Chae Explained
Chae, also less commonly spelled Chai or Chea, is a Korean family name. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write it.
Overview
The 2000 South Korean Census found 119,251 people with the family name Chae.[1] It could be written with any of three hanja, indicating different lineages.[2] In a study by the National Institute of the Korean Language based on year 2007 application data for South Korean passports, it was found that 87.8% of people with this surname spelled it in Latin letters as Chae in their passports. Another 7.5% spelled it as Chai, 2.8% as Che, and 1.7% as Chea.[3]
Most common (蔡)
(성씨 채 songssi chae) is by far the most common of the three Chae surnames.[1] This character is also used to write the Chinese family name pronounced Cài (pronounced as /[t͡sʰai̯˥˩]/) in Mandarin. The 2000 Census found 114,069 people and 35,099 households with this surname, divided among seventeen reported bon-gwan (clan hometowns, not necessarily the actual residence of clan members), as well as eighty-six people whose bon-gwan was not stated:[1]
- Pyonggang, Kangwon (today in North Korea): 69,256 people and 21,373 households[1] They claim descent from Chae Song-nyeon (채송년; 蔡松年), an official under Gojong of Goryeo.[4]
- Incheon, Gyeonggi (today in South Korea): 37,391 people and 11,415 households[1] They claim descent from Chae Seon-mu (채선무; 蔡先茂), who lived sometime during mid-Goryeo Dynasty.[5]
- Other or unreported bon-gwan: 7,422 people and 2,311 households[1]
Second-most common (菜)
(나물 채 namul chae) is the second-most common of the three Chae surnames.[1] The 2000 Census found 3,516 people and 1,067 households with this surname, divided among two reported bon-gwan:[1]
Least common (采)
(풍채 채 pungchae chae, 캘 채 kael chae) is the least common of the three Chae surnames.[1] The 2000 Census found 1,666 people and 566 households with this surname, with one reported bon-gwan:[1]
- Yeosan: 1,637 people and 562 households[1]
- Other or unreported bon-gwan: 29 people and two households[1]
People
People with these family names include:
- Esther K. Chae (Chae Kyung-ju), American actress of Korean descent
- Chae Eui-jin (채의진), South Korean voice actor
- Chae Eun-hee (채은희, born 1982), South Korean marathon runner
- Chae Gwang-jin (채광진, born 1994), South Korean League of Legends player
- Chae Ho-ki (채호기, 蔡好基, born 1957), South Korean poet
- Chae Hyung-won (채형원, 蔡亨源, born 1994), South Korean singer, DJ and member of Monsta X
- Chae Ji-hoon (채지훈, 蔡智薰, born 1974) South Korean speed skater
- Ji Young Chae (채지영, born 1993), South Korean ballet dancer
- Chae Jong-hyeop (채종협, 蔡锺协, born 1993), South Korean actor
- Chae Jung-an (채정안, 蔡貞安, born Jang Jung-an, 1977), South Korean actress and singer
- Junseok Chae (채준석), South Korean engineer and academic administrator
- Chae Keun-bae (채근배, 蔡根培, born 1970), South Korean sport shooter
- Chae Man-sik (채만식, 蔡萬植, 1902–1950), Korean novelist
- Chae Min-seo (채민서, born Cho Soo-jin, 1981), South Korean actress
- Chae Myung-shin (채명신, 蔡命新, 1926–2013), South Korean army general
- Nelson Chai (채주석, Chai Joo-suk, born 1965), American investment banker of Korean descent
- Chae Ri-na (채리나, born Park Hyun-joo, 1977), South Korean singer
- Chae Shi-ra (채시라, 蔡時那, born 1968), South Korean actress
- Chae Su-chan (채수찬, 蔡秀澯, born 1955), South Korean politician and economist
- Chae Sung-bae (채성배, 蔡成培, born 1968), South Korean heavyweight boxer
- Chae Sang-byung (채상병, 蔡尙秉, born 1979), South Korean baseball player
- Chae Seon-ah (채선아, born 1992), South Korean volleyball player
- Chea Song-joo (채송주, born 1998), South Korean figure skater
- Chae Sang-woo (채상우, 蔡相宇, born 1999), South Korean actor
- Chae Soo-bin (채수빈, 蔡秀彬, born Bae Soo-bin, 1994), South Korean actress
- Chae YuJung (채유정, 蔡侑玎, born 1995). South Korea badminton player
See also
Notes and References
- Web site: 행정구역(구시군)/성씨·본관별 가구 및 인구. Family names by administrative region (district, city, county): separated by bon-gwan, households and individuals. Korean Statistical Information Service. 23 October 2015.
- Web site: 한국성씨일람. List of Korean family names. Kyungpook National University. 2003-12-11. 2013-10-30.
- Book: http://korean.go.kr/front/etcData/etcDataView.do?etc_seq=179&mn_id=46. ko:씨 로마자 표기 방안: 마련을 위한 토론회. Plan for romanisation of surnames: a preparatory discussion. National Institute of Korean Language. 25 June 2009. 22 October 2015. 67.
- Web site: http://www.jokbo.re.kr/book/index.html?sn=&fn=1152&fnkey=11521273. ko:평강(平康) 채(蔡). Pyeonggang Chae. Jokbo Museum. Daejeon. 5 June 2016. none. . The Jokbo Museum cites the following work for their pages on family names: Book: 김진우. 한국인 의 역사. The History of Koreans. 春秋筆法 [Chunchu Pilbeop]. 2009. 502157619.
- Web site: http://www.jokbo.re.kr/book/index.html?fnkey=11521205&fn=1152&sn=%C0%FC%C3%BC&vcode=ES. ko:인천(仁川) 채(蔡). Incheon Chae. Jokbo Museum. Daejeon. 5 June 2016.
