Kim is the most common
family nameA Korean name consists of a family name followed by a given name, as used by the Korean people in both North Korea and South Korea. In the Korean language, 'ireum' or 'seong-myeong' usually refers to the family name and given name together. A long history of the use of family names has caused...
in
KoreaKorea is a civilization and formerly unified nation currently divided into two states. Located on the Korean Peninsula, it borders China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait....
. The name is common in both modern-day
North KoreaNorth Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , is a state in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer area between North Korea and South Korea...
and
South KoreaSouth Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often simply referred to as Korea, is a country in East Asia, located on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by China to the west, Japan to the east, and North Korea to the north. Its capital is Seoul, the second largest...
. The
Chinese characterA Chinese character, also known as a Han character , is a logogram used in writing Chinese , Japanese , less frequently Korean , and formerly Vietnamese , and other languages...
used for the name (金) means "
goldGold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. It has been a highly sought-after precious metal for coinage, jewelry, and other arts since the beginning of recorded history. The metal occurs as nuggets or grains in rocks, in veins and in alluvial deposits. Gold is...
," and although the character is usually pronounced "geum" (금) in Korea, it is pronounced
"gim" (김) when used for the family name and names of some cities, e.g.,
GimhaeGimhae, also commonly spelled Kimhae, is a city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is the seat of the large Gimhae Kim clan, one of the largest Kim clans in Korea...
(김해, 金海) and Gimpo (김포, 金浦).
As with most other Korean family names, there are many Kim clans, known in Korean as
bon-gwanBon-gwan is the place of origin of a clan in Korea, which is used to distinguish clans that happen to share a same family name . A Korean clan is a group of people that share the same paternal ancestor, and is indicated by the combination of a bon-gwan and a family name...
(본관, 本貫), each of which consists of individual Kim families.
Kim is the most common
family nameA Korean name consists of a family name followed by a given name, as used by the Korean people in both North Korea and South Korea. In the Korean language, 'ireum' or 'seong-myeong' usually refers to the family name and given name together. A long history of the use of family names has caused...
in
KoreaKorea is a civilization and formerly unified nation currently divided into two states. Located on the Korean Peninsula, it borders China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait....
. The name is common in both modern-day
North KoreaNorth Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , is a state in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer area between North Korea and South Korea...
and
South KoreaSouth Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often simply referred to as Korea, is a country in East Asia, located on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by China to the west, Japan to the east, and North Korea to the north. Its capital is Seoul, the second largest...
. The
Chinese characterA Chinese character, also known as a Han character , is a logogram used in writing Chinese , Japanese , less frequently Korean , and formerly Vietnamese , and other languages...
used for the name (金) means "
goldGold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. It has been a highly sought-after precious metal for coinage, jewelry, and other arts since the beginning of recorded history. The metal occurs as nuggets or grains in rocks, in veins and in alluvial deposits. Gold is...
," and although the character is usually pronounced "geum" (금) in Korea, it is pronounced
"gim" (김) when used for the family name and names of some cities, e.g.,
GimhaeGimhae, also commonly spelled Kimhae, is a city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is the seat of the large Gimhae Kim clan, one of the largest Kim clans in Korea...
(김해, 金海) and Gimpo (김포, 金浦).
Clans
As with most other Korean family names, there are many Kim clans, known in Korean as
bon-gwanBon-gwan is the place of origin of a clan in Korea, which is used to distinguish clans that happen to share a same family name . A Korean clan is a group of people that share the same paternal ancestor, and is indicated by the combination of a bon-gwan and a family name...
(본관, 本貫), each of which consists of individual Kim families. Most Kims belong to one of a few very large clans. Even within each clan, people in different families are not related to each other. These distinctions are important, since Korean law used to prohibit intermarriage in the same clan, no matter how remote the relationship; now, however, only those in a relationship of second cousins or closer may not marry.
As with other Korean family names, the Kim clans are distinguished by the place from which they claim to originate. A very large number of distinct Kim clans exist, besides those listed here. The 2000 South Korean census listed 348 extant Kim lineages.
Uiseong
The Uiseong (의성) clan's lineage goes all the way back to the last prince of
SillaSilla was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and the longest sustained dynasty in Asian history. Although it was founded by King Park Hyeokgeose, who is also known to be the originator of the Korean family name Park , the dynasty was to see the Kyungju Kim clan hold rule for most of its...
, who later became a Monk.
Gimhae (Kimhae)
According to a story recorded only in the
Samguk YusaSamguk Yusa, or Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms, is a collection of legends, folktales, and historical accounts relating to the Three Kingdoms of Korea , as well as to other periods and states before, during, and after the Three Kingdoms period.The text was written in Classical Chinese, which was...
, in 48 CE, Princess Heo Hwang-ok made an epic journey from a country called "Ayuda" to Korea, where she married King
Suro of Geumgwan GayaSuro, or Sureung , was the legendary founder and king of the state of Geumgwan Gaya in southeastern Korea.- Background :...
and gave birth to 10 children, thus starting the
Kim dynasty of
Geumgwan GayaGeumgwan Gaya , also known as Bon-Gaya or Garakguk , was the ruling city-state of the Gaya confederacy during the Three Kingdoms Period in Korea. It is believed to have been located around the modern-day city of Gimhae, Southern Gyeongsang province, near the mouth of the Nakdong River...
, the capital of which was in present-day
Goryeong CountyGoryeong County is a county in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea.Goryeong is a historical center of the ancient kingdom of Daegaya.-External links:*...
. The country of Ayuda is often identified with
AyodhyaAyodhya is an ancient city of India, the old capital of Awadh, in the Faizabad district of Uttar Pradesh. Ayodhya is described as the birth place of Hindu god Shri Ram, and the capital of Kosala Kingdom. This Hindu holy city is described as early as in the Hindu Epics. During the time of Gautama...
in
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
.
http://www.ndtv.com/features/showfeatures.asp?id=813&frmsrch=1&txtsrch=Korea%2CAyodhya
Famous ancient members of this clan, aside from the kings of Geumgwan Gaya, include the
SillaSilla was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and the longest sustained dynasty in Asian history. Although it was founded by King Park Hyeokgeose, who is also known to be the originator of the Korean family name Park , the dynasty was to see the Kyungju Kim clan hold rule for most of its...
general Kim Yu-shin. In the
Unified SillaUnified Silla or Later Silla is the name often applied to the kingdom of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, when it conquered Baekje in 660 and Goguryeo in 668, unifying the southern portion of the Korean peninsula...
period, members of the Gimhae Kim family were admitted to all but the highest level of the Silla
bone rank systemThe bone rank system was the system of aristocratic rank used in the ancient Korean kingdom of Silla. It was used to segregate society, and particularly the layers of the aristocracy, on the basis of their hereditary proximity to the throne and the level of authority they were permitted to wield...
.
This clan is by far the most populous of all Korean clans. The 2000 South Korean census found it to contain more than four million people.
Gyeongju
The
GyeongjuGyeongju is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang province in South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, covering with a population of 269,343 people according to the 2008 census. Gyeongju is southeast of Seoul, and east of the...
Kims trace their descent from the ruling family of
SillaSilla was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and the longest sustained dynasty in Asian history. Although it was founded by King Park Hyeokgeose, who is also known to be the originator of the Korean family name Park , the dynasty was to see the Kyungju Kim clan hold rule for most of its...
. The founder of this clan is said to have been
Kim AljiKim Alji was a historical figure in Korean history. His descendents formed the Kim royal clan of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea....
, an orphan adopted by King
Talhae of SillaTalhae of Silla was the fourth king of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He is commonly called Talhae Isageum, isageum being the royal title in early Silla.-Background:...
in the first century CE. Alji's seventh-generation descendant was the first member of the clan to take the throne, as King
Michu of SillaMichu of Silla was the thirteenth ruler of the Korean state of Silla . He was the first king of the Kim clan to sit on the Silla throne; this clan would hold the throne for most of Silla's later history...
in the year 262.
This clan is also extremely populous. In the South Korean census of 2000, more than 1.7 million citizens claimed to be Gyeongju Kims.
Hamchang
The Hamchang Kims trace their origin to the founder of the little-known
GayaGaya was a confederacy of territorial polities in the Nakdong River basin of southern Korea, growing out of the Byeonhan confederacy of the Samhan period. The traditional period used by historians for Gaya chronology is 42 - 532 CE...
state of
Goryeong GayaGoryeong Gaya was one of the lesser chiefdoms of the Gaya confederacy during the Korean Three Kingdoms period. It was centered in present-day Sangju City, North Gyeongsang province, South Korea...
. His alleged tomb, rediscovered in the 16th century, is still preserved by the modern-day members of the clan. This clan numbered only 26,300 members in the 2000 South Korean census.
Notable people
Given the prevalence of the family name Kim, a great number of people share this surname.
See also
- Korean culture
- Korean name
A Korean name consists of a family name followed by a given name, as used by the Korean people in both North Korea and South Korea. In the Korean language, 'ireum' or 'seong-myeong' usually refers to the family name and given name together. A long history of the use of family names has caused...
- List of Korea-related topics
- List of Korean family names