Lin (; ) is the

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

romanization of the

Chinese surname Chinese surnames are used by Han Chinese and Sinicization, Sinicized ethnic groups in Greater China, Korea, Vietnam and among overseas Chinese communities around the world such as Singapore and Malaysia. Written Chinese names begin with surnames, ...

written 林, which has many variations depending on the language and is also used in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

(as Im),

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

. Among

ese and Chinese families from abroad, it is sometimes pronounced and spelled as Lim because many Chinese descendants are part of the

Southern Min Southern Min (), Minnan ( Mandarin pronunciation: ) or Banlam (), is a group of linguistically similar and historically related Chinese languages that form a branch of Min Chinese spoken in Fujian (especially the Minnan region), most of Taiwa ...

diaspora that speak

Hokkien Hokkien ( , ) is a Varieties of Chinese, variety of the Southern Min group of Chinese language, Chinese languages. Native to and originating from the Minnan region in the southeastern part of Fujian in southeastern China, it is also referred ...

or Teochew. In

Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...

-speaking regions such as

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

and

Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...

it is spelled as Lam or Lum. It is listed 147th on the ''

Hundred Family Surnames The ''Hundred Family Surnames'' (), commonly known as ''Bai Jia Xing'', also translated as ''Hundreds of Chinese Surnames'', is a classic Chinese language , Chinese text composed of common Chinese surnames. An unknown author compiled the book ...

''. Within

mainland China "Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...

, it is currently the 18th most common

surname 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 ...

. In

, the character 林 is also used but goes by the pronunciation

Hayashi Hayashi (wikt:林, 林, literally "forest, woods"), is the 19th most common Japanese surname. It shares the same character as the Chinese surname Lin (surname), Lin and the Korean surname Im (surname), Im. Notable people with the surname *, Jap ...

, which is the 19th most common surname in Japan.

Name origin

King Zhou of Shang King Zhou (; ) was the pejorative posthumous name given to Di Xin of Shang () or Shou, King of Shang (), the last king of the Shang dynasty of ancient China. He is also called Zhou Xin (). In Chinese, his name Zhòu ( 紂) also refers to a horse ...

(reigned 1154 to 1122 BC), the last king of the

Shang dynasty The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty that ruled in the Yellow River valley during the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and followed by the Western Zhou d ...

, had three uncles advising him and his administration. The king's uncles were Prince Bi Gan, Prince Jizi, and Prince Weizi. Together the three princes were known as "The Three Kind-Hearted Men of Shang" in the kingdom. Prince Bi Gan was the son of King Wen Ding; he was the brother of King Zhou's father and, thus, was King Zhou's uncle, and served as the prime minister of the Kingdom of Shang. King Zhou was a cruel king, but his three uncles could not persuade him to change his ways. Failing in their duty to advise the king, Prince Weizi resigned. Prince Jizi faked insanity and was relieved of his post. Only Prince Bi Gan stayed on to continue advising the king to change his ways. "Servants who are afraid of being killed and refrain from telling the truth are not righteous" he said. This put him in danger of incurring the king's wrath. Prince Bi Gan stayed at the palace for three days and nights to try to persuade the blood-thirsty and immoral king to mend his ways. The stubborn king would not relent and had Prince Bi Gan arrested for treason. Upon hearing this, his pregnant wife escaped into the forest and went into labor there. With no one to help her, she gave birth to a boy in the rocky cave in the forest, in a place called Chang Lin (長林). Before long, King Zhou of Shang was overthrown by Ji Fa, the Count of the West (Western Shang). Ji Fa established a new dynasty named the

Zhou dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ) was a royal dynasty of China that existed for 789 years from until 256 BC, the longest span of any dynasty in Chinese history. During the Western Zhou period (771 BC), the royal house, surnamed Ji, had military ...

and became the

King Wu of Zhou King Wu of Zhou (; died ), personal name Ji Fa, was the founding king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty. The chronology of his reign is disputed but is generally thought to have begun around 1046 BCE and ended with his death three years later. Ki ...

. King Wu knew about the courageous prime minister Prince Bi Gan and sought his wife and child. When he found them, he honoured them in respect of Prince Bi Gan. The mother and child were restored to the Shang royal family. King Wu of Zhou conferred the surname Lin (meaning forest) and the Dukedom of Bo'ling on Prince Bi Gan's son, Lin (Lim/Lam) Jian (林坚), ennobled as the Duke of Bo'ling.

Other origins

* from Lin Kai (林開), son of the

King Ping of Zhou King Ping of Zhou (; died 16 April 720 BC), personal name Ji Yijiu, was the thirteenth king of China's Zhou dynasty and the first of the Eastern Zhou dynasty. Sima Qian. '' Records of the Grand Historian'', "Zhou Dynasty Annals". History He was ...

The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland * from Lin Fang (林放), an official in Lu, also a student of Confucius, during the

Spring and Autumn period The Spring and Autumn period () was a period in History of China, Chinese history corresponding roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou (256 BCE), characterized by the gradual erosion of royal power as local lords nominally subject t ...

* adopted by

South China South China ( zh, s=, p=Huá'nán, j=jyut6 naam4) is a geographical and cultural region that covers the southernmost part of China. Its precise meaning varies with context. A notable feature of South China in comparison to the rest of China is ...

's aboriginal tribes * adopted by the Qiu Lin (丘林) ethnic

Xianbei The Xianbei (; ) were an ancient nomadic people that once resided in the eastern Eurasian steppes in what is today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Northeastern China. The Xianbei were likely not of a single ethnicity, but rather a multiling ...

, family as the surname during the

Northern Wei dynasty Wei (), known in historiography as the Northern Wei ( zh, c=北魏, p=Běi Wèi), Tuoba Wei ( zh, c=拓跋魏, p=Tuòbá Wèi), Yuan Wei ( zh, c=元魏, p=Yuán Wèi) and Later Wei ( zh, t=後魏, p=Hòu Wèi), was an imperial dynasty of Chi ...

* from the personal name of Lin Fu (林父), the given name of an official in the state of Wei during the Spring and Autumn period, whose original surname was

Sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as visible light a ...

. * from name of a fief granted to an official in the State of Ju during the

Distribution

Within China, 林 is the 2nd most common surname in

, 4th most common in the city of

Haikou Haikou; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanized as Hoihow is the capital city, capital and most populous city of the Chinese province of Hainan. Haikou city is situated on the northern coast of Hainan, by the mouth of the Nandu River. ...

, and 10th most common in the city of

Guangzhou Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...

."https://www.douban.com/group/topic/23803598/"(Chinese) In 2019 it was the 18th most common surname in mainland China.

Different versions of the name

*Among the

Malaysian Chinese Malaysian Chinese, Chinese Malaysians, or Sino-Malaysians are Malaysians, Malaysian citizens of Chinese people, Chinese ethnicity. They form the second-largest ethnic group in Malaysia, after the Malaysian Malays, Malay majority, and , const ...

it is not commonly spelled Lin but rather Lim or Lam. The

Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka-speaking Chinese, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas, are a southern Han Chinese subgroup whose principal settlements and ancestral homes are dispersed widely across the provinces of southern China ...

, Teochew and

Hainan Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...

communities romanize it as "Lim" whereas the

-speaking community uses "Lam". *The Korean surname Im ( in South Korean spelling; in North Korean spelling; commonly romanized as Lim or Rim) is the Korean pronunciation of the same Chinese character (林). A much less common Korean surname Im is derived from another character (; spelled ''Im'' in both North and South Korean) the character used to write the surname Ren. In Korean, the former is called ''Supul Rim'' (수풀 림) and the latter ''Matgil Im'' (맡길 임) when they need to be distinguished. *A common Japanese surname,

, is written with the same character 林 and also means ''forest''. A much rarer Japanese surname, Rin, is also written with same character. *The Vietnamese surname, "Lâm", was formerly written using the same character. *In

, although "Lim" and "Lam" are generally more common variants, the extremely rare spelling "Lyn" can be found in select families of Chinese, Japanese, or other

East Asian East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...

ancestry (also transcribed using the 林 character) and bears no known relation to the English or Scottish surname of the same spelling, or alternate spelling "Ling". *A rare Chinese surname which is also transcribed ''Lin'' is 藺 / 蔺 (pinyin Lìn), for example the

Warring States period The Warring States period in history of China, Chinese history (221 BC) comprises the final two and a half centuries of the Zhou dynasty (256 BC), which were characterized by frequent warfare, bureaucratic and military reforms, and ...

statesman

Lin Xiangru Lin Xiangru () (died July 260 BCE) was a politician and general of the Warring States period, who served the state of Zhao. He figures prominently in two stories of the period, namely the episode and the namesake '' chengyu'' of " Returning the J ...

. *Indonesians of Chinese ancestry bearing this surname sometimes spell it as "Liem", pronounced from Fuqing dialect. *Prominent

Thai Chinese Thai Chinese (also known as Chinese Thais, Sino-Thais) are persons of Chinese people, Chinese descent in Thailand. Thai Chinese are the largest mixed group in the country and the largest overseas Chinese community in the world with a popul ...

royalist families with this surname are bestowed by member of the royal family some indigenised derivative such as "Limthongkul" "Sirilim" "Limpisthira." *The character "霖" (Lín, "heavy rain showers") is also a popular personal name among ethnic Chinese people.

Notable people surnamed Lin

This is an East Asian name, meaning the surname is stated "before" the given name, though East Asian persons living in Western countries will often put their surname after their given name.

Lin

and

Wu Chinese , region = Shanghai, Zhejiang, southern Jiangsu, parts of Anhui and Jiangxi provinces; overseas and migrant communities , ethnicity = Wu , speakers = million , date = 2021 , ref = e27 , fa ...

form: *

Lin Biao Lin Biao ( zh, 林彪; 5 December 1907 – 13 September 1971) was a Chinese politician and Marshal of the People's Republic of China who was pivotal in the Chinese Communist Party, Communist Chinese Communist Revolution, victory during the Chines ...

(林彪), military general and former Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China * Lin Bih-jaw (林碧炤 Lin Bizhao), Secretary-General to the President of the Republic of China (2016) *

Laufey (singer) Laufey Lín Bīng Jónsdóttir (; zh, s=林冰, p=Lín Bīng; born 23 April 1999), known mononymously as Laufey ( ), is an Icelandic singer-songwriter and musician. She rose to prominence in the early 2020s for her success as a jazz pop, jazz ...

(林冰 ''Lín Bīng''), An Icelandic-Chinese singer * Lin Bu (林逋), poet * Lin Chen-yi (林镇夷 Lin Zhenyi), Chief of the General Staff of the Republic of China Armed Forces (2009–2013) * Lin Cheng-chieh (林正杰 Lín Zhèngjié), Taiwanese politician * Lin Cheng-chih (林澄枝 Lín Chéngzhī), Taiwanese politician * Lin Cheng-feng (林正豐 Lín Zhèngfēng), Taiwanese baseball player * Lin Cheng-fong (林正峰), Taiwanese politician * Lin Chih-chia (林志嘉 Lin Zhijia), Secretary-General of Legislative Yuan * Lin Chih-chien (林智堅 Lin Zhijian), Mayor of Hsinchu City * Lin Chih-sheng (林智盛 Lin Zhisheng), Taiwanese baseball player * Lin Chi-ling (林志玲 Lin Zhiling), Taiwanese supermodel, actress * Lin Ching-Liang (林清凉 Lin Qingliang), Taiwanese nuclear physicist * Lin Chin-tien (林金田 Lin Jintian), Political Deputy Minister of Culture of the Republic of China (2012–2013) *

Lin Chuan Lin Chuan (; born 13 December 1951) is a Taiwanese economist, lawyer, and politician who served as the Premier of the Republic of China from 2016 to 2017. He was the first cabinet head under the Tsai Ing-wen government. Before his premiership ...

(林全 Lin Quan), Premier of the Republic of China (2016–2017) *

Lin Chu-chia Lin Chu-chia (; born 1956), known also by his English name Steve Lin, is a Taiwanese economist and politician. He took junior positions at the Mainland Affairs Council before his 2016 promotion to concurrent posts as National Development Counci ...

(林祖嘉 Lin Zujia), Minister of National Development Council of the Republic of China (2016) * Lin Dan (林丹), world Olympic champion, men's singles badminton player, People's Republic of China * Lin Di (林笛), musician, pipa player with Chinese rock band Cold Fairyland * Lin Fang-yue (林芳郁) Taiwanese cardiologist, hospital superintendent, and health minister (2008) *

Lin Fong-cheng Lin Fong-cheng (; born 20 March 1940) is a Taiwanese politician. He was the vice chairman of the Kuomintang from April 2007 to April 2014. Kuomintang Secretary-General 2005 mainland China visit In April 2005, Lin joined Lien Chan and other P ...

, Vice Chairman of Kuomintang (2007–2014) * Lin Hejie (Lim Ho Kiat 林贺杰), painter and commentator * Lin Hwai-min, choreographer and founder of Taiwan's Cloud Gate Dance Theater * Lin Hsi-shan, Secretary-General of the Legislative Yuan (1999–2016) * Lin Hsi-yao, Vice Premier of the Republic of China (2016–2017) * Lin Jeng-yi, Director of National Palace Museum of Taiwan (2016–2018) * Lin Join-sane, Secretary-General of Kuomintang (2012) *

Lin Jun Jie Wayne Lim Junjie (; born 27 March 1981), professionally known as JJ Lin, is a Singaporean singer, songwriter, record producer, and businessman. One of the most successful artists in the Chinese-speaking world, Lin achieved recognition with his ...

, Singaporean singer and songwriter * Lin Junq-tzer, Governor of Taiwan Province (2010–2016) * Lin Kegong, Taiwanese painter *

Shu Qi Lin Li-hui (born 16 April 1976) ( zh, c=林立慧), better known by her stage name Shu Qi ( zh, c=舒淇), is a Hong Kong–Taiwanese actress and model. Widely regarded as one of the most successful Taiwanese actresses of all time, Shu has receive ...

(Lin Li-hui 林立慧), Taiwanese actress and model * Lin Ling-san, Minister of Transportation and Communications (2002–2006) * Lin Mei-chu, Minister of Labor of the Republic of China (2017–2018) * Lin Ming-chen, Magistrate of Nantou County * Lin Neng-pai, Minister of Public Construction Commission of the Republic of China (2000–2002) * Lin Peng, actress * Lin Qingfeng (林清峰), world Olympic champion, weightlifter, athlete * Lin Sang, world Olympic silver medalist, athlete, archer * Lin San-quei, Vice Minister of Labor of the Republic of China *

Lin Sen Lin Sen (; 16 March 1868 – 1 August 1943)), sobriquet Zhang Ren ( zh, c=長仁, w=Chang-jen, labels=no) was a Chinese politician who served as Chairman of the National Government of China, Chairman of the Nationalist government, National Gove ...

, former president, chairman of National Government of China * Lin Shicheng musician, Shanghai-born pipa player * Lin Shihong (林士弘), king of Chu dynasty * Lin Shu-chen, Administrative Deputy Minister of Education of the Republic of China (2013–2016) * Lin Siyi (林思意), Chinese singer, actress, and member of Chinese idol girl group

SNH48 SNH48 is a Chinese idol girl group based in Shanghai. Following AKB48's creator Yasushi Akimoto's concept of "idols you can meet", the group features over 200 female members around the age of 20 (15 to 30) across SNH48 and all its sister grou ...

* Lin Teng-chiao, Administrative Deputy Minister of Education of the Republic of China * Lin Tsung-hsien, Minister of Council of Agriculture of the Republic of China (2017–2018) * Lin Tzou-yien, Minister of Health and Welfare of the Republic of China (2016–2017) * Lin Tzu-ling, Administrative Deputy Minister of the Interior of the Republic of China * Lin Wan-i, Deputy Magistrate of Taipei County (1999–2002) * Lin Weining (林伟宁), world Olympic champion, weightlifter, athlete * Lin Wenyue, scholar, writer and translator from Taiwan. *

, Chinese politician of the

* Lin Xu (林旭), scholar, poet *

Lin Yang-kang Lin Yang-kang ( ; 10 June 1927 – 13 April 2013) was a Taiwanese politician. He was born at Sun Moon Lake during the Japanese rule of Taiwan. Some thought he might be Chiang Ching-kuo's successor as head of the Kuomintang (KMT), but after fai ...

, former mayor of Taipei city, Chairman of Taiwan province, Taiwanese politician * Lin Yanjun, Taiwanese singer and actor, former member of Nine Percent * Lin Yi (林一), Chinese actor and model * Lin Yinghai (林英海), Chinese politician * Lin Yi-shih, Secretary-General of Executive Yuan (2012) * Lin Yongsheng (林永昇), Chinese admiral * Lin Youren, musician, Chinese guqin player * Lin Youyi (林有懿), Hong Kong-born Singaporean television host and actress * Lin Yuan-lang, Magistrate of Nantou County (1989–1997) * Lin Yu-chang, Mayor of Keelung City * Lin Yu-chun Taiwanese singer * Lin Yue (林跃), world Olympic champion, diver * Lin Yu-fang, Taiwanese politician *

Lin Yutang Lin Yutang (10 October 1895 – 26 March 1976) was a Chinese inventor, linguist, novelist, philosopher, and translator. One scholar commented that Lin's "particular blend of sophistication and casualness found a wide audience, and he became a ma ...

, inventor, linguist, writer, Nobel prize nominee *

Lin Zexu Lin Zexu (30 August 1785 – 22 November 1850), courtesy name Yuanfu, was a Chinese political philosopher and politician. He was a head of state (Viceroy), Governor General, scholar-official, and under the Daoguang Emperor of the Qing dynasty ...

, nineteenth-century governor-general, imperial commissioner, poet, scholar, diplomat * Alfred Lin, Taiwanese-born American venture capitalist * Ariel Lin (''Lin Yi-chen''), Taiwanese actress *

Brigitte Lin Brigitte Lin Ching-hsia (; born 3 November 1954) is a Taiwanese actress. Regarded as a screen icon, Lin played a key role in boosting Taiwan’s film production with her romantic heroine roles in the 1970s before transitioning to Hong Kong, where ...

(林青霞, ''Lin Ch'ing-hsia''), Taiwanese film actress * Cho-Liang Lin, musician, U.S. Taiwanese violinist, "Instrumentalist of the Year" in 2000 * David Lin (born 1950), Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (2012–2016) * Douglas N. C. Lin, astrophysicist * Estrella Lin (Lin Wei-ling 林韋伶), Taiwanese singer * Francis Y. Lin, Chinese linguist * Jenny Lin, musician, pianist * Jeremy Lin (林書豪, ''Lin Shu-hao''), U.S. basketball player *

Jimmy Lin Jimmy Lin Chih-ying ( zh, c=林志穎, poj=Lîm Chì-éng, born 15 October 1974) is a Taiwanese singer, actor, and race car driver. Early life Lin was born in Taipei on 15 October 1974. He was the second child in a family of five children. Lin ...

(林志穎, ''Lin Chih-ying''), Taiwanese film actor and singer *

Justin Lin Justin Lin (, born October 11, 1971) is a Taiwanese Americans, Taiwanese-American film and television director, producer, and screenwriter. His films have grossed over $3 billion USD worldwide . He is best known for his directorial work on ...

, U.S. film director *

Justin Yifu Lin Justin Yifu Lin ( zh, c=林毅夫, p=Lín Yìfū; born on October 15, 1952) is a Taiwanese-born Chinese economist and professor of economics at Peking University. He served as the World Bank Chief Economist, Chief Economist and Senior Vice Presid ...

, former

Chief Economist of the World Bank The chief economist of the World Bank (full title: Senior Vice President for Development Economics and Chief Economist of the World Bank Group) is the senior economist at the World Bank Group, tasked with providing intellectual leadership and direc ...

* Kelly Lin (林熙蕾), Taiwanese actress, model * Kevin Lin (林義傑), marathon runner * Lucia Lin, Political Deputy Minister of Education of the Republic of China (2014–2016) *

Maya Lin Maya Ying Lin (Chinese: 林瓔; born October 5, 1959) is an American architect, designer and sculptor. Born in Athens, Ohio to Chinese immigrants, she attended Yale University to study architecture. In 1981, while still an undergraduate at Yal ...

, artist and architectPBS episode ''

Finding Your Roots ''Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'' is an American documentary television series hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr. that premiered on March 25, 2012, on PBS. In each episode, celebrities are presented with a "book of life" that is com ...

'' February 2, 2016 *

Ruby Lin Ruby Lin Xin-ru ( zh, c=林心如, p=Lín Xīnrú; born January 27, 1976) is a Taiwanese actress, television and film producer, and singer. Lin began her career as a commercial model in 1993 and gained pan-Asian prominence for her role as Xia Ziw ...

(林心如, ''Lin Xin-ru''), Taiwanese actress * Tzu-Wei Lin, infielder for the Boston Red Sox * Yu-Min Lin (born 2003), pitcher in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization

Lam

form: * Adrian Lam (born 1970), Papua New Guinean professional rugby league coach and former player * Barry Lam (林百里; born 1949), Taiwanese billionaire businessman, founder & chairman of Quanta Computer *

Bowie Lam Bowie Lam (, Lam Bo-yee; born 4 September 1965) is a Hong Kong actor with the TVB network. He has starred in several popular dramas including ''File of Justice'' and ''Healing Hands (TV series), Healing Hands''. Before working in entertainment, L ...

(林保怡; born 1965), Hong Kong actor and singer * Lam Bun (林彬; 1929–1967), radio commentator at Commercial Radio Hong Kong * Lam Bun-Ching (林品晶; born 1954), Chinese American pianist, composer, conductor * Carol Lam (林剑华; born 1959), former United States Attorney for the Southern District of California *

Carrie Lam Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor ( Cheng; ; born 13 May 1957) is a retired Hong Kong politician who served as the fourth Chief Executive of Hong Kong from 2017 to 2022, after serving as Chief Secretary for Administration for five years. After g ...

(林鄭月娥; born 1957), Hong Kong retired politician, former Chief Executive of Hong Kong *

Chet Lam Chet Lam Yat-Fung is a Hong Kong–based independent "city- folk" singer-songwriter. He is the elder brother of singer Eman Lam. Biography Lam was born at Kwong Wah Hospital in Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon. He grew up in a public estate, studying at Ch ...

(林一峰; born 1976), Hong Kong singer-songwriter * David Lam (林思齊; 1923–2010), former Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, Canada * Derek Lam (born 1967), American fashion designer *

Eman Lam Eman Lam Yee-man ( zh, 林二汶, born 25 October 1982) is a Hong Kong singer and songwriter. Lam and Ellen Joyce Loo were part of the vocal duo at17. In contrast with Ellen Joyce Loo (who had been writing songs which incline more toward Cant ...

(林二汶; born 1982), Hong Kong singer-songwriter * George Lam (林子祥; born 1947), Hong Kong singer-songwriter, music producer, actor * James Lam (born 1961), American author, corporate director, management consultant * Karen Lam, Canadian film director, writer, producer * Karen Lam (林小玲), Hong Kong diabetes and obesity researcher * Karena Lam (林嘉欣; born 1978), Taiwanese Canadian actress and singer * Karencici Lam (林愷倫; born 1998), Chinese American singer-songwriter * Lam Kor-wan (林過雲; born 1955), Hong Kong serial killer * Lam Nhat Tien (born 1971), Vietnamese American singer * Nixie Lam (林琳; born 1982), Hong Kong politician * Nora Lam (宋能尔; 1932–2004), Chinese Protestant Christian evangelist, author of "China Cry" *

Pat Lam Patrick Richard Lam (born 29 September 1968) is a rugby union coach and former player. He is currently Director of Rugby at Bristol Bears in England's Premiership Rugby. Born in New Zealand, he represented New Zealand in schools and under-21 ...

(born 1968), New Zealand rugby union coach and former player * Lam Po-chuen (林保全; 1951–2015), Hong Kong voice actor *

Raymond Lam Raymond Lam (; Jyutping: lam4 fung1; born 8 December 1979) is a Hong Kong actor and singer who is best known for roles in the television dramas '' A Step into the Past'', '' Twin of Brothers'', '' Moonlight Resonance'', '' Highs and Lows'' and '' L ...

(林峯; born 1979), Hong Kong actor and singer * Richard Lam (林振強; 1948–2003), Hong Kong lyricist *

Ringo Lam Ringo Lam Ling-Tung (, 8 December 1955 – 29 December 2018) was a Hong Kong film director, producer, and screenwriter. He was known for his Action film, action and crime films produced during the Hong Kong New Wave, many of them comprising ent ...

(林嶺東; 1955–2018), Hong Kong film director, producer, screenwriter * Lam Sai-wing (林世荣; 1861–1943), Chinese Hung Gar martial artist, student of

Wong Fei-hung Wong Fei-hung (born Wong Sek-cheung with the courtesy name Tat-wun; 19 August 1847 – 17 April 1925) was a Chinese martial artist, physician, and folk hero. Though he was considered an expert in the Hung Ga style of Chinese martial arts, his r ...

Sandy Lam Sandy Lam Yik-lin (; born 26 April 1966), is a Hong Kong singer, actress and producer. She rose to fame in the 1980s, before expanding her fan base significantly in Asia, releasing more than 30 stylistically diverse albums in Cantonese, Englis ...

(林憶蓮; born 1966), Hong Kong singer, actress, producer *

Sarah Lam Sarah Lam is a British- Chinese actress known for UK television roles. Career She played Susannah in the sitcom '' No Problem!'', Linda Mo in '' Angels'', Anna Lee in '' Howards' Way'' and Caroline Choi in '' Brookside''. Other TV credits inclu ...

, British-Chinese actress *Sau-Hai (Harvey) Lam (1931–2018), American theoretical physicist * Stephen Lam (林瑞麟; born 1955), former Chief Secretary of Hong Kong and Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs * Tony Lam (born 1936), American politician *

Wifredo Lam Wifredo Óscar de la Concepción Lam y Castilla (; December 8, 1902 – September 11, 1982), better known as Wifredo Lam, was a Cuban artist who sought to portray and revive the enduring Afro-Cubans, Afro-Cuban spirit and culture. Inspired by ...

(林飛龍; 1902–1982), Cuban artist * Willy Wo-Lap Lam (林和立; born 1952), Hong Kong political analyst

Lum

Alternate Cantonese form: * Agnes Lum (born 1956), American former model, singer, actress, pop idol in Japan *Nora Lum, (林家珍; stage name

Awkwafina Nora Lum (born June 2, 1988), known professionally as Awkwafina (), is an American actress, comedian and rapper. She rose to prominence in 2012 when her rap song "My Vag" became popular on YouTube. She then released her debut album, ''Yellow Ra ...

, born 1988), American actress, comedian, rapper * Olivia Lum (林爱莲), Singaporean businesswoman, group CEO & president of Hyflux Group

Lim

(

or Teochew) form: * Lim Ban Lim, Singaporean secret society member and gunman * Lim Bo Seng, World War II anti-Japanese Resistance fighter based in Singapore and British Malaya *

Lim Boon Heng Lim Boon Heng (; born 18 November 1947) is a Singaporean trade unionist and former politician. Since retiring from politics, Lim has been the chairman of Temasek Holdings since 2013. A former member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP) ...

(林文兴), former Singaporean politician * Lim Boon Keng, Singaporean national reformist of Peranakan descent * Lim Cheng Choo (林清注), Bruneian businessman and politician * Lim Chin Chong, Malaysian male prostitute and convicted killer executed in Singapore * Lim Chin Siong, cofounder of Singapore's

People's Action Party The People's Action Party (PAP) is a major Conservatism, conservative political party in Singapore and is the governing contemporary political party represented in the Parliament of Singapore, followed by the opposition Workers' Party of Singap ...

(P.A.P.) * Lim Chin Tsong (林振宗), Overseas Chinese oil tycoon during British Burma * Lim Chong Eu (林苍祐), former Malaysian politician known as the “Architect of Modern Penang” *

Lim Giong Lim Giong (; born 7 June 1964) is a Taiwanese musician, DJ, actor, and an active figure in the Taiwanese experimental electronic music scene. He is known for recording rock songs in Taiwanese Hokkien, starting with his first hit song "Marching ...

, Singaporean Taiwanese musician, songwriter and actor * Lim Goh Tong (林梧桐), Fujianese billionaire and founder of Genting Group * Lim Guan Eng (林冠英), Malaysian politician, former Chief Minister of Penang (2008–2018) and former Minister of Finance of Malaysia (2018–2020) *

Lim Hng Kiang Lim Hng Kiang ( zh, s=林勋强, p=Lín Xūnqiáng, poj=Lîm Hng-kiâng, first=poj; born 9 April 1954) is a Singaporean former politician who served as Minister for Trade and Industry between 2004 and 2018, Minister in the Prime Minister's Off ...

(林勛強), former Singaporean politician *Lim Hock Chee (林福星), Singaporean business magnate and founder of Singaporean supermarket chain Sheng Siong * Lim Hock Soon, Singaporean nightclub owner and murder victim * Lim Hwee Huang, Singaporean victim of a rape and murder case * Lim Jock Hoi (林玉辉), Bruneian politician and diplomat * Lim Jock Seng (林玉成), Bruneian politician and diplomat * Lim Kim Huat, Malaysian gunman executed in Singapore *

Lim Kim San Lim Kim San ( zh, c=林金山, p=Lín Jīnshān; 30 November 1916 – 20 July 2006) was a Singaporean businessman, civil servant, and politician who served as a Cabinet minister with a variety of portfolios between 1965 and 1981. Prior to his ...

(林金山), Singaporean politician noted for contributions to public housing policy *

Lim Kit Siang Lim Kit Siang (; born 20 February 1941) is a retired Malaysian politician. Having held the position for a total of 29 years on three separate occasions, he is the longest-serving leader of the opposition, as well the second longest-serving m ...

(林吉祥), Malaysian politician, longest serving Leader of the Opposition in Malaysia, known as Mr. Opposition * Lim Kok Yew, Malaysian gunman executed in Singapore * Lim Koon Teck, first person of East Asian descent to be appointed to the British Colonial Legal Service during the twentieth century * Lim Lye Hock, Singaporean rapist and killer * Lim Nee Soon, prominent Singapore pioneer and community leader, rubber magnate and banker *

Norman Kwong Norman Lim Kwong (born Kwong Lim Yew; ; October 24, 1929 – September 3, 2016) was a Canadian professional Canadian football, football player who played for the Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Elks, Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football L ...

(Lim Kwong Yew), former professional athlete and Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, Canada * Lim Por-yen (林百欣), Hong Kong industrialist * Lim Shiow Rong (林秀蓉 Lín Xiùróng), Singaporean and victim of an unsolved child rape and murder case * Lim Teck Hoo (林德浦), Bruneian businessman and philanthropist * Lim Tze Peng (林子平), Singaporean painter * Lim Yew Hock, second Chief Minister of Singapore * Abraham Lim (actor), American actor and singer * Adrian Lim (林宝龙), Singaporean medium and notorious child killer * Alberto Lim, Filipino secretary of Tourism *

Alfredo Lim Alfredo "Fred" Siojo Lim (; December 21, 1929 – August 8, 2020) was a Filipino politician, police officer and lawyer who served as a Senate of the Philippines, Senator of the Philippines from 2004 to 2007, He also served as the 20th Mayor of ...

, Filipino mayor of Manila * Anderson Lim (林志伟), Bruneian swimmer * Catherine Lim, Malaysian-born Singaporean author * Danilo Lim, Filipino chairman of MMDA and soldier * Desiree Lim, Malaysian-born Canadian independent film director, producer, and screenwriter *

Dion Lim Dion Lim is an American news anchor and reporter for KGO-TV/ABC7. She is known for reporting on violence against Asian Americans. Early life Lim was born in Michigan and moved to Connecticut as a teenager. She often states, including in her ...

, American news anchor and reporter *

Freddy Lim Lim Tshiong-tso (; Tâi-lô: ''Lîm Tshióng-tsò''; born 1 February 1976), known also by his English name Freddy, is a Taiwanese politician and musician. He is the lead vocalist of the Taiwanese heavy-metal band Chthonic and the lead vocali ...

, Taiwanese musician and lead singer of Taiwanese metal band Chthonic * Jennifer Lim, British actress * Ken Lim, Singaporean record producer and composer * Kelvin Lim Hock Hin, Singaporean convicted sex offender * Kevin Lim, Indonesian singer and songwriter * Lee Hong Susan Lim, Malaysian parasitologist (1952-2014) * Mikha Lim, Filipino rapper, dancer, singer, actress and member of girl group BINI * Moses Lim, T.V. and movie actor (e.g. "Just Follow Law"), food gourmet and entrepreneur from Singapore * Peter Lim, Singaporean billionaire * Phillip Lim, U.S. fashion designer * Pik-Sen Lim (林碧笙), Malay-British actress *

Rebecca Lim Rebecca Lim Hui Ling (born 26 September 1986) is a Singaporean actress and host. Lim has won Best Actress in a Leading Role at the Asian Television Awards and two Best Actress in a Leading Role awards, a Best Supporting Actress award. Lim als ...

(林慧玲) (born 1986), Singaporean actress * Reno Lim, Filipino politician *

Ron Lim Ronald Lim (born 1965) is an American comic book artist living in Sacramento, California. He is best known for his work for Marvel Comics on their various "cosmic" titles, most particularly the ''Silver Surfer'' (vol. 3) series. Biography Lim' ...

, U.S. comic book artist * Roseller T. Lim, Filipino politician mostly as senator and house representative *

Shin Lim Liang-Shun Lim (; born September 25, 1991), known professionally as Shin Lim, is a Canadian-American magician, recognized for his use of card manipulation and sleight of hand. He is known for elaborate close-up card magic routines, during wh ...

(林良尋) (born 1991), American-Canadian stage magician *

Sylvia Lim Sylvia Lim Swee Lian (; born 28 March 1965) is a Singaporean politician, lawyer, former police officer and former Temasek Polytechnic law lecturer. She has been the chairperson of the Workers' Party (Singapore), Workers' Party (WP) since 2003 a ...

(林瑞莲), Singaporean lawyer and politician *

Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay (; born 16 August 1951) is a Malaysian Chinese billionaire businessman. He is the executive chairman of Genting Group, a conglomerate involved in casinos, resorts, and palm oil, with a market capitalization of nearly MY ...

, chairman and C.E.O. of Genting Berhad conglomerate * Tiger Lim, Bruneian blogger * Vicente Lim, Filipino brigadier general and WW2 hero * Wendell Lim, Professor at

University of California, San Francisco The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Francisco, California, United States. It is part of the University of California system and is dedic ...

and director of SynBERC * Sondhi Limthongkul (林明達), Thai journalist, founder and owner of

Manager Daily ''Manager Daily'' (; ) is a Thai-language daily newspaper published in Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. T ...

and political activist *

Pita Limjaroenrat Pita Limjaroenrat (, ; born 5 September 1980), nicknamed Tim (, ), is a Thai businessman and former politician. A former member of the House of Representatives (Thailand), House of Representatives, he previously served as leader of the Move For ...

Pita Limjaroenrat (Thai: พิธา ลิ้มเจริญรัตน์, RTGS: Phitha Limcharoenrat, pronounced ʰí(ʔ).tʰāː lím.tɕā.rɤ̄ːn.rát nicknamed Tim; born 5 September 1980) is a Thai politician and businessman. He is the leader of the Move Forward Party, the de facto successor to the dissolved Future Forward Party.

Liem

Indonesian form: * John Beng Kiat Liem (1922–2001), Indonesian member of the Asia-Pacific Scout Committee * Liem Bwan Tjie (1891–1966), Indonesian architect *

Liem Koen Hian Liem Koen Hian (林群賢) (3 November 1897 – 4 November 1952) was an Indonesian journalist and politician. He was born in Banjarmasin, the son of a local Peranakan-Hakka Chinese business owner, Liem Ke An. He attended the Hollands-Chineesche ...

(林群贤; 1897–1952), Indonesian journalist and politician *

Liem Seeng Tee Liem Seeng Tee (1893 – 1956) was the founder of Sampoerna, PT HM Sampoerna Tbk., one of the largest tobacco companies in Indonesia. In the 1930s, Liem Seeng Tee adopted the Indonesian names, Indonesian name Sampoerna (cf. wikt:sempurna, s ...

(林生地, 1893–1956), founder of PT HM Sampoerna Tbk., one of the largest Indonesian tobacco companies * Liem Sioe Liong (林绍良; Sudono Salim; 1916–2012), Indonesian tycoon, founder of Salim Group *

Liem Swie King Liem Swie King (; born 28 February 1956) is an Indonesian badminton player who excelled from the late 1970s through the mid-1980s. He won the All England in 1978, 1979 and 1981. He was one of the world's leading singles players of his era. A w ...

(林水鏡; born 1956), Indonesian former badminton player * Liem Tien Pao (Putera Sampoerna; born 1947), Indonesian businessman * Liem Tjoan Hok (林廉鹤; Teguh Karya; 1937–2001), Indonesian film director

Ling

Eastern Min Eastern Min or Min Dong (, Foochow Romanized: ) is a branch of the Min group of the Chinese languages of China. The prestige form and most commonly cited representative form is the Fuzhou dialect, the speech of the capital of Fujian. Geogra ...

Northern Min Northern Min () is a group of mutually intelligible Min varieties spoken in Nanping prefecture of northwestern Fujian. Classification and distribution Early classifications of varieties of Chinese, such as those of Li Fang-Kuei in 1937 and ...

, and Wu form: *

Ling How Doong Ling How Doong (; 1934 – 30 April 2021) was a Singaporean politician and lawyer. A former member of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), he served as the Parliament of Singapore, Member of Parliament (MP) for Bukit Gombak Single Me ...

(林孝谆, 1934–2021), Singaporean politician and lawyer * Ling Liong Sik (林良实, born 1943), the sixth president of the

Malaysian Chinese Association The Malaysian Chinese Association (Abbreviation, abbrev: MCA; Malay language, Malay: ''Persatuan Cina Malaysia''), formerly known as the Malayan Chinese Association, is an ethnic List of political parties in Malaysia, political party in Malaysi ...

(MCA) *

Jahja Ling Jahja Ling () is a conductor, music director and pianist. From 2004 to 2017, he was the music director and conductor at the San Diego Symphony. Following his retirement in 2017, he plans to do guest conducting, as well as teaching and volunt ...

(林望傑, born 1951), Indonesian American conductor, music director, pianist * Alan Ling Sie Kiong (林思健, born 1983), Malaysian lawyer * Ling Tian Soon (林添顺), Malaysian politician * John Wey Ling (林建伟, born 1958 or 1959), Chinese-born American ballet dancer * Julia Ling (林小微, born 1983), American television actress *

Landon Ling Landon Lloyd Ling (; born 8 October 1987) is a Canadian former professional soccer player who played as a left-back or a left winger. He also works in Canada as a singer, songwriter and music producer under the name of "Landon L". Club career ...

(林家亮, born 1987), Canadian football player * Oscar Ling Chai Yew (林财耀, born 1977), Malaysian politician * Robert Ling Kui Ee (林桂億), Malaysian politician * Tschen La Ling (林球立, born 1956), Dutch football player *

Victor Ling Victor Ling, (; born 1943) is a Canadian researcher in the field of medicine. Ling's research focuses on drug resistance in cancer. He is best known for his discovery of P-glycoprotein, one of the proteins responsible for multidrug resistance. ...

(林重慶, born 1943), Chinese-born Canadian scientist

Leng

* Leng Chau Yen (林朝雁, born 1984), Malaysian politician

References

{{surname Chinese-language surnames Individual Chinese surnames Surnames of Malaysian origin Chinese feminine given names