Why Do So Many Koreans Have The Same Last Names? | Street Interview 

I really love it when street/ordinary people are being interviewed rather than academics. These are the raw, lived experiences of the people. Learning a lot while having a sip of my morning coffee.

Maybe it's their educational system or inherent cultural pride, but it was interesting to note that young people are aware of history and reason for something as otherwise random as family name. I find Korean social & culture institutions very interesting

I always wondered about this - and it's actually a lot more interesting than I thought! I enjoyed this video, the interviews were really insightful

I like this culture of not changing surname when a lady gets married. I feel like they are even more family-oriented than my culture.

Haha that last lady! I'm learning Korean and was trying to answer my friend's questions about Korean names, her advice is super useful, thanks! Also, their explanations why everyone has the same name are so interesting!

I've also wondered about this as well. For the longest time. Right after watching this video, it gave me yet a whole lot of understanding and insight as to why a lot of Koreans do share similar surnames but belong or even live in different clans/regions.

I'm born in Europe and have been living here my whole life. I'm raised in a society where it is so common to take your husband's name upon marriage although I never understood why. For me, it was so natural to keep your parent's name until you die :) and that's what I have done. It was something unusual at that time and I received a lot of criticism for keeping my surname after I got married - it was considered unrespectful towards my husbands family. And till this day, people still find it strange, and ask questions why I did it (and I've been married for 12 years now). I guess the equivalent in Korea of what I've done here, would be a girl taking her husband's name after getting married. That's how unusual my action was :D

Fun fact: In the opposite side, Japan has about 100.000 different surnames. People are called in thesociety by their surnames + san (ex. Suzuki-san) and when women get married they have to adopt their husband surnames. It’s very troublesome for women when they get married and even worse if they have to get divorced.

In South America, the norm is to have 2 names and 2 last names (first from your father and second from your mother). So when we present ourselves formaly, we use 4 words. Like: "Hello! My name is George Michael Smith Parker" And in the past, when women got married, they could optionally "ADD" her husband last name to hers using the word "of" Like: "Hello! I'm Juliet Miller of Smith" (she's married to Mr. Smith)

I've always wondered about this. When I think of Koreans' name, only kim, park and i pop up to my mind while Japan has so many different names.

It’s nice to see that even the young people have so much knowledge about their heritage.

My maiden last name is Nam and there’s apparently only one clan. So whenever I see another Nam, it feels like I’ve met a distant relative lol.

Interesting ! Many of us native Americans also follow a clan based system usually to prevent marriage between closely related families.

I love how wellspoken and educated koreans sound in these videos, gives me such a warm feeling:)

Interesting. To me living in America, changing your last name when you get married is so normal that I’ve never actually questioned it or even thought about it. The topic of this video is definitely fascinating! Good job Asian Boss

I’m happy about this, I recently got married and kept my last name, and my family found it so weird but my husband didn’t even care, he was just glad I didn’t have to fill out so much paperwork 😂

"why would you have your spouses last name?" I LOVE THIS. Having your own surname definitly gives you your own identity. Should I ever get married I would for sure keep my surname.

Such an interesting history behind those surnames. Nice video well done

Asian Boss covers a ton of interesting topics in Asia

This was very interesting. I actually changed my name back while I was still married because I felt like I lost myself. I am Japanese American and also the last person in my family to carry the name since there were no boys. I have no regrets and it was a lot easier when I got divorced 😁

This video made me smile so much. It's been over 2 years since I've been to Korea, and due to Covid-19, I don't see being able to return until 2023. The honest way people answered and talked about family names reminds me of conversations I had when I first visited the country and was trying to figure out why there were so many Kim, Park and Lees! Thanks Asian Boss for another great video!

This was very educational. Really enjoyed the video

5:55 That bafflement, together with breaking the fourth wall, is just priceless. Great interviews overall. I know it's selection bias, but what strikes me in a lot of Asian videos, for example, from That Japanese Man Yuta, etc, is the willingness to stop and think in front of the camera, earnestly consider the question posed and give an honest answer.

Asian boss out here asking the real questions

Absolutely fascinating, I've learned so much from it! By the way I am originally from Hungary, and we also have the family name first, then the given name, which is similar to the Asian customs.

This was very interesting. I never really thought their was a reason for so many shared surnames, I just figured it's just the way Koreans like it and it is what it it is. So this was educational for me.

Such insightful and reflective answers! Thank you!

FInally, my questions answered in this vlog. Thanks alot, @AsianBoss!

Asian Boss. Interesting topic.

Interesting. I've learned a lot from this channel.

In Korea, we distinguish questions asking only family names (seong) and asking family names and clans (bon-gwan). If someone asks what your ”bon-gwan“ is, you have to tell your family name and clan together. And it‘s a light question that (usually middle-aged or older) people casually ask each other for the first time. To be detailed, there is also ”pa“. ”Pa“ is a branch in the clan which started from the famous ancestor of the clan. When Koreans meet someone in the same clan, they ask what his/her "pa" is. At this level, It’s an actual question to know whether this person is their blood relative or not. And you have to mention how many generations you are from the ancestor when telling your "pa". All of this looks complicated, but it‘s quite simple in the real context. 😂

That was very interesting thank You! What my Vietnamese daughter-In-Law married my son I was worried about why she refused to take his last name. But you know the saying: “Knowledge is power” . Educating myself on this really helped! I understand now that in her culture, they don’t necessarily take on the husbands name and most times no one cares since that’s not uncommon in Asian countries. Now they have been married for years. And I love her so much! I only had sons which of course I love with my whole heart but by marrying they gave me daughters which I also adore 😍🥰💕

I wholeheartedly agree that each individual should keep their surnames when they get married an not have to change it .

Especially the part with the clans was something I didn't know. Very interesting. In the past in the Netherlands it used to be that when couples got married, the woman got 2 surnames. She kept her own but, her husband's surname was punt in front and then separated with a hyphen. But since a long time already you can choose whether you want to take on another surname or not. But it's not only a western habit. In Laos, (where I live) women do often take on the surname of their husband. I fully agree with the people interviewed here though that it's too cumbersome to change surnames. No need.

I am Korean, and the more historical explanation for this is that because Korea had such long and stable dynasties for most of its 5000 year recorded history as a civilization (with most dynasties lasting from 300 to 1000 years, for example, the Silla dynasty lasted for 1000 years and the Joseon dynasty lasted for 500+ years.), Korea has had a strong proliference of clans to the point that the people from some root clans formed their own clans with the same surname, hence the same sounding last names and the families that had noble last names grew their clans to large numbers, hence the strong clan proliference. Additionally. before the Korean Empire was established in 1897, former slaves were permitted to take up last names. And since some of these clan names hail from illustrious families, for example the Kim clan having been the royal family of the 1000 year Silla dynasty, the Park clan being the founder of the Silla dynasty, the Yi/Lee clan being the founding family of the Joseon Dynasty and the Korean Empire, the Go clan being the family of the Imperial Family of Goguryeo, the Seok clan being the rulers of Silla at some point, some people decided to adopt these last names because of their prestige.

I've been asked this question a hundred times. Your video does a much better job at answering it. Well done.

This was amazing

I love your videos and the interesting content. I learned a few things that I was curious about. About the aspect of changing names, or not, with marriage. It's very common for some westerners to see Asian countries having a lot of male dominance. While this is true on the surface western countries should realize they still have patriarchal practices, like the women taking the surname of the man. Although I see this has changed a lot. Also I think videos like this are a reminder that while many people in western countries find eastern (or asian) cultures different the reverse is true for Asian people when looking at Western cultures.

So much interesting and informative old AsianBoss style interview😌

Really insightful ❤.

Wow. Learned something new about Korea 🇰🇷 today.

The way these normal day to day people explained everything of this already confusing topic was really impressive. Street interviews can be very tricky, as people can mess up even simplest of things if they r asked all of a sudden.

This is so interesting! Thanks for the video 👍

Such a practical and helpful video!

I wasn't aware that there are clans for every one of the popular surnames in Korea. It was enlightening and fun to watch and hear everyone's explanation and perspective.

Thank you for the video! I am curious about something related to this topic. I am from mainland China, and I know South Korea and China have a similar situation. We do not change surname after marriage, but the child will usually follow the father's surname after birth. I recently read debates on Weibo about whether China should promote 冠姓权/随母姓 (that is, the born child should be able to choose between following father's or mother's surname). I wonder if similar things or debates are also happening in South Korea or not.

I’ve always had this curiosity regarding surnames, thanks Asian Boss for the insight!

this was really cool and informative

This was super interesting!! Can you do a similar video from the other countries that you cover? I know they're all different and it would be cool to find out more :)

Sinosphere countries with low surname diversity: 1. Vietnam: Nguyen 2. Korea: Kim 3. China and Singapore: Li Sinosphere country with high surname diversity: 1. Japan 2. Mongolia

I learned something today. Thanks asian boss for always making me curious!

WOW! I really learned something new. THANK YOU 🙏😊

Very great insight into the Korean Naming System in general. I was surprised to learn that the chance of having a similar surname with another was a bit high. I was also surprised that the girl’s name was Kim Ji-Soo, it reminded me of the one from K-Pop group BLACKPINK 😆

I'm Hmong American and I work at a place with a lot of Vietnamese people. So one day a new Hmong girl was hired and had the same last name as another Hmong guy there. One of my Viet co workers asked me if they were married or related. At first I was just shocked and wondered why he, a fellow Asian, would ask the same question so many white people have asked me before. But then it hit me, how dare a Vietnamese ask that question. You guys are the kings of same last name 😂

Great explantiation... thank you so much!! ❤🤍💙

Something I've always noticed but never questioned. Lol. Very interesting topic! Thank you, Asian Boss!

I didn't know about the history of these common surnames! The culture of keeping your family name when you marry is common in East Asia it seems. I'm Chinese-American and the women in my family have always kept their own surnames when they married despite that not being the norm in the West. I agree that it's good to keep your own identity that way!

So fascinating! I knew in China, women kept their maiden names even after marriage but had no idea Korea had the same practice. It was interesting to hear about the various clans/regions as well. TIL!

That was very interesting, do be honest I never thought about it before. Thanks for sharing. Charles

Me encantó, muchas gracias!!

Very interesting interview! I like their way of women keeping their surnames even after marriage. In my tribe, patriarchy is the norm, so women change their surnames. But recently, I am seeing a trend among younger married women of keeping both the surnames- her's and husband's. I think it's a good idea. We now easily recognise what clan she belonged to and where she is in now. We also keep our surnames ahead of our names.

It's amazing that they really know the history of their last names

great and very informative street interview

Now I'm getting it, thanks for this video though 💯🙌🏼

Even in India our surname changes after marriage, I always thought about this, I agree with that girl why should I change my surname and I also like that another girls perspective that it's changes bc you have to mix in a different family. I was always curious about korean names, it was a fun interview :)

The question about why a woman's surname doesn't change when she gets married has to do with the way the family registry works. Family lineage was traced through the father's side, which is why the children always were given the father's surname. Women who married into the family kept their own surnames because of this. On the one hand, it signifies their family lineage, but on the other, it is a constant reminder that a woman who marries into a family isn't really part of the family. It is romanticized to be proof of women's independence or identity these days, but it was an ostracizing patriarchal practice under the family registry system.

They sound smart. It was pleasing to get throught the questions and answers

Very insightful video! :)

This is something i've always wondered about ever since i started becoming interested in Korean culture. It's cool that they don't change their surnames when they get married too. The tip the last woman gave for how to tell which part of a Korean name is the surname and the given name is super helpful too! I started picking that up after a while of seeing Korean actor and Idol names but wasn't sure if that was a general rule or just a random fluke pattern i was noticing. If any Koreans are wondering, in the West, the woman usually changes her surname to her husbands out of tradition/that's how it's just always been done for a long time. But it originally comes from way way back when marriage was basically the man owning the woman. The father gives that daughter/bride away to the husband. And it's why it's old tradition for the man to ask the father's "permission" to marry the daughter. Obviously Western marriage isn't about that anymore and hasn't been for a long time, but a lot of those traditions still stuck around and are still around today. Not everyone follows them anymore though, some women keep their surname and others combine their surname with their husbands with a hyphen. Usually with the woman's original surname first, then the husbands surname last. So say a woman named Ashley Johnson got married to a man named Peter Brown, if she hyphenated the name, she would change her name to Ashley Johnson-Brown.

I actually understand both sides when it comes to changing or not changing your surname. However, I think the biggest reason ppl actually do this in the west is because of the law. It's hard to prove you are related (to your children) when you don't have the same last name. Not having the same last name can cause huge financial and legal problems ㅜㅜ. Korea, on the other hand, has a easily accessible documentation of their family tree. So legal problems because of your surname rarely happens.

This was very interesting!

All of them had smart answers. Loved it.

It’s awesome how well versed Koreans are about their history and their culture. As an american, I’m often frustrated how little Americans know about history. Even recent history. It’s astonishing.

I’m from a kind of rare Lee clan and I always get excited when I hear that a prominent Korean celebrity is from my clan. I would tell my non Korean kpop fan friends that I was distant cousins with such and such idol and they’d be like stop lying lol. I guess kind of a lie because I don’t actually know them but based on our family tree record, we would have the same common ancestor so also not completely a lie.

Interesting video 👍

Great video. I've always wondered this as well

I'm from the Philippines and our full names have this format ( First Given Name, Second Given Name if there's any, Mother's Maiden Surname, and Father's Surname), ex. Juan Miguel Santos Gonzalez or Ellen May Cruz Ruiz. I think it's similar to our Latin American brothers in South America due to our Hispanic history. Here, it's common and traditional to have two first names mostly coming from the Bible, the most common were John or Juan, Miguel or Michael, Joshua, Paul or Paulo, James, etc. We have thousands of surnames, but the most common surnames according to the surveys were Cruz and Santos. But our current format was slightly different from decades before especially before WW2 because there used to be a "y" (and), and the mother's surname was often put at the end to make the name more specific like this: Luis Alfonso (given name) de Jesus (father's surname) y (and) Castro (mother's surname). But, nowadays, the y or and was dropped and our mother's surname is now put between the first name and the family surname (father's surname), and is for most of the time, shortened to an initial letter. Since we are catholic, it's a custom for Filipino women to use their husband's surname and use their husband's surname on their children. But that does not mean their maiden surnames will be abandoned, it will remain in their full name, and their maiden surnames will also be adopted by their children in their names. His husband's mother's name will never be used by their children. Example: Maria Luisa Francisco Ruiz (the mother's name) Juan Carlo Gregorio Castillo(the father's name) Charles Louis Ruiz Castillo, or simply, Charles Louis R. Castillo (the child's name would look like this.)

My last name is Park but I learned that my family was part of the noble class or "yangban" from the Tongyeong region. It's interesting learning your own lineage and it would be more interesting to meet any Parks from the Tongyeong region. Plus meeting a Park, in general, feels like I am talking to a relative lol

Learnt something today, thank you

This was fun to watch!

LOVED this video and the good variety/mix of people you chose to give their feedback. Regarding the West - The tradition of the woman changing her name signifies two things: 1) Unity of the clan, BUT let's be honest here... 2) That the woman used to be viewed as possession of her husband. Only in the 20th century in the Western world did women, especially married women, become seen as persons under the law and have full legal rights as individuals, i.e. signing contracts and owning property.

I've been interested in this topic ever since I started getting into k-pop lol That's cool that they know what clan they're from. But what happens if someone is adopted/grew up in an orphanage and doesn't know their clan?

Hello Asian Boss, it was refreshing to hear the views of the street and it was interesting that many of the people knew about origin and lineage.

Interesting video. I learned a lot.

this is very interesting i didn’t know much about this. i’m a bit proud of myself for at least knowing about the clan thing lol

The question about changing your name after marriage is so valid, I've personally always thought it was so stupid that the woman is expected to change her name when she marries, which is so complicated for filling out forms and in the case of divorce. And how people will announce married couples with the man's full name lol like YACK 🥴🥴 But the reasons behind their last names being the same is very interesting, I love getting mini-history lessons like that.

A question I’ve asked 👀myself for many years. Thank you for this culturally-enlightening video!😎❤️

I love it! Thank you :)

I’ve actually wondered this in the past. *I hypothesized that it was due to small settlements prior to colonization with specific surnames meaning something desirable (eg. name of a mythical animal, powerful stature in society, being wealthy etc.),* but I actually don’t know the answer and I’ve never run across it 🤔📚

Interesting video and thanks for sharing it. I just know that my Korean family name is Jang and no idea what clan I came from since I was adopted to the states. My mother is a Jang, her sisters and my grandfather as well. My mother was born in Gapyeong, gyeonggi Province and it’s all I know. Don’t know the region my ancestors are from.

Thank you for your videos.

Cool video! I barely knew anything about different clans and this made me even more curious aboutit

There were several reasons why changing the last name became a common practice. Here's some: proof of paternity, continuing the man's family name throughout generations, the wife became the man's dependent/property, so the wife could inherit property/goods if the husband died, if she expects to live in the house that has his name then she also must have his name, etc... there were many reasons of which are no longer relevant in this current time. I think more so now that it's for convenience as far as a family unit having the same name and there's also the romantic idea of unity.

Never thought about when Koreans get married. Must be a bit awkward (and convenient) to have the same surname as your future spouse... We've also got a similar thing going on in Japan. (although not to the same extent) The most common surnames are Katō, Satō, Itō, Suzuki and Tanaka.

Wow one of the bestasian boss vids as of late those were great conversations, insightful. I think the quality of the discussion is more important on this channel than the topic itself most of the time. Much better than something more 'clickable' like breaking news where the conversations aren't even able to go that deep.

Really entertaining video!

I liked how Ji-soo explained all the questions really well even though she was a bit shy in the beginning. Kim Ji-soo sshi, you're extremely gorgeous.

I have a Korean friend with the last name “Pyeong”. She told me that she was the only one she knew with her last name because her ancestors came from China.

nice to see this kind of topics. we see the differences of different countries I wonder how the "mixed persons" would answer to this.

This is actually pretty interesting. I'm an adoptee, so I was always curious as to why Kim was such a common surname whenever I went to Korean church. There's just so much that I need to learn about my birth culture.