Kim
A Korean surname meaning “gold,” and also an unrelated medieval English nickname surname in some historical records.
The #77 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 1,177 Americans shares it.
Etymology
In Korean, Kim comes from the Sino-Korean character 金, meaning “gold.” It is one of the major Korean surnames and is also written with the older romanization Gim. The historical excerpts also show some unrelated medieval English and continental uses of Kim or similar forms, but those do not explain the modern Korean surname most people mean today.
History
In Korea, Kim has been borne by many prominent clans and dynasties for centuries, and it became especially widespread under the Silla royal house. In the English-language world, the surname is now strongly associated with Korean immigration and diaspora communities. The older European dictionary snippets mention a few similar forms in other languages, but they appear to be separate and much rarer surnames.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Kim is one of the three most common surnames in South Korea, alongside Lee and Park.
From the historical record
“MAC KIM 1 (Celt. + Heb.) Son of Sim, MAC KIM M J q.v. [Gael. Mac Shim, nom. Sim {sh = A] MAC KIN for Mac Kian, q.v.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)Notable people named Kim
- Kim Jong Un (b. 1984)
- Kim Il Sung (1912–1994)
- Kim Jong Il (1941–2011)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.