Im or Lim is a common

Korean family name This is a list of Korean surnames, in Hangul alphabetical order. Note: (S) North–South differences in the Korean language, denotes South Korea. (N) North–South differences in the Korean language, denotes North Korea. The most common Korean fa ...

. The surname is identical to the Chinese character of the same name. 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 Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, wh ...

character is 林. The Supul Rim or Lim or Im branch consists of two large clan houses; the first is

Naju Naju () is a city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. The capital of South Jeolla was located at Naju until it was moved to Gwangju in 1895. The name Jeolla actually originates from the first character of Jeonju () and the first character of Na ...

(early ''Hoijin'') and the second, which is the elder branch, is

Pyeongtaek Pyeongtaek () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Located in the southwestern part of the province, Pyeongtaek was founded as a union of two districts in 940, during the Goryeo dynasty. It was elevated to city status in 1986 and is home to ...

. 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

character is 任. The Matgil Im/Mateul Im branch consists of one large clan house called

Pungcheon Im clan The Pungcheon Im clan () is a Korean clan based in Kwail County, South Hwanghae Province. According to the research held in 2015, the number of Pungcheon Im clan’s member was 143881. Their founder was who was from Shaoxing, China and came to ...

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 McCune–Reischauer romanization () is one of the two most widely used Korean language romanization systems. A modified version of McCune–Reischauer was the official romanization system in South Korea until 2002, when it was replaced by the Re ...

and

Revised Romanization of Korean Revised Romanization of Korean () is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea. It was developed by the National Academy of the Korean Language from 1995 and was released to the public on 7 July 2000 by South Korea's Min ...

, as "Lim". When 任 (임) is romanized, it is spelled as "Im" in

and

, 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 South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

Notable people of the past

The following is a list of notable people of the past with the Korean family name Im/Lim/Rim. People should only be included in this list if they have their own Wikipedia articles or if they are discussed in a non-trivial fashion in Wikipedia articles on notable groups or events with which they are associated. Pratt's list contains 8 names.Pratt, p.548 * Im Sahong (1445–1506) *

Im Kkeokjeong Im Kkeokjeong (, d. 1562) was born in Korea, Yangju, Gyeonggi Province. His father was a butcher. He was the leader of a peasant rebellion in the Hwanghae Province during 1559 to 1562, which started due to heavy taxation. His organisation, the Nokl ...

(fl. 1559-1562), leader of the Hwanghae peasant rebellion (Noklimdang). * Im Che (1549-1587), pen name "Paekho", poet of the Joseon period. *

Im Gyeong-eop Im Gyeong-eop (1594 – 1646) was a Korean general during the Joseon Dynasty. He participated in Korea's war against the Later Jin invasion of Joseon and Qing invasion of Joseon in the 17th century. After Ming forces surrendered to the Qing, I ...

(1594 – 1646), general of the Joseon period, instrumental in protecting Korea from Manchu invasion. *

Im Yunjidang Im Yunjidang (임윤지당, 任允摯堂; 1721-1793) was a Korean writer and neo-Confucian philosopher. She defended the right for a woman to become a Confucian master and argued that men and women did not differ in their human nature by interpreta ...

(1721-1793), she wrote the ''Yunjidang Yugo''. *

Im Sang-ok Im Sang-ok (Korean: 임상옥, 林尙沃) (1779–1855) was a trader in the middle of Joseon Dynasty. His Bon-gwan is Jeonju, Ja is Gyeongyak (경약, 景若), Ho is (가포, 稼圃). He was born in Uiju, Pyeonganbukdo. Early life Im Sang-ok wa ...

(1779–1885), a major ginseng trader of Joseon.

Notable people of the recent times

Im Jae-hyuk Im Jae-hyuk (born 6 May 1994), also spelt Lim Jae-hyeok, is a South Korean part-time actor signed under Santa Claus Entertainment. He became well known for his portrayal of Yang Dae-su in South Korean Netflix series ''All of Us Are Dead''. Pers ...

, South Korean part-time actor *

Dami Im Dami Im ( , , ; born October 17, 1988) is a South Korean-born Australian singer and songwriter. She represented Australia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 held in Stockholm, Sweden with the song " Sound of Silence", placing second and ach ...

, Australian-Korean singer and songwriter * Im Chang-kyun (stage name I.M), South Korean rapper and member of boy group

Monsta X Monsta X (; stylized as MONSTA X) is a South Korean boy group formed through the reality survival program ''No.Mercy'' under Starship Entertainment. The group is currently composed of six members: Shownu, Minhyuk, Kihyun, Hyungwon, Joohoney ...

Im Chang-jung Im Chang-jung (; born November 30, 1973) is a South Korean singer-songwriter and actor. He is often referred by Koreans as "the original multi-entertainer" for being active in all three fields: music, film and entertainment. He made his acting ...

, South Korean actor and singer *

Im Dong-hyun Im Dong-hyun (; ; born 12 May 1986) is a South Korean archer. He competes for the South Korean national team and is a former world number one. He has 20/200 vision in his left eye and 20/100 vision in his right eye, meaning he needs to be 1 ...

, South Korean archer *

Im Heung-soon Im Heung-soon (born in South Korea 1969) is an artist and director who won the Silver Lion award at the 2015 Venice Biennale for his video work, ''Factory Complex''. His political yet emotional works are embodied through different visual mediu ...

, South Korean artist and director * Im Jin-ah (stage name Nana), South Korean singer, actress, and model, member of After School *

Im Kwon-taek Im Kwon-taek (born December 8, 1934) is one of South Korea's most renowned film directors. In an active and prolific career, his films have won many domestic and international film festival awards as well as considerable box-office success, and h ...

, South Korean film director *

Im Na-yeon Im Na-yeon (; born September 22, 1995), known mononymously as Nayeon, is a South Korean singer. She became a member of the South Korean girl group Twice, under JYP Entertainment, in 2015 as a winning contestant of the reality survival televis ...

, South Korean singer and member of girl group

Twice Twice (; Japanese: トゥワイス, Hepburn: ''To~uwaisu''; commonly stylized as TWICE) is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaey ...

Im Sang-soo Im Sang-soo (born April 27, 1962) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He has twice been invited to compete for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, with '' The Housemaid'' in 2010 and ''The Taste of Money'' in 2012. Early li ...

, South Korean film director *

Im Se-mi Im Se-mi (born May 29, 1987) is a South Korean actress. Career In January 2019, Im signed with new agency YNK Entertainment. On February 3, 2022, Im signed an exclusive contract with Noon Company, after her contract with YNK Entertainment has ...

, South Korean actress *

Im Si-wan Yim Si-wan (; born on December 1, 1988), known mononymously as Siwan, is a South Korean singer and actor. He is a member of the South Korean boyband ZE:A and its sub-group ZE:A Five. As an actor, he is best known for starring in the film ''The ...

, South Korean singer and actor, member of boy group ZE:A * Im So-eun (stage name NC.A), South Korean singer *

Im Soo-hyang Lim Soo-hyang (; born April 19, 1990) is a South Korean actress. She rose to fame playing leading roles in the television series '' New Tales of Gisaeng'' (2011) and ''Inspiring Generation'' (2014). After a series of supporting roles, she gained ...

, South Korean actress *

Im Soo-jung Im Soo-jung (born July 11, 1979) is a South Korean actress. After modeling for teen magazines, Im made her acting breakthrough in Kim Jee-woon's horror film ''A Tale of Two Sisters'' (2003), followed by the popular television drama ''I'm Sorry, ...

, South Korean actress *

Im Sung-han Im Sung-han (born Im Young-ran on August 24, 1960) is a South Korean television screenwriter. Her best-known dramas include ''Miss Mermaid'' and ''Dear Heaven''. Career Im Sung-han began her career writing for single-episode anthologies. Her fir ...

, South Korean television screenwriter * Danny Im (stage name Taebin), Korean-American singer and member of group

1TYM 1TYM (Korean: 원타임, pronounced as "One Time") was a four-member South Korean group. They were Teddy Park (also known as Park Hong-jun), Oh Jinhwan, Song Baekyoung, and Danny Im (also known as Im Taebin). History In the late 1990s, YG CE ...

* Im Won-sik, Korean conductor, composer, and educator *

Im Yoon-ah Im Yoon-ah (; born May 30, 1990), known mononymously as Yoona, is a South Korean singer and actress. After training for five years, she debuted as a member of girl group Girls' Generation (and later its subgroup Girls' Generation-Oh!GG) in Augu ...

, South Korean singer and actress, member of girl group

Girls' Generation Girls' Generation (), also known as SNSD, is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group is composed of eight members: Taeyeon, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun. Originally a nine-piece ensembl ...

Lim Hyung-joo Lim Hyung Joo (born 7 May 1986) is a South Korean operatic pop (popera) tenor and classical crossover singer. He has sold more than 1.2 million (1,200,000) records worldwide, including over 1 million (1,000,000) in South Korea, and his total d ...

, South Korean operatic pop (popera) tenor and classical crossover singer * Lim Chang-yong, South Korean baseball pitcher *

Dong-Hyek Lim Dong-Hyek Lim (born July 25, 1984 in Seoul) is a South Korean classical pianist. Lim has previously studied with Arie Vardi at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hanover and received the Samsung Culture Scholarship and the Ezoe Scholarshi ...

, South Korean classical pianist *

Lim Dong-won Lim Dong-won (born 1934) is a retired South Korean politician who was a top aide during the administration of Kim Dae-jung and a key architect of the Sunshine Policy, holding the post of Unification Minister until losing a no-confidence vote on Se ...

, retired South Korean politician *

Lim Eun-ji Lim Eun-ji ( Korean: 임은지; born 2 April 1989) is a South Korean pole vaulter. She is the current South Korean national record holder in the event indoors and a former outdoor record holder. Having previously competed in the 100 metres hur ...

, South Korean pole vaulter *

Lim Hyo-jun Lin Xiaojun (), born Lim Hyo-jun (, born 29 May 1996), is a South Korean-born Chinese short track speed skater. He is the 2018 champion of the Men's 1500 m event in short track speed skating at the Winter Olympics, and also set the new Olym ...

, South Korean short track speed skater, Olympic gold medalist * Lim Jae-beom (stage name Jay B), South Korean singer and actor, member of boy band Got7 *

Im Hyun-sik Im Hyun-sik (born December 31, 1945) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his leading role in the family drama ''Three Families Under One Roof'' (1986-1993), and supporting roles in the period epics '' Hur Jun'' (1999) and ''Dae Jang G ...

, South Korean singer and member of boy band

BtoB } BtoB ( ; ; acronym for Born to Beat; often stylized as BTOB) is a South Korean boy band formed in 2012 by Cube Entertainment. The group consists of Seo Eun-kwang, Lee Min-hyuk, Lee Chang-sub, Im Hyun-sik, Peniel Shin and Yook Sung-jae. Or ...

Lim Jeong-hee Lim Jeong-hee (Hangul: 임정희; born May 17, 1981, in Seoul, South Korea), also known as J-Lim, is a South Korean singer that debuted in 2005 under JYP Entertainment. One of her notable performances in 2005 was the 5th Pattaya Music Festival ...

, South Korean singer *

Lim Jeong-hyun Lim Jeong-hyun (born July 5, 1984), also known by the online alias funtwo, is a South Korean guitarist known for his cover of the piece Canon Rock. Canon Rock cover Lim played and recorded his cover of "Canon Rock" by JerryC on October 23, 20 ...

, South Korean guitarist *

Lim Ju-hwan Lim Ju-hwan (; born May 18, 1982) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his leading roles in the television dramas '' Tamra, the Island'' (2009), '' Ugly Alert'' (2013), ''Uncontrollably Fond'' (2016) and ''The Bride of Habaek'' (2017). ...

, South Korean actor *

Lim Na-young Lim Na-young (; born December 18, 1995), also known as Im Nayoung, known mononymously as Nayoung, is a South Korean singer, rapper and actress signed under Sublime Artist Agency. She was first known after participating in the survival show ''Pro ...

, South Korean singer, member of South Korean girl groups

I.O.I I.O.I (; also known as IOI or Ideal of Idol) was a South Korean girl group formed by CJ E&M through the 2016 reality show ''Produce 101'' on Mnet. The group was composed of eleven members chosen from a pool of 101 trainees from various enterta ...

and

Pristin Pristin (; stylized as PRISTIN and formerly known as Pledis Girlz) was a South Korean girl group formed by Pledis Entertainment in 2016. The group was composed of ten members: Lim Na-young, Nayoung, Roa, Yuha, Eunwoo, Rena, Zhou Jieqiong, Kyulkyun ...

Lim Seulong Lim Seul-ong (Hangul: 임슬옹; born 11 May 1987), also known by the mononym Seulong, is a South Korean singer and actor. He debuted as a singer in 2008 as a member of the K-pop boyband 2AM. He made his acting debut in 2010 in the Korean dra ...

, South Korean singer and actor, member of boy group 2AM * Lim Sungbin (stage name Beenzino), South Korean rapper *

Lim Yo-hwan Lim Yo-hwan (), known by the ID SlayerS_`BoxeR` (usually shortened to BoxeR), is a former professional player of the real-time strategy computer game ''StarCraft''. He is often referred to as The Terran Emperor (), or simply "The Emperor", and ...

, South Korean former professional StarCraft player *

Rhim Ju-yeon Rhim Ju-yeon (born April 9, 1976) is a comics writer from South Korea, the creator of the manhwa President Dad and Ciel. Rhim debuted in 1999 after she won an accessit from the fourth manhwa contest held by "ISSUE", a manhwa magazine for girls ...

, South Korean comics writer *

Rim Jong-sim Rim Jong-sim ( or ; born 5 February 1993) is a North Korean weightlifter, two time Olympic Champion, World Champion, Asian Games gold and bronze medalist, and Asian Champion competing in the 69 kg and 75 kg category until 2018 and 76 ...

, North Korean Olympic weightlifter *

Yim Bang-eun Yim Bang-eun (born 25 April 1978) is a former South Korean badminton player from Samsung Electro-Mechanics team. Yim competed for Korea in badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics in men's doubles with partner Kim Yong-hyun. They had a bye in the ...

, South Korean badminton player *

Yim Soon-rye Yim Soon-rye (born January 1, 1961) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. She is considered one of the few leading female auteurs of Korean New Wave cinema. Career Education Born in 1961 in Incheon, Yim Soon-rye graduated from Han ...

, South Korean film director *

Yim Sung-ah Yim Sung-ah (; born 20 March 1984) is a South Korean professional golfer. Pre-LPGA Tour days Yim was born in Seoul. She attended Yonsei University and turned professional in November 2002 while still a student. She was a member of the Korean tea ...

, South Korean professional golfer *

Lim Young-woong Lim Young-woong (; born June 16, 1991) is a South Korean trot, ballad and pop singer, entertainer and YouTuber. He signed with Mulgogi Music in 2016 and debuted as a singer with his first single "Hate You". Four years later, he rose to stardom ...

, South Korean

trot The trot is a ten-beat diagonal horse gait where the diagonal pairs of legs move forward at the same time with a moment of suspension between each beat. It has a wide variation in possible speeds, but averages about . A very slow trot is someti ...

singer

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Im (Korean Name) Korean-language surnames

History

Romanization

Notable people of the past

Notable people of the recent times

See also

Notes

References