea or 21.5% of the population. Although the surname is always pronounced the same, dozens of different family clans (bon-gwan) use it.
In the Silla kingdom (57 BCE–935 CE)—which variously battled and allied with other states on the Korean peninsula and ultimately unified most of Korea in 668—Kim (which means “gold”) was the name of a family that rose to prominence and became the rulers of Silla for 700 years.
Korean: written 김 in Chinese characters 金 meaning 'gold'. This is the only Chinese character for the surname Kim which is the most common Korean surname comprising about 20 percent of the Korean population. According to some sources there are over 600 different Kim clans but only c.
The Gimhae Kim clan (Korean: 김해 김씨; Hanja: 金海 金氏) is a Korean clan, descended from Suro of Geumgwan Gaya. King Suro was the founder of Gaya confederacy, and his descendant, Kim Yu-sin is renowned for leading the Silla armies to unify the Three Kingdoms of Korea.
Koreans are an East Asian ethnic group native to Korea. The majority of Koreans live in the two Korean nation states of North and South Korea, which are collectively referred to as Korea. As of 2021, an estimated 7.3 million ethnic Koreans resided outside of Korea.
“America” in Korean – 미국 (miguk) You can say “America” in Korean as 미국 (miguk). A quick side note, the United States of America had previously aided South Korea during the Korean War before the Korean peninsula was divided into South and North Korea.
In Korea, it's quite common for people to use words like “honey” and “babe” to refer to their significant other rather than using their name. Here is a list of the most common Korean terms of endearment you can use for the one you love. Jagiya (자기야) – “Honey” or “Baby” Nae sarang (내 사랑) – “My Love”
Based on your many encounters with Koreans, one may wonder if all Korean's have the surname Kim, Lee, Park, Jeong, or Choi. Indeed, these five are the most common family names among Koreans. However, not all of the Kims, Lees, Parks, Jeongs, and Chois are the same.
So the Chinese just started handing out last names to people. They assigned these surnames pretty much randomly, but the original pool of last names largely came from Chinese last names, or Vietnamese derivations of them. Nguyen, for example, came from the Chinese Ruan.
You might have noticed that siblings in Korea often share similar names. Sometimes, even cousins might share similar names. Why is that? As discussed, most personal names in Korean are composed of two characters.
Korean names usually have three parts: the family or surname placed first, and a name identifying the generation, alternating each generation to second or third place with the given personal name.
Introduction: My name is Kareem Mueller DO, I am a vivacious, super, thoughtful, excited, handsome, beautiful, combative person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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