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

[@blinkonce7336]

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.

[@Chuck8541]

It’s a viral piece of anthropology, but it has its own pitfalls - such as massive inherent amounts of personal bias based on subjective experiences. Whereas academics might KNOW the true origins of something, these people seem to only have vague ideas of the name origins. Not to belittle it, but both individual and academic are vital for true learning.

[@jeffbriggs1987]

theyre not real people on the street, all the interviews are staged/planned and the channel has a politicial agenda and is influenced by political leaders in Asia. It is all fake.

[@rbanerjee605]

@@jeffbriggs1987 it’s influenced by you ´re mom. Ha gotteem ha.

[@M4RSZ]

@@jeffbriggs1987 I can't tell if you're being serious or you're just a troll

[@ahillmann]

Personally I'd like to see the opposite: more experts, especially academics on this channel. The worst possible kind of evidence is personal experience or opinion. Ordinary people are extremely ignorant about pretty much everything, so it would be much better to ask a person who as deep, expert knowledge of a subject. The few people interviewed in this video represent only their personal views without providing a larger, statistically relevant picture of what all Koreans think.

[@hulalynn]

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

[@chickeee]

China too

[@yichengz]

Give me a break they have Chinese last names

[@jdorak]

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

[@shradha5844]

It was really a big change in Korean culture (class system abolishment) so i guess it's just logical that everyone knows about it .... And i don't think you can say a family name is a random topic but i guess it differs from culture to culture Even in india *family name* is really a big deal

[@bloodyconfessor]

There was a time when Americans knew which side of the battle of Hastings their ancestors fought for, a Boer in south africa or a Scot in Australia could retrace his entire clan history. But these were systematically erased and made irrelevant because Europeans are not allowed to be proud of their ancestors anymore. Now the mutts of America or the zoomers in Australia have no interest in these things

[@1988kcmo]

@@bloodyconfessor Lol go cry a river

[@gauravamatya9602]

@@1988kcmo You just told a man to go cry in a river who was worried his youths weren't interested in their culture. Especially in a video, where all the youths were so invested in theirs. Let's not be harsh now.

[@1988kcmo]

@@gauravamatya9602 He's whining about white people not being allowed to be proud of their European ancestry, which is ridiculous. He's a right-wing snowflake who's unhappy that whites no longer overwhelmingly dominate the power structure in the US, Australia or South Africa. His name is Hard Hitter, so I'm hitting him hard ✌️

[@KielVillalba]

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.

[@Leopold_van_Aubel]

My family is a particular case. My father actually took my mother's name when they got married because his surname was a bit ridiculous and he used to be laughed at by kids at school.

[@loganwong3012]

in china also like that

[@purplestripes4076]

Some people in India are following this too now, still rare though. All my female cousins retained their own surnames. I'll take on my husband's surname cos I don't like mine XD

[@anisha_joshi15]

@@purplestripes4076 in india ppl mostly these days are also keeping their surname and adding their husand's surname also

[@purplestripes4076]

@@anisha_joshi15 Hehe it's not ideal if you have a long surname yourself and add another long one to it. My aunt has a 11-letter surname and added on her hubby's 12-letter one.

[@rimbinotan_8865]

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!

[@taen_y]

Ah the thing is, not everyone uses hyphens, e.g. in her case, it could be Ji-su/Ji-soo, Ji Su/Ji Soo or Jisu/Jisoo. The easiest rule to follow is still that Korean names usually consist of 3 syllables, and the surname comes first.

[@PRAS223]

@@taen_y the problem is when korean romanize their name, sometime they use "surname given_name" and sometime they use "given_name surname". Without hypen it's confusing, Let say you see someone write their name "Jo Jeong Ha", it's hard to know his actual name, is it "조정하 (Jo Jeong-Ha)" or "하정조 (Ha Jeong-Jo)"? Because both 하(Ha) and 조(Jo) are 'not that rare' surname.

[@billkar6479]

Ye Long live the DPRK.

[@taen_y]

@@PRAS223 True, but I've found that it depends on whether someone moved to another country or still lives in Korea. Koreans who move to a Western country will usually adopt the Western custom of Given-name Surname.

[@justmike1753]

Usually, surnames have one syllable, names have two syllables. Sometimes they split the two syllables into two seperate words, but it's still one name

[@sophiaisabelle027]

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.

[@rosean374]

lol They claimed the wealthy class names to improve their social status. lol Too funny. I would call dibs on Beyonce Knowles name of that period or maybe Lady Gaga II. But isnt it similar to to how westerners may name their kids after famous people in every generation. Queen Elizabeth inspired many Elizabeths born when she was crowned. A lot of baby Barack and Donalds etc were registered

[@henriquekatahira1653]

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.

[@aofuji53]

Women don’t have to adopt their husbands’ surnames in Japan. Women adopt their husbands’ surnames or Men adopt their wives’ surnames. One side still needs to give up keeping their surname tho😢

[@karl3287]

"-san" is like "Mr/Ms/Mrs" in the West so it's redundant to say "Mr. Suzuki-san"

[@kazkaz9676]

The Koreans do not have this problem, the wife and husband probably already have the same surname at the first place LOL , no trouble or problem to get divorce.

[@khai96x]

Japan is the only country in Sinosphere to have this custom. I wonder why.

[@ireneserrano4570]

In many european countries decades ago that was also the case, or if they didnt change it officially they will appear in documents as "Mrs of (the husband surname)", like she belonged to him. In Ireland nowadays is still ongoing that when women marry they change their surname to the husband's one, and when they die they refer to her as, for example, "Mrs. Anne O'Connell" (her husband's surname) and also mention "nee (born) Anne Sullivan"

[@salade99]

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.

[@salade99]

@A Hey haha, these chinese jokes are so funny. Also, that was interesting to read your comment.

[@btsexplorer1909]

My sister died due to Corona. My parents just allowed me to start this channel 💜. I don't know much about BTS. What can I do 🥺....

[@haruzanfuucha]

@@btsexplorer1909 What the hell does this comment have to do with surnames?

[@btsexplorer1909]

@@haruzanfuucha pls pray for my sister 🥺

[@taen_y]

@@haruzanfuucha Clearly a troll, they're spamming everywhere in unrelated videos. Just report and block.

[@lilakana]

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

[@scholarssolutions6735]

I lived in America my whole life and I never understood that either. It's funny because it seems kind of outdated for a country that proclaims to care about equality and all that, yet is still so insistent women take men's surnames.

[@MJ-cz5gx]

So the changing of surnames is due to change of property. It's a tradition from wayyyy back that doesn't apply in today's society. A female is given her father's surname at birth as she belongs to him then when she weds, the father places the bride's hand in the groom's as a symbol of passing her into his care. She then takes the groom's surname to show she is now his property, not her father's

[@GoldenBoyDims]

Just different societies have different customs I don’t think any is right or wrong just different you went against the norm and expectedly got criticism for it

[@izzyshootsiphone]

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

[@thorbergson]

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.

[@Pinay010.]

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

[@mimijae9154]

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

[@mimijae9154]

@밀탄후리도만 well obviously but kids these days don’t often care about history that much…

[@PremiumMaple1125]

​@mimijae9154 the westerners arent mandatory to history but korean do

[@blue-d4g]

But unfortunately Asian Boss doesn’t, seeing how they mistranslated the part where the guy explained the history of surnames getting widespread. He explained correctly in Korean, the English subtitles were just wrong.

[@jorgeluis2247]

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)

[@LuhanPark]

same in some area in Philippines! My bf has two names and two last names hahaha

[@TheRealityofFake]

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but what happens with your kids names then? If your last name is Smith Parker and your spouse's last name is Johnson Brady, how do you decide what two last names your children get?

[@justmike1753]

"Of Smith" reminds me of The Handmade's Tale😅

[@hannaluisa4040]

@@TheRealityofFake we just chose one of each parent, like my name is hanna luisa vaz pires. vaz came from mom and pires from dad

[@nurgio317]

@@TheRealityofFake the kids surnames will be Smith Johnson or Johnson Smith however they want

[@JayLofa51]

Asian boss out here asking the real questions

[@spare97]

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!

[@tyrranicalt-rad6164]

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

[@joez3706]

Your clearly not from Arkansas 🙄

[@anawkwardsweetpotato4728]

​@@joez3706 Nooo not the inbreeding xD

[@anawkwardsweetpotato4728]

I wonder if my tribe of descent has clans. I'm reconnecting so I don't really know. 🙈 Any fellow Pequots or St. David's Islanders out here know?

[@haruzanfuucha]

@@joez3706 That's a white people thing.

[@joez3706]

@@haruzanfuucha Black people don't do their cousins? 🤔

[@DangerDuckAvengerDaffy]

Asian Boss covers a ton of interesting topics in Asia

[@sagekevin6473]

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

[@daxx77m]

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.

[@nikkistarkey2129]

"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.

[@emarin2006ftw]

so what will your kids last name be? curious

[@kushal4956]

@@emarin2006ftw I've always thought that if we hv a son, he'll get my surname but if it's a daughter, she'll get her mother's surname or we can just combine the two

[@legallycritter4984]

@@emarin2006ftw Like what @Kushal just said, or just do what one of my friend's family from the US do. Basically the adoptees have the mother last name and the biological ones have the father last name, although this only applies if you considered adoption with biological children

[@gigihanmandarin]

It's not the custom here in this part of Asia hence they've no idea and just simply have never thought of it. It's nothing 'wrong' is Western customs to adopt husband's name it is just what everyone in the society has been doing for centuries, but some woke feminists tend to think this is a form.of patriarchy oppression. Well, everything is offensive to the woke peeps anyway.

[@GoldenBoyDims]

@@kushal4956 that will just create more confusion and a lot of inconveniences in the future it’s either you combine last names or the children take the last name of the father

[@Beeni]

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.

[@josephsoto9933]

My wife's family name is Ku... it seems there us only one Ku clan. We were in Rome once and we noticed some ROK Navy officers taking in the sights. One had a Ku on his name uniform and that really got our attention. My wife had very interesting onversation with him.

[@Beeni]

@Trees and plants heeeyyyyy 😉😉😉

[@Beeni]

@@FrillShiranui1426 my fave is Nam Joo Hyuk

[@anushaparanji]

@@Beeni sameee Hess 😻

[@taen_y]

@@josephsoto9933 I looked it up and I'm assuming she's either from the Pyeonghae or Eunjin Ku clan? There are actually three different surnames that are all spelled the same way, "구" in Korean, but differently in Chinese characters, (具/丘/邱). The first one has a bunch of different clans, but the other two have only one clan each. Very interesting.

[@BlackHoleForge]

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

[@breaky73]

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.

[@Xcxc13]

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 😂

[@YouYou-sm8tf]

Me too I will keep my last name to keep my father’s heritage. I’m sure most divorced women struggled to go back to their old names.....it will feel like you are a different person.

[@koreancardboard]

Good for you. Two of my three sisters kept their last name.

[@partiallyhydrogen8ed]

Good for you. I think that practice is outdated

[@ryuugaeisen8946]

How do you get to keep your last name? I'm still young, but only girls are born in my family. Neighbors would tease my father that no one will carry on his family name... I want to carry it on.

[@tpn1110]

@@ryuugaeisen8946 Then don’t change your last name when you get married. Your future husband shouldn’t care and who cares about what your neighbors think?

[@SeoWoojin55]

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.

[@rosean374]

so what are some of the commoner names that are less desirable?

[@vastolorde8454]

China's History is much more older than your civilization

[@mheekkim2901]

@@rosean374 Commoners didn't have Last names, it wasn't until the recent turn of the century they had to pick them up. If you really want to know if they are from a noble house lineage, ask them about their family tree book. Most family above 'yangban' class still secretly keeps them. (It's been outlawed since the 90's)

[@andrewpark5757]

There are some errors in this comment. The current Go clan in Korea has nothing to do with Goguryeo. Most Go's in Korea are from the Jeju Go Clan, the family of Go Eulna, who was the founder of Tamna kingdom in ancient Jeju Island. Seok is known as rulers of Silla at some point, but the majority of Seok in Korea belong to the 石 clan. Silla Seok family's hanja character is 昔. If people adopted Seok because of prestige, it wasn't about Seok being a Silla's ruling family because most Seok have the 石 character.

[@geeninallcaps4678]

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.

[@SoFLsphynx]

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 😁

[@KyleHong]

Must have been an absolute nightmare to change your last name not once, but twice.

[@SoFLsphynx]

@@KyleHong I had to go to court to change it back

[@boycottnok1466]

You probably don't have kids so your family surname will eventually lost unless you marry a Japanese who adopts your surname. I doubt any foreigner will change there surname to yours. Japanese law says husband can change to wife's surname. So there are number of marriges where husband adopts wife's surname. But it is probably not possible in foreign country as I don't think any foreigner will compromise and have a Japanese surname.

[@lucaperon9865]

Go figure lol

[@TomorrowWeLive]

Bet the divorce was a surprise

[@HappyComfort]

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 😍🥰💕

[@ricatorres171]

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

[@GaborNYC]

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.

[@snowstrobe]

Did not know that!

[@jw841]

Yes, I've done a lot business in Hungary. At first I found it confusing as I had never been referred to my surname first and my first name last. Just sounded strange to me.

[@GaborNYC]

It could be due to the fact that the ancestors of the Hungarians originally came from Asia.

[@jw841]

@@GaborNYC True. But I guess technically and geographically Europe is West Asia. Its one continuous landmass. Europe is only separated ethnically and culturally. I see in some anthropology textbooks they even refer to Europeans as West Asians.

[@Leopold_van_Aubel]

In France, the system is a bit weird. In official documents, they tell your surname first and then your given name. But in other areas of life, people use their given name first and then their surname. Also, many of the most common surnames are actually also given names (Martin, François, Clément, ...) so one spelling rule that seems odd for foreigners is that everyone must write their surname with capital letters to avoid confusion. Don't be surprised to receive an email from a French person signed "Julien LEBŒUF". If that person receives a letter from the prefecture or the ministry, they will be refered to as "Monsieur LEBŒUF Julien".

[@mollymeng3077]

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.

[@december9730]

We had the same debate here in Korea. Currently the parents can choose whose surname they want their children to follow. Still most people choose to give the father's surname since it's been the custom for a long time but it's also legally possible to choose the mother's surname as the children's surname.

[@blackdesertsage9836]

Also i think alot of chinese also have similar last names. Probably clan related too back in the old days?

[@koreancardboard]

Molly. I live in Korea and just spoke with a co-worker (Korean) and he stated that the child cannot choose between his parents' family names but the parents are allowed to change/choose it at birth or later.. He said 95% of Korean children are given and keep the father's family name. He also stated that it is ok to marry someone from the same city clan as long as they aren't actually related (if I understood him correctly).

[@ashaypallav4158]

@@december9730 Now I can understand why anti-feminism sentiments are rising among korean men.

[@wallssw6533]

@@blackdesertsage9836 Yes, back then people follow polygamy, noblemen who are rich enough to have many wives will also have a lot of offsprings following his surnames, and his offsprings will continue to spread the surname. And the emperors sometimes give their surnames to the ministers with great merit (who are likely to be very rich as well). The same surnames can also have many different origins due to its long history. Btw, just a fun fact, the five top surnames in China are Li, Wang, Zhang, Chen, Liu, taking up about 30% of the population (0.4 billions ppl) according to the 2020 census :)

[@wand3r1ust07]

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!

[@alexrider2597]

Cuz Korea is mini-China

[@johnnyquest1454]

@@alexrider2597 not just korea or china, so many parts of the world too, probably only backward country that decided to change that all

[@Vampybattie]

@@alexrider2597 nah lot of Asian country don't change their name after marriage

[@RS4747]

@@Vampybattie Even quite a lot of European countries don't do that either

[@dct7407]

@gam개똥 just because in the past Chinese influence Korean cultures a lot. it’s not arrogance, it’s history.

[@goodboi8569]

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!

[@simsgazytech2013]

only chinese and koreans. Japanese women change their last name to their spouse's last name.

[@user-gongaesa]

🇨🇳👉🗑

[@joyzhang9675]

@@simsgazytech2013 In fact, Chinese women should add up the husband surname to her own surname. I think the old generation of HK or TW are still follow this traddition.

[@davishingmundo1363]

This was very educational. Really enjoyed the video

[@user-cm9dc3sd6b]

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. 😂

[@hishot1078]

My clan doesn't have branch (pa). My clan too small 😂

[@VMYeahVN]

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.

[@macsungminson3583]

Korean names mostly consist of 3 syllables. For me, I'm 이성민 Lee Sungmin / Lee Sung-min. Mostly the first letter is their surname and the two ones after that are their given names. (But there are few people whose surnames are made of two syllables or given names are made of one syllable) Also, when we spell it in English, we often switch the order between surname and given name, just to make foreigners understand. So, my name is Lee Sungmin and Lee is my surname and Sungmin is my given name, but I often introduce myself as Sungmin Lee to foreigners, instead of Lee Sungmin, just for their convenience.

[@chaslife_gfc]

Asian Boss. Interesting topic.

[@sritama0051]

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.

[@geostep6856]

This was amazing

[@krrrrrrr3783]

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.

[@Hobyosultana]

That’s because most American are immigrants and have assimilated into their society so much that their family history is forgotten. As a Somali, I know my paternal lineage about 1000 years back. This is common for many cultures. As you can see, Koreans also know their paternal lineages, although it seems like most of them are what we call in Somali “sheegatos” or larpers because they adopted a noble families last name for prestige. But at least they know which region their family is from.

[@RiceEater483]

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 😂

[@SoFLsphynx]

I know a lot of Trans and Nguyen’s 😁

[@ln7205]

Hahaha. Nguyen here.

[@vayasejj7896]

Hahahahahahahaha…

[@dsong2006]

is it also culturally frowned upon if a Hmong person marries a Han Chinese person with the same last name? There are also a lot of overlap of surnames(Yang/Xiong/Lee/Wang) between these two peoples

[@jaxplayer1241]

@@dsong2006 it used to be illegal as well, to marry someone with the same last name, it's no longer the case but it is seen as a little bit interesting.

[@Mibs-Mibby]

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.

[@ariellekwong206]

Are you saying that Lee is a very rare Korean surname? I thought it was a very common surname....

[@Mibs-Mibby]

​@@ariellekwong206 I said that the Lee *CLAN* that I'm from is a rare one. Not the actual Lee last name. Lee is the second most common surname. Jeonju Lee is the most common Lee clan There are over 50 different Lee clans.

[@Mibs-Mibby]

@You Go! ;) I don't think you understood my comment or the concept of clans. First of all, I did say I was kind of lying about being the cousin of celebrities. Second, two people from the same clan/bongwan have a common ancestor closer than those who are not. Do you understand now? Yes, every human shares a common ancestor but those in the same clan share a same ancestor within a thousand years or so.

[@Mibs-Mibby]

@@munirani Yes, exactly!

[@rockinchik06]

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.

[@WittyCatty11]

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 :)

[@auroralights9119]

In India,law says that you are free to change or not change your name. There is no compulsion to change it.

[@WittyCatty11]

@@auroralights9119 I know, it's not compulsory but it's common.

[@nanazy8435]

Im Indian but in my community we never change our surname even after marriage..its consider weird.

[@nanazy8435]

@You Go! ;) Meghalaya

[@Ngwembe]

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

[@dorindastone1607]

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 :)

[@Maki-00]

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.

[@taen_y]

Interestingly, there are 8 different Pyeong clans, but 3 of them are just one household. As of 2000, there were 2.8k ppl with the last name Pyeong registered (I just looked it up).

[@SKoreanKimchi]

There’s clans that originate from China, Vietnam, Japan, even Denmark, etc

[@nalinlee4688]

@@SKoreanKimchi why would a clan originate from Denmark?

[@SKoreanKimchi]

@@nalinlee4688 sry I meant the Dutch. Because there were some Dutch travelers stranded in Korea during the 1600s. Some chose to stay and started their own lineage.

[@yohanleecreatives]

@@SKoreanKimchi What is the Dutch clan's name?

[@thehibernatingone]

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.

[@blink1510]

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 😆

[@outisnemo555]

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

[@boxyyy7329]

Bro Mongolia is not in sinosphere XD

[@boxyyy7329]

I’m Chinese but seems like my family name “Wang” is only common in China hhh

[@Buydaa.M]

Sinosphere : China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam

[@canuck21]

@@boxyyy7329 Sometime Mongolia is indeed included in the Sinosphere. After all, both countries' history is so connected.

[@itshry]

@@canuck21 Mongolia is not xinosphere, they are located in East Asia, but their culture is more similar with Central Asia. Mongolians do not use surnames in the way that most Westerners, Chinese or Karean do. Since the socialist period, patronymics - at that time called ovog, now known as etsgiin ner - are used instead of a surname.

[@ater_catta]

I just love this existential crisis on 5:56 when the girl tries to answer why surnames don't change after marriage. I think this shock and confusion answers the question much better than any words can do - because the mentality is way too different, that's why.

[@FusionKush]

Interesting. Over here in the US people would think they’re cousin or family if they have the same last names. This was cool learning how they all have the same last name but they come from different regions.

[@PhantomLancer95]

Sweet home alabama

[@RobinC63]

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.

[@j.p.8808]

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

[@anooprs6890]

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.

[@selohcin]

If you will, accept some humble advice. I've heard multiple women complain angrily about how men hit on them and called them some derivative of "beautiful" while they were wearing a mask. It comes off as disingenuous because you obviously can't see half her face. Please avoid saying that in the future unless you want to ruin your chances with a woman.

[@MultiFandom8isFate]

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

[@juliocadenas5149]

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

[@adarshdwivedi437]

Wow. Learned something new about Korea 🇰🇷 today.

[@fodorovic]

So much interesting and informative old AsianBoss style interview😌

[@thwb4661]

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.)

[@ingridbaima4276]

The surnames being equal as latin ones lol that's so nice feels like seeing asian brothers

[@nurnadhirahsaing6169]

Regarding surname, I want to share my thoughts and views: I'm from Malaysia and a Muslim. For me and other Muslims (especially Malays) here, we don't have any surnames, like at all. We use our father's name instead, and use 'bin' (for male) and 'binti' (for female). For example, my full name is Nur Nadhirah Binti Saing. Nur Nadhirah is my name, with Nur as the 1st one and Nadhirah is the 2nd one. Binti can be translate to 'daughter of' while Saing is my father's name. This mean that when we get married, we don't have to change it or take our spouse's surname, because we simply don't have one. While scrolling the comments, I was surprised to learn new things regarding surnames in other countries, especially the West. It's really entertaining. Btw sorry for my bad grammar as English is not my first language.

[@vfb_143]

I also acknowledge malay tradition have given title name like Nik,Tengku,Syed,Wan,Che,Megat etc passed down since generation which i see lot of malay youngsters who came from the families consider it today as surname to tell their family line and noble/royal ancestors that cannot be shared with other people not one of those bloodline. However they still include bin/binti in their full name.

[@DeeVination]

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.

[@OoO-p2n]

다른 나라 사람들의 시선으로 보니까 되게 흥미롭고 재밌네요 ღ'ᴗ'ღ

[@katynewt]

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.

[@IIIISai]

Interesting

[@Vampybattie]

It was illegal to marry someone with same last name I think it became legal like couple years back

[@kshitijowal656]

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

[@GoddessDestinova]

I love how everyone knew where their clan origins are. The family registry system is doing its job well. I love that women keep their names. Aren't married names a European concept anyway? It's different from an African-American like me, whose last names are, for the most part that of slave owning families. The attitude of changing the last name for me doesn't mean too much because of that. We had to take official last names when we were freed. Most of us just kept the slave names because we already identified with them. Others made up names.

[@hilili4724]

@6:00 lol I love this reaction and the preceding question

[@chaitanyareddymuthyala2967]

These are similar to India surname system, ,but we call it as last name , my last name is Reddy , and I'm a motati Reddy , so our clan originated from motati region , and our house name ( surname) is Muthyala and our gothram is kurdhinolla , so, anyone with the same gothram is of same lineage , and every one with same lineage can trace back to a single ancestor

[@sambatra6162]

Not really Indian surname system isn't really like this, atleast not in North India.

[@bassamaboallaban]

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

[@taen_y]

Lol at the lady saying there are about 10 different Kim clans. There's actually over 300 (348 as of 2000):)

[@possiblyijt7400]

Yea but most people forget about minor clans and those from naturalized citizens, so there are probably only about 10 Kim clans that are well known and encountered among Koreans.

[@taen_y]

@@possiblyijt7400 Of course the big clans with millions of members are the most well-known ones, but there are still plenty of other clans that have up to tens or hundreds of thousands of members... Just because people don't know them, doesn't mean they're irrelevant. Source: Am from a "minor" Kim clan:)

[@possiblyijt7400]

@@taen_y oh yea of course haha, I was just explaining why she may have said that haha I didn't mean that minor clans weren't relevant or something like that..

[@Bubleone1]

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

[@partiallyhydrogen8ed]

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?

[@SabrinaConstance]

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

[@roselamoure]

I totally agree with Koreans mindset that you shouldn’t change your surname after you marry! It feels like you give up your identity and family with changing it! I know some people in the west though that kept their surnames even after marriage but the norm is of course to change it! But my sister and I we both decided to keep pur surnames after we marry because we both like our surname and it‘s a part of us and we want to die as our father‘s daughters and not as our husbands wife.

[@rosean374]

Hear! Hear!. Unless your dad was an unfit dad or a monster and you dont want any parts of his memory. However, I also agree with the lady who said maybe we westerners do so because we want to bond as a new family unit and the woman wants to have the same name as her children.

[@andrewv.157]

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

[@lss8713]

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.

[@taen_y]

Family registry is bs ever since everyone adopted family names lol. Especially in big clans, the possibility that you're actually descended from that clan is very small imo.

[@lss8713]

@@taen_y True, but the point of my response was to point out how contemporary people view women keeping their surnames as almost a feminist practice, which isn't at all the historical roots.

[@somekindofflower2024]

@@lss8713 true

[@Arinaraq]

Best explanation i read. Korea had Patriarchal plus Confucius beliefs about the woman role-playing in the family. If you see history- woman's family line finish with her thats the reason for pressuring woman to give birth till its boy and so many baby girls were killed after birth...

[@monarchist1838]

I’m half Korean and half Scottish. When I visited my Korean relatives it’s fun explaining I have a Scottish surname of a Clan of Ulster descent.

[@HoshiAkemi]

That was such an interesting interview! I knew that most koreans share the same surnames (Kim, Park and Lee), but I didn't know that they differed from each other based on clans/regions. And I was also surprised to know that it's uncommon to change surname after marriage. Here in Brazil most people have either one surname (usually the father's) or two surnames (both parents'). However, amongst japanese immigrants, it's most common to have only one surname (the father's). I believe it's because in Japan it is illegal to have two surnames. The reason for that is the family registry (koseki). A person can only be registered in one koseki at a given time, so naturally you can only have one surname (the one in your koseki). From what I've understood from the interview, koreans have a similar registry system, but the societal expectations regarding changing surnames after marriage are completely opposite. Being removed from your family registry, in Korea, is considered offensive. In Japan, marriage is only possible if both husband and wife agree to share the same surname, which means that one of them will necessarily have to be removed from their original registry and placed on that of their spouse. If either of them refuses to do so, marriage is not possible. There has been a long campaign in Japan to change this law, but with little success.

[@MrNoscene]

All of them had smart answers. Loved it.

[@liliopyu12]

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.

[@nicki3549]

I can only speak for the USA but there used to be a common law stating once a woman is married she has to change her last name. It was frowned upon if you didn’t because women barely had rights & legally didn’t have access to things if they didn’t . Now we grew accustomed to it because legal reasons or wanting to show your husband appreciation. But many of us have a hyphenated last name. In my career and personal accounts I can still use just my surname, but when it comes to kids I can use mine & my husbands. Legally I am known under both names and can be a Ms. or Mrs. depending on if it’s hyphenated or not.

[@adarshdwivedi437]

Really insightful ❤.

[@toodledoo82]

The last names aren't only distinguished by clans (bongwan) but also by different branches (pa) along the family tree. So when someone asks a Korean about their last name, people say "I'm Shin of Pyeongsan clan and 33rd generation of Jeongon branch." The branch is usually broken off with someone famous for achievements. And families with mountains or lands with burial mounds that date back hundreds of years for the same bloodline mostly have authentic family trees. But that doesn't really matter anymore. Only the old folks like to boast about those things now.

[@hishot1078]

Some Clan doesn't use branch.

[@Hobyosultana]

Do Koreans discriminate against each other due to clan?

[@user-gz6rf1py8n]

@@Hobyosultana 아니요! 나이든 사람들 경우는 우월감을 기지는 경우도 있지만 차별을 하거나 그런 경우는 거의 볼 수 없습니다!

[@아비바바]

​@satansoo7806 literally never

[@garou498]

This gives you a good idea why it must be so difficult to integrate there, when they still think in terms of clan and even hierarchy within clans (that don’t really exist anymore) according to what the suffix of your first name or something...

[@margeaupanforte]

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.

[@Rinnegantv966]

this was really cool and informative

[@djvelocity]

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 🤔📚

[@asianamericancasestudies6434]

Or white people have affairs all the time, and because they're not sure if it's their kid, they make "McDonald" instead "McArthur" and such.

[@djvelocity]

@@asianamericancasestudies6434 what kind of racist nonsense is this?

[@asianamericancasestudies6434]

@@djvelocity Can't handle the truth? Europeans were free to make sir names all the time. In poorer communities they created last names based on even the color of their doors, since they didn't know who their parents were. This is history and statistics, and why you perceive Asian common last names strange, you racist.

[@12235117657598502586]

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

[@javiTests]

6:05 CORRECT! Why the heck your surname has to change if you get married? I'm from Spain and we don't change surnames at all. Also, we have two surnames, the first surname from your father and the first surname from your mother (you can choose the order, father's first or mother's first), so the chances of having the same full name as another person reduce quite a lot but it still happens anyway.

[@misssmargo]

This is so interesting! Thanks for the video 👍

[@junodovah2323]

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

[@shalokin]

Learnt something today, thank you

[@bkkjinny]

Most of my friends used to ask me why Koreans have same surname lol i am happy this video solve their question ^^

[@yanthirumian935]

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

[@timelessredlipstick]

In the Hmong community we only have 18 last name that was pass down from our ancestors. We do not marry the same last name it is taboo to us. Same last name we consider each other as brothers and sisters. Totally understand this.

[@niamtxiv]

We adopted 'xing' aka Xeem from the Chinese Han people just like Korean. It's for census reason back in the day.

[@timelessredlipstick]

@@niamtxiv I wish I would have known more history about the Hmong. I love my Hmong people.

[@Raphanne]

I have a question though. Technically, that name lets you know that you could have a similar bloodline through your father, but how can you check if it comes from your mother since her name is not passed down to the kids? Is it something that people worry about or am I just overthinking this?

[@nathanielmills4678]

@@Raphanne great question

[@allenmicky]

​@@Raphanne Yeah, this whole "no marrying your kin" practice was obviously based on patriarchy, not science. One is considered "siblings" with another person from the same paternal bloodline and, even today, it's still considered taboo to marry a same-surname cousin. However, no such restriction is applied on the maternal side at all. In order to consolidate wealth, it was actually quite common for people from rich and powerful families to marry their maternal cousins or their paternal aunt's children (because they have different surnames, hence different paternal bloodlines). This was the common understanding regarding "kinship" amongst most East Asian cultural groups. Of course, these days people are more scientific and would consider both sides of the family as kins, and would just generally avoid cousin-marriages.

[@hatsuharuboi]

In Brasil, while most of the time it is the woman that changes the surname after getting married, it is not rare that the man changes it as well... also, everyone has at least 2 surnames, one from your dad and one from your mom... having more than two surnames are very common as well... if you marry and don't want to change your surname, thats fine too... the rules for surnames are pretty chill here...

[@katyharrington9865]

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.

[@possiblyijt7400]

What's your grandfather's name by any chance? Korean clans have a system of which every male of a generation shares one component in their name, and your grandfather would likely have it. Otherwise the Indong Jang clan (인동 장씨) were reported to have a clan village in Gapyeong (a village where everyone is from one family), so maybe you're descended from them! They're also the most common Jang clan by far (with 600,000 ish people, the next one has 80,000 ish) so you most likely belong to them.

[@katyharrington9865]

@@possiblyijt7400 I don’t know since I’m adopted. My moms name is Jang Kyeong Ja and her sisters probably had Ja in their names. My mother was born in Gapyeong, gyeonggi Province and she was raised there with her sisters.

[@katyharrington9865]

@@possiblyijt7400 this is my family name in hanja 張.

[@katyharrington9865]

@@possiblyijt7400 I’m probably from the Indong Jang clan since my moms family is from there and makes sense.

[@possiblyijt7400]

@@katyharrington9865 okay yep it seems very likely that you are from the Indong Jang clan because that's the hanja that the Indong Jangs have (and also since it seems Gapyeong had many of them). Also unfortunately the generational name thing is only restricted to males srry, though girls can sometimes appear in family genealogy books so you might still be able to find her if you wanted to.

[@yellowcard7341]

I'm from Italy, women in my country don't change their surname after marriage either yet we have a plethora of different surnames. I've always asked myself why there were such common surnames in Korea :)

[@elennet4116]

Koreans are one of the most homogeneous people in the World Hence they are less diverse in many things and it's totally fine Western and Islamic people shouldn't force us Asians their concepts of life here Love from Taiwan 😇

[@preston0]

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.