Lee

percentage of family names in Korea

  Kim, Gim

  Lee, Yi, Rhee

  Park, Pak

  Choi

  Jung, Jeong, Chung, Cheong

Lee is the typical romanization of the common South Korean surname I (Hangul 이) and North Korean surname Li (리). It is the second-most-common surname in Korea, behind only Kim.

The name is derived from the very common Chinese surname Li (Chinese: 李, Lǐ, lit. "plum") and is written identically to the Chinese in Hanja characters. In South Korean, the modern pronunciation is like the English letter "E" (IPA: iː) and it is therefore sometimes romanized as Yi, particularly when it is used as a given name. The traditional pronunciation – still employed in North Korean – was similar to the English surname "Lee" (IPA: liː), although Korean tends to shift the phoneme l to r at the beginning of words, leading to the pronunciation /riː/, which produces the occasional romanizations Rhee, Rhie, and Ri.

Distribution

이 was the surname of 6,796,227 South Koreans during the year 2000 census.^{[citation needed]} Including millions more abroad and those named 리 in North Korea,^{[citation needed]} Lee is the surname of approximately 15% of ethnic Koreans around the world.^{[citation needed]}

Clans

Monument for the founder of Gyeongju Yi clan

As with all Korean family names, the holders of the Lee surname are divided into different patrilineal clans, or lineages, known in Korean as bon-gwan, based on their ancestral seat. Most such clans trace their lineage back to a specific founder. This system was at its height under the yangban aristocracy of the Joseon Dynasty, but it remains in use today. There are approximately 241 such clans claimed by South Koreans. Most people with surname Lee in Korea belong to either the Jeonju or Gyeongju clans.

Deoksu clan

The founder of this clan was Yi Dongsu, an official of the Goryeo period. This was a prominent yangban clan during the Joseon Dynasty, producing figures including the admiral Yi Sun-sin and the philosopher Yi I. The clan seat, Deoksu, corresponds to Deoksu-hyeon, an old division of what is now Kaep'ung-gun in Kaesong city, North Korea.

Jinseong clan

The founder of this clan is Yi Seok. Yi Hwang, a notable scholar and politician in Joseon Dynasty, belongs to this clan.

Yong-in clan

The founder of Yongin clan was Kil-kwon who helped to found Goryeo.

Gyeongju clan

The founder of this clan was Alpyeong, one of the original village headmen of Silla, who chose Bak Hyeokgeose as the first king. According to the Samguk Sagi, the Yi name was officially bestowed on the family by King Yuri around 9 CE. Prominent members include the Joseon-era scholar Yi Deok-hyung (이덕형), who was "Han-eum" (한음) of "Oh-seong and Han-eum" (오성과 한음) fame.

In present days, Lee Byung-chull, the founder of Samsung Group and the former Samsung CEO, Lee Kun-hee, and Lee Myung-bak, current president of South Korea are notable figures from the Gyeongju Lee clan.^[1] It is the most populous Lee clan after the Jeonju Lee clan.

Yeoju clan

Prominent members of this clan include the Joseon Dynasty philosopher Yi Ik.

Jeonju clan

Descendents of the Jeonju Lee family perform rites called Jongmyo jerye to honor their ancestors in an annual ceremony the Korean government has declared an Important Intangible Cultural Asset.

This is the most populous Lee clan. The founder of this clan was Yi Han, a native of Baekje who later married a Silla princess and became a high official of Silla. His 22nd-generation descendant, Taejo of Joseon, went on to found the Joseon Dynasty. The Jeonju Yi family ruled Joseon for 518 years between 1392 and 1910.

The current pretender to the Korean throne is Her Imperial Highness, Empress Haewon of Joseon. Members of the different branches of Jeonju Yi family dominated Korean history right up until the formation of the current Republic of Korea. There are many families that claim membership in the Jeonju Yi clan.

Danyang clan

The founder of this clan was Jeong Dojeon, who was the first Prime Minister of Joseon and had close relations to King Yi Seonggye. He bestowed upon him the right to start his clan, a right only a yangban could ask, thus Jeong Dojeon created a new yangban clan. The clan's ancestral seat is Danyang.

Yangsan clan

The founder of this clan was Yi Man-young, an internal minister in Korea following the fall of the Goryeo Dynasty. He died of strangulation near an isolated mountain.

Suan clan

The founder of this clan was Yi Gyunwoong (Korean: 이견웅), who helped found the Goryeo Dynasty.

Seongsan clan

The founder of this clan was Sun Yu (Korean: 순유, Hanja: 純由), a prominent official of late Silla. His 12th-generation descendant Jang Gyeong (Korean: 장경, Hanja: 長庚) was also a prominent official of the Goryeo Dynasty. Eight generations of Jang Kyung's descendants yielded 75 civil examination qualifiers. As of a 2000 census conducted by the ROK, 186,188 Koreans of the Seongsan Yi clan live in South Korea.

Hongju clan

The founder of the Hongju Lee clan was Yi Yu-seong, a member of the King's inner circle during the late Goryeo Dynasty. The clan's ancestral seat was bestowed when his 9th generation descendant, Yi Gi-jong, was titled. Hongyang/Hongju is located in present day Hongseong, South Chungcheong Province. Especially during the late Goryeo and early Josoen Dynasties, the Hongju Lee clan produced many outstanding and influential people, including Yi Yeon-su, Yi Seong, Yi Seo, and Yi Jong-jang.

See also

• List of people named Lee (Korean name)

• Korean name
• List of common Korean surnames
• Lee (surname), particularly
  • Lee (English surname)
  • List of people named Lee
• Li (surname), particularly
  • Li (李)
• Yi (surname)

References