Korean clans are groups of

Korean people Koreans are an East Asian people, East Asian ethnicity, ethnic group native to the Korean Peninsula. The majority of Koreans live in the two Korean sovereign states of North and South Korea, which are collectively referred to as Korea. As ...

that share the same paternal ancestor. They are indicated by the combination of a ''bongwan'' () and a family name. Korean clans distinguish clans that happen to share the same

family name In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

. The ''bongwan'' identifies descent groups by

geographic Geography (from Ancient Greek ; combining 'Earth' and 'write', literally 'Earth writing') is the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. Geography is an all-encompassing discipline that seeks an understanding o ...

place of origin. For example, the Gyeongju Kim and the Gimhae Kim are considered different clans, even though they happen to share the same family name '' Kim''. In this case,

Gyeongju Gyeongju (, ), historically known as Seorabeol (, ), is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, covering with a population of ...

and Gimhae are the respective ''bongwan'' of these clans. However, a clan name is not treated as a part of a Korean person's name. The ''bongwan'' and the family name are passed on from a father to his children, thus ensuring that person in the same paternal lineage sharing the same combination of the ''bongwan'' and the family name. A ''bongwan'' does not change by marriage or

adoption Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, fro ...

. Different family names sharing the same ''bongwan'' sometimes trace their origin to a common paternal ancestor, e.g. the ' clan and the ' clan share

Suro of Geumgwan Gaya Suro (), posthumous name Sureung (; died 199), commonly called Kim Suro, was the legendary founder and Hero King of Geumgwan Gaya (43–532), in southeastern Korea.Statistics Korea, there are a total of 286

surnames In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several giv ...

and 4,179 clans. The 2015 census reported that a total of 36,744 family clans exist among the 1,507 surnames extant in South Korea.

History

The Korean ''bongwan'' system was created from an adaptation of the Chinese family clan system. It is assumed to have been created around the late

Silla Silla (; Old Korean: wikt:徐羅伐#Old Korean, 徐羅伐, Yale romanization of Korean, Yale: Syerapel, Revised Romanization of Korean, RR: ''Seorabeol''; International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ) was a Korean kingdom that existed between ...

and early

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...

period as a result of Silla's

sinicization Sinicization, sinofication, sinification, or sinonization (from the prefix , 'Chinese, relating to China') is the process by which non-Chinese societies or groups are acculturated or assimilated into Chinese culture, particularly the language, ...

policies.

Taejo of Goryeo Taejo (; 31 January 877 – 4 July 943), personal name Wang Kŏn (), also known as Taejo Wang Kŏn (), was the founder of the Goryeo Dynasty of Korea. He ruled from 918 to 943, achieving unification of the Later Three Kingdoms in 936. Backgroun ...

promoted the ''bongwan'' system to stably distribute a growing population and create a basis for tax revenue, whilst putting an end to the obsolete

bone-rank system The 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 a ...

. Numerous clans were created throughout local administrations of all sizes and statuses. Almost all Koreans, including the Yangmin and Cheonmin caste, identified with a ''bongwan'' from the early Goryeo to the

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

period. A ''bongwan'' affiliated with a prosperous region was widely seen as a source of personal pride, while members from a lesser or impoverished ''bongwan'' often sought to escape their genealogical status. Changes in administrative divisions profoundly influenced the merging or creation of various clans. During the mid-to-late Joseon Dynasty, poor Koreans (commoners and members of the "surname-less class") acquired surnames by purchasing the right to adopt them. Some even fabricated family trees (''jokbo'') to claim ancestry from prestigious clans. This phenomenon was influenced by government policies related to slaves and a desire to elevate their social status. By the time that the Joseon class system was officially abolished in 1894, nearly all Koreans had a surname.

Restrictions on marriage and adoption

Traditionally, a man and a woman in the same

clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, a clan may claim descent from a founding member or apical ancestor who serves as a symbol of the clan's unity. Many societie ...

could not marry, so the combination of the ''bongwan'' and the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

name of a husband had to differ from that of a wife. Until 1997, this was also the law, but this was ruled as

unconstitutional In constitutional law, constitutionality is said to be the condition of acting in accordance with an applicable constitution; "Webster On Line" the status of a law, a procedure, or an act's accordance with the laws or set forth in the applic ...

. When adopting a child, the adoptive father and the adopted child must share the same combination of the ''bongwan'' and the

. However, in exceptional circumstances, adoptive parents can change an adopted child's family name for the adopted child's welfare. In this case, the adoptive parents must visit a

family court Family courts were originally created to be a Court of Equity convened to decide matters and make orders in relation to family law, including custody of children, and could disregard certain legal requirements as long as the petitioner/plaintif ...

History

Restrictions on marriage and adoption

List

See also

Footnotes

References

External links