Lee (Korean surname)

Korean surname (이)

Lee or I () is the second most common surname, or family name, in Korea. In 2015 more than 7 million people in South Korea had this name. That is over 14% of all people in the country.[2]

Lee
The one hanja for Yi
Pronunciation[iː] or [riː]
Origin
Language(s)Korean
Word/NameKorean peninsula
Meaning
  • 리 or 이[1]
    • 李: plum
    • 異: different
    • 伊: that
Other names
Variant form(s)I, Yi, Ri, Rhee, Rhie, Reeh
Yi (Ri)
Hangul
이 (리)
Hanja
Revised RomanizationLee, Li, Yi, I, Ri
McCune–ReischauerLee, Li, Yi, I, Ri
Note: "" is officially romanized as I in South Korea and Ri in North Korea.

References

change
  1. 리(Ri) in North Korea and 이(I) in South Korea. However, 이(I) in South Korea use 리(Lee) as their official English surname.
  2. "2015년 인구주택총조사 전수집계결과 보도자료" [Results of the 2015 Census of Population and Housing survey]. Korean Statistical Information Service. Retrieved 28 May 2019.