Chinese中文
金
Jīn
Shared character traditionKorean · east Asia
Kim
Associated with the character for “gold”
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Geography: Natural Earth. Borders are shown for orientation.
The story behind Kim
Kim is written 김 in Hangul and commonly 金 in Hanja. 金 carries the meaning gold. Different Kim clans have their own histories and ancestral places, including Gimhae and Gyeongju.
A family’s ancestral seat can be a useful clue. Chinese Jin and Vietnamese Kim share a character tradition with 金, but the link does not establish a shared lineage.
Related names in East Asia
Only sourced connections in East Asian naming traditions appear here. Each form explains its relationship to this name; a shared character or reading does not establish a shared family line.
3 East Asian languages documented.
Japanese日本語
金
Kin · on-reading
Character reading · not a surname equivalentKorean한국어
김 / 金
Gim / Kim
Native name formSmall details. Longer histories.
Fun facts
Why this map opens on Asia
The 2014 estimate places major Kim populations in both South Korea and North Korea. Neither country alone reaches the site’s 90% global threshold.
Artifacts & historical records
Objects and records can illuminate a particular person or community. They do not establish the ancestry of everyone with the same surname.
Library of Congress · Veterans History Project
Richard Kim Collection
An oral-history interview, military papers and photographs document the life and military service of Richard Kim.
This archive concerns one named bearer of Kim; the catalog does not identify a shared ancestry with other Kim families.
Places & sources
Estimated bearers of the spelling “Kim”, 2014. Worldwide estimate: 18,794,063. Third-party incidence estimates for a romanized surname; selected countries, not a census or a migration record.
| Place | Estimated bearers |
|---|---|
| South Korea | 11,028,664 |
| North Korea | 6,773,415 |
| United States | 279,324 |
| Vietnam | 228,464 |
| Cambodia | 106,923 |
| Russia | 104,617 |
| Laos | 33,046 |
| Thailand | 28,056 |
- Dictionary of American Family Names via FamilySearchreference · checked 2026-10-03
- Forebears surname distribution estimates (2014)dataset · checked 2026-10-03
- Chữ Nôm Project · Unicode/Unihan character readingsreference · checked 2026-10-03
- Library of Congress · Veterans History Project · Richard Kim Collectionarchive · checked 2026-10-03
Finding your roots
Start with
what you know.
You don’t need a complete family tree to begin. A few good questions can turn a familiar name into a new connection.
Explore FamilySearch’s surname research guide- 01
Keep the original spelling.
Write down the name in its original script, if known. Keep alternative spellings, tone marks, and the way your family says it.
- 02
Ask about the places.
A village, region, or migration route can offer more context than a surname on its own. Begin with the stories your relatives remember.
- 03
Let records tell the next part.
Compare family documents, photographs, and historical records. Keep a note of each source and the questions still unanswered.
Our purpose
Closer to our roots.
More connected to each other.
East Origins is a place to approach Asian names and heritage with curiosity and care. We begin with the words we inherit, while making room for the many languages, communities, and personal stories behind them.
A name is an invitation to learn. Your story is yours to tell.