Lee (Korean surname) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lee |
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|---|---|
.svg) The one hanja for Yi |
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| Meaning | *리 or 이
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| Language of origin | Korean |
| Popularity | Behind the Name |
| Wikipedia articles | All pages beginning with Lee |
| Yi (Ri) | |
| Hangul |
이 (리)
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|---|---|
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Lee, Li, Yi, I, Ri |
| McCune–Reischauer | Lee, Li, Yi, I, Ri Note: "李" is officially romanized as I in South Korea and Ri in North Korea. |
The name Lee or I (이) is a very common family name in Korea. It is the second most common surname in the country. In 2015, over 7 million people in South Korea had this name. This means more than 14% of all people in South Korea share the surname Lee.
Contents
The Popular Korean Surname: Lee
The surname Lee is one of the most well-known family names in Korea. It is so common that you will find many people with this name. It is similar to how common names like Smith or Jones are in other parts of the world.
What Does "Lee" Mean?
The most common way to write Lee in hanja (Chinese characters used in Korean) is 李. This character means "plum" or "plum tree." So, many people with the surname Lee are connected to the idea of a plum.
There are also other, less common, hanja characters for Lee.
- 異 means "different."
- 伊 means "that" or "he/she."
However, 李 is the one you will see most often.
How Lee is Written and Said
The way "Lee" is written in English can be a bit tricky. In South Korea, the official way to write it is "I." But many people still use "Lee" because it was common before. In North Korea, it is officially written as "Ri."
So, you might see it as:
- Lee
- I
- Yi
- Ri
- Rhee
- Rhie
- Reeh
All these spellings refer to the same Korean family name.
Famous Lee Family Groups
Korean family names are often linked to different "clans." A clan is a group of people who share a common ancestor. They usually come from a specific place. For the Lee surname, there are many famous clans.
Some of the well-known Lee clans include:
- Deoksu clan
- Jinseong clan
- Yongin clan
- Gyeongju clan
- Yeoju clan
- Jeonju clan
- Danyang clan
- Yangsan clan
- Suan clan
- Seongju clan
- Hongju clan
- Yeonan clan
These clans have their own histories and traditions. They often hold special ceremonies to honor their ancestors.
Images for kids
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A memorial for the founder of the Gyeongju Yi clan
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The Jeonju Yi family performs rites (jongmyo jerye) to honor their ancestors in an annual ceremony which has been declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Korean government.
