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Kim (occasionally Romanized as Gim) is the most
common family name in Korea. The hanja used for the name was borrowed from
the Chinese character 金 meaning "gold".
Gimhae (Kimhae)
According to a story recorded in the Samguk Yusa, in AD 48, Princess Heo
Hwang-ok traveled from a country called "Ayuda" to Korea, where she married
King Suro of Geumgwan Gaya and gave birth to 10 children, thus starting the
Kim dynasty of Geumgwan Gaya, the capital of which was in present-day
Goryeong County. The country of Ayuda is often identified with Ayodhya in
India.
Famous ancient members of this clan, aside from the kings of Geumgwan Gaya,
include the Silla general Kim Yu-shin. In the Unified Silla period, members
of the Gimhae Kim family were admitted to all but the highest level of the
Silla bone rank system.
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.
Kim (Korean surname) |
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