Im (surname)

"Im, Yim, or Lim" is a transliteration of 林. For other transliterations, see 林 (disambiguation).

Lim, Yim, or Im (林)

Pronunciation	[im] or [ɾim]
Language(s)	Korean
Origin
Language(s)	Chinese
Meaning	forest
Region of origin	North and South Korea
Other names
Variant form(s)	Lin Hayashi

Yim or Im (任)

Pronunciation	[im]
Language(s)	Korean
Origin
Meaning	dependable, allow, appoint
Region of origin	North and South Korea

Im
Hangul	임
Hanja	任, 林
Revised Romanization	Im
McCune–Reischauer	Im

Im or Lim (Korean: 임) is a common Korean family name. The surname is identical to the Chinese character of the same name.^[a] According to the initial law of the Korean language, both "Im" and "Lim" are interchangeable.

History

The first clan branch is the Supul Rim (수풀 림, meaning "Forest-Rim") and its Hanja character is 林. The Supul Rim or Lim or Im branch consists of two large clan houses; the first is Naju (early Hoijin) and the second, which is the elder branch, is Pyeongtaek. Members of this branch often write their names as both 임 (Im; more common) and 림 (Rim or Lim; initial law). The character 林 means "forest".

The second clan branch is the Matgil Im (맡길 임) or Mateul Im (맡을 임) and its Hanja character is 任. The Matgil Im/Mateul Im branch consists of one large clan house called Pungcheon Im clan and a smaller clan house called Jangheung (장흥). Members of this clan branch both write and pronounce their names as 임 (Im). The character 任 means "trusted/to bear, duty".

Romanization

When 林 (림 or 임) is romanized, it is spelled as "Rim" or "Im" in McCune–Reischauer and Revised Romanization of Korean, as "Lim".

When 任 (임) is romanized, it is spelled as "Im" both in McCune–Reischauer and Revised Romanization of Korean, or sometimes spelled "Yim".

Statistics from the year 2000 show that there were 762,767 수풀 림 (林, Rim) and 172,726 맡길 임 (任, Im) in South Korea.^[1]

Notable people of the past

The following is a list of notable people of the past with the Korean family name Im/Lim/Rim.

• Im Sa-hong (1445–1506), Korean scholar official
• Im Kkeokjeong (1521–1562), leader of the Hwanghae peasant rebellion
• Im Che (1549–1587), Korean Confucianist nobleman
• Im Gyeong-eop (1594–1646), Korean general
• Im Yunjidang (1721–1793), Korean writer and neo-Confucian philosopher
• Im Sang-ok (1779–1885), Korean trader

Notable people of the recent times

• I.M (born Im Chang-kyun, 1996), South Korean rapper, member of boy band Monsta X
• Im Chang-jung (born 1973), South Korean singer-songwriter and actor
• Dami Im (born 1988), Australian-Korean singer and songwriter
• Taebin (born Danny Im, 1980), Korean-American singer
• Im Do-hwa (born 1996), South Korean singer and actress
• Im Dong-hyun (born 1986), South Korean archer
• Im Heung-soon (born 1969), South Korean artist and director
• Im Hyun-sik (singer) (born 1992), South Korean singer, member of boy band BtoB
• Im Jae-hyuk (born 1994), South Korean actor
• Nana (entertainer) (born Im Jin-ah, 1991), South Korean singer, actress, and model
• Im Kwon-taek (born 1934), South Korean film director
• Nayeon (born Im Na-yeon, 1995), South Korean singer, member of girl group Twice
• Im Sang-soo (born 1962), South Korean film director
• Im Se-mi (born 1987), South Korean actress
• Im Si-wan (born 1988), South Korean singer and actor, member of boy band ZE:A
• NC.A (born Im So-eun, 1996), South Korean singer
• Im Soo-hyang (born 1990), South Korean actress
• Im Soo-jung (born 1979), South Korean actress
• Im Sung-han (born 1960), South Korean television screenwriter
• Im Won-sik (1919–2002), Korean conductor, composer, and educator
• Im Yoon-ah (born 1990), South Korean singer and actress, member of girl group Girls' Generation
• Lim Chang-yong (born 1976), South Korean baseball player
• Dong-Hyek Lim (born 1984), South Korean classical pianist
• Lee Do-hyun (born Lim Dong-Hyun, 1995), South Korean actor
• Lim Dong-won (born 1934), retired South Korean politician
• Lim Eun-ji (born 1989), South Korean pole vaulter
• Lim Hyo-jun (born 1996), South Korean-born Chinese short track speed skater
• Lim Hyung-joo (born 1986), South Korean operatic pop tenor and classical crossover singer
• Jay B (born Lim Jae-beom, 1994), South Korean singer and actor, member of boy band Got7
• Lim Ji-yeon (born 1990), South Korean actress
• Lim Jeong-hee (born 1981), South Korean singer
• Lim Jeong-hyun (born 1984), South Korean guitarist
• Lim Ju-hwan (born 1982), South Korean actor
• Lim Na-young (born 1995), South Korean singer
• Lim Seul-ong (born 1987), South Korean singer and actor, member of boy band 2AM
• Beenzino (born Lim Sungbin, 1987), South Korean rapper
• Lim Sung-jin (born 1999), South Korea volleyball player
• Lim Yo-hwan (born 1980), South Korean former professional StarCraft player
• Lim Young-woong (born 1991), South Korean singer
• Yunchan Lim (born 2004), South Korean pianist
• Rhim Ju-yeon (born 1976), South Korean comics writer
• Rim Jong-sim (born 1993), North Korean retired weightlifter
• Sunhae Im (born 1976), South Korean opera soprano
• Yim Bang-eun (born 1978), South Korean badminton player
• Yim Soon-rye (born 1961), South Korean film director
• Yim Sung-ah (born 1984), South Korean professional golfer

See also

• List of Korean surnames

Notes

1. Sino-Korean vocabulary.

References

1. "행정구역(구시군)/성씨·본관별 가구 및 인구". Archived from the original on September 7, 2006. Retrieved January 22, 2006.