Lin (; ) is the Mandarin romanization of the Chinese surname written 林. It is also used in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

, Japan,

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

, and

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...

. Among

ese and Chinese families from abroad, it is sometimes pronounced and spelled as Lim because many Chinese descendants are part of the Southern Min diaspora that speak

Min Nan Southern Min (), Minnan ( Mandarin pronunciation: ) or Banlam (), is a group of linguistically similar and historically related Sinitic languages that form a branch of Min Chinese spoken in Fujian (especially the Minnan region), most of Taiwan ...

Hokkien The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages ...

or Teochew. In

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...

-speaking regions such as

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

and

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a p ...

it is spelled as Lam or Lum. It is listed 147th on the ''

Hundred Family Surnames The ''Hundred Family Surnames'' (), commonly known as ''Bai Jia Xing'', also translated as ''Hundreds of Chinese Surnames'', is a classic Chinese text composed of common Chinese surnames. An unknown author compiled the book during the Song dy ...

''. Within

mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...

, it is currently the 18th most common surname. In Japan, the character 林 is also used but goes by the pronunciation Hayashi, which is the 19th most common surname in Japan.

Name origin

King Zhou of Shang King Zhou (; ) was the pejorative posthumous name given to Di Xin of Shang () or King Shou of Shang (), the last king of the Shang dynasty of ancient China. He is also called Zhou Xin (). In Chinese, his name Zhòu ( 紂) also refers to a horse cr ...

(reigned 1154 to 1122 BC), the last king of the

Shang dynasty The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty founded by Tang of Shang (Cheng Tang) that ruled in the Yellow River valley in the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and ...

, had three uncles advising him and his administration. The king's uncles were Prince

Bi Gan Prince Bi Gan (, Bǐgān) was a prominent Chinese figure during the Shang dynasty. He was a son of King Wen Ding, and an uncle of King Zhou, and served as the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Shang. He was later worshipped as the God of Wealth. ...

, Prince

Jizi Jizi or Qizi or Kizi (; Gija or Kija in Korean) was a semi-legendary * :"Although Kija may have truly existed as a historical figure, Tangun is more problematical." * :"Most orean historianstreat the angunmyth as a later creation." * :"The Ta ...

, and Prince Weizi. Together the three princes were known as "The Three Kind-Hearted Men of Shang" in the kingdom. Prince Bi Gan was the son of King Wen Ding; he was the brother of King Zhou's father and, thus, was King Zhou's uncle, and served as the prime minister of the Kingdom of Shang. King Zhou was a cruel king, but his three uncles could not persuade him to change his ways. Failing in their duty to advise the king, Prince Weizi resigned. Prince Jizi faked insanity and was relieved of his post. Only Prince Bi Gan stayed on to continue advising the king to change his ways. "Servants who are afraid of being killed and refrain from telling the truth are not righteous" he said. This put him in danger of incurring the king's wrath. Prince Bi Gan stayed at the palace for three days and nights to try to persuade the blood-thirsty and immoral king to mend his ways. The stubborn king would not relent and had Prince Bi Gan arrested for treason. Upon hearing this, his pregnant wife escaped into the forest and went into labor there. With no one to help her, she gave birth to a boy in the rocky cave in the forest, in a placed called Chang Lin (長林). Before long, King Zhou of Shang was overthrown by Ji Fa, the Count of the West (Western Shang). Ji Fa established a new dynasty named the

Zhou dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ; Old Chinese ( B&S): *''tiw'') was a royal dynasty of China that followed the Shang dynasty. Having lasted 789 years, the Zhou dynasty was the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history. The military control of China by ...

and became the King Wu of Zhou. King Wu knew about the courageous prime minister Prince Bi Gan and sought his wife and child. When he found them, he honoured them in respect of Prince Bi Gan. The mother and child were restored to the Shang royal family. King Wu of Zhou conferred the surname Lin (meaning forest) and the Dukedom of Bo'ling on Prince Bi Gan's son, Lin (Lim/Lam) Jian (林坚), ennobled as the Duke of Bo'ling.

Other origins

* from Lin Kai (林開), son of the

King Ping of Zhou King Ping of Zhou (; died 720 BC), personal name Ji Yijiu, was the thirteenth king of the Zhou dynasty and the first of the Eastern Zhou dynasty.Sima Qian. ''Records of the Grand Historian'', "Zhou Dynasty Annals". History He was the son of Kin ...

The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland * from

Lin Fang Lin or LIN may refer to: People *Lin (surname) (normally ), a Chinese surname *Lin (surname) (normally 蔺), a Chinese surname *Lin (The King of Fighters), Lin (''The King of Fighters''), Chinese assassin character *Lin Chow Bang, character in Fat ...

(林放), an official in Lu, also a student of Confucius, during the Spring and Autumn period * adopted by South China's aboriginal tribes * adopted by the Qiu Lin (丘林) ethnic

Xianbei The Xianbei (; ) were a Proto-Mongolic ancient nomadic people that once resided in the eastern Eurasian steppes in what is today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Northeastern China. They originated from the Donghu people who splintered into th ...

, family as the surname during the

Northern Wei dynasty Wei (), known in historiography as the Northern Wei (), Tuoba Wei (), Yuan Wei () and Later Wei (), was founded by the Tuoba (Tabgach) clan of the Xianbei. The first of the Northern dynasties, it ruled northern China from 386 to 535 during t ...

* from the personal name of Lin Fu (林父), the given name of an official in the state of Wei during the Spring and Autumn period, whose original surname was

Sun The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...

. * from name of a fief granted to an official in the State of Ju during the Spring and Autumn period

Distribution

Within China, 林 is the 2nd most common surname in

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its cap ...

, 4th most common in the city of

Haikou Haikou (; ), also spelled as Hoikow is the capital and most populous city of the Chinese province of Hainan. Haikou city is situated on the northern coast of Hainan, by the mouth of the Nandu River. The northern part of the city is on the ...

, and 10th most common in the city of

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

."https://www.douban.com/group/topic/23803598/"(Chinese) In 2019 it was the 18th most common surname in Mainland China.

Different versions of the name

*Among the Malaysian Chinese it is not commonly spelled Lin but rather Lim or Lam. The

Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...

, Teochew and

Hainan Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...

communities romanize it as "Lim" whereas the

-speaking community uses "Lam" or "Lum". *The Korean surname Im ( in South Korean spelling; in North Korean spelling; commonly romanized as Lim or Rim) is the Korean pronunciation of the same Chinese character (林). A much less common Korean surname Im is derived from another character (; spelled ''Im'' in both North and South Korean) the character used to write the surname Ren. In Korean, the former is called ''Supul Rim'' (수풀 림) and the latter ''Matgil Im'' (맡길 임) when they need to be distinguished. *A common Japanese surname, Hayashi, is written with the same character 林 and also means ''forest''. A much rarer Japanese surname, Rin, is also written with same character. *The Vietnamese surname, "Lâm", was formerly written using the same character. *In

, although "Lim" and "Lam" are generally more common variants, the extremely rare spelling "Lyn" can be found in select families of Chinese, Japanese, or other East Asian ancestry (also transcribed using the 林 character) and bears no known relation to the English or Scottish surname of the same spelling, or alternate spelling "Ling". *A rare Chinese surname which is also transcribed ''Lin'' is 藺 / 蔺 (pinyin Lìn), for example the

Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded with the Qin wars of conquest ...

statesman

Lin Xiangru Lin Xiangru () (died July 260 BCE) was a politician and general of the Warring States period, who served the state of Zhao. He figures prominently in two stories of the period, namely the episode and the namesake ''chengyu'' of " Returning the Jad ...

. *Indonesians of Chinese ancestry bearing this surname sometimes spell it as "Liem", pronounced from Fuqing dialect. *Prominent

Thai Chinese Thai Chinese (also known as Chinese Thais, Sino-Thais), Thais of Chinese origin ( th, ชาวไทยเชื้อสายจีน; ''exonym and also domestically''), endonym Thai people ( th, ชาวไทย), are Chinese descenda ...

royalist families with this surname are bestowed by member of the royal family some indigenised derivative such as "Limthongkul" "Sirilim" "Limpisthira." *The character "霖" (Lín, "heavy rain showers") is also a popular personal name among ethnic Chinese people.

Notable people surnamed Lin

This is an East Asian name, meaning the surname is stated "before" the given name, though East Asian persons living in Western countries will often put their surname after their given name.

Lin

Mandarin and

Wu Chinese The Wu languages (; Wu romanization and IPA: ''wu6 gniu6'' [] ( Shanghainese), ''ng2 gniu6'' [] (Suzhounese), Mandarin pinyin and IPA: ''Wúyǔ'' []) is a major group of Sinitic languages spoken primarily in Shanghai, Zhejiang, Zhejiang Provin ...

: *

Lin Biao ) , serviceyears = 1925–1971 , branch = People's Liberation Army , rank = Marshal of the People's Republic of China Lieutenant general of the National Revolutionary Army, Republic of China , commands ...

(林彪), military general and former Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China * Lin Bih-jaw (林碧炤 Lin Bizhao), Secretary-General to the President of the Republic of China (2016) * Lin Bu (林逋), poet *

Lin Chen-yi Lin Chen-yi () is an admiral of the Republic of China Navy in Taiwan. He was the Chief of the General Staff of the Republic of China Armed Forces between 2009 and 2013, and also the last senior admiral/general in the military after the new law th ...

(林镇夷 Lin Zhenyi), Chief of the General Staff of the Republic of China Armed Forces (2009–2013) *

Lin Chih-chia Lin Chih-chia (; born 31 March 1958) is a Taiwanese politician. He is currently the Secretary-General of Legislative Yuan, having served since 1 February 2016. References Living people 1958 births Kuomintang Members of the Legislative ...

(林志嘉 Lin Zhijia), Secretary-General of Legislative Yuan *

Lin Chih-chien Lin Chih-chien (; born 27 May 1975) is a Taiwanese politician. He was the Mayor of Hsinchu City from 25 December 2014 to 8 July 2022. Early life and education Lin earned his bachelor's degree in business administration followed by a master's d ...

(林智堅 Lin Zhijian), Mayor of Hsinchu City *

Lin Chih-sheng Ngayaw Ake Lin Chih-sheng (; born 1 January 1982; birth name: Ngayaw Ake林智盛), also known as Ngayaw Ake in Amis language, is a Taiwanese indigenous baseball player for the Wei Chuan Dragons of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL ...

(林智盛 Lin Zhisheng), Taiwanese baseball player * Lin Chi-ling (林志玲 Lin Zhiling), Taiwanese supermodel, actress * Lin Ching-Liang (林清凉 Lin Qingliang), Taiwanese nuclear physicist *

Lin Chin-tien Lin Chin-tien () is a Taiwanese politician. He served as the Political Deputy Minister of Culture in the Executive Yuan of the Republic of China from 20 May 2012 to 4 July 2013. See also * Culture of Taiwan The culture of Taiwan is a blend ...

(林金田 Lin Jintian), Political Deputy Minister of Culture of the Republic of China (2012–2013) *

Lin Chuan Lin Chuan (; born 13 December 1951) is a Taiwanese economist and politician who served as Premier of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2016 to 2017 under President Tsai Ing-wen. He served as Minister of Budget, Accounting and Statistics and M ...

(林全 Lin Quan), Premier of the Republic of China (2016–2017) * Lin Chu-chia (林祖嘉 Lin Zujia), Minister of National Development Council of the Republic of China (2016) *

Lin Dan Lin Dan (born 14 October 1983) is a Chinese former professional badminton player. He is a two-time Olympic champion, five-time World champion, as well as a six-time All England champion. Widely regarded as the greatest badminton player of a ...

(林丹), world Olympic champion, men's singles badminton player, People's Republic of China * Lin Di (林笛), musician, pipa player with Chinese rock band Cold Fairyland *

Lin Fangling Lin or LIN may refer to: People *Lin (surname) (normally ), a Chinese surname *Lin (surname) (normally 蔺), a Chinese surname * Lin (''The King of Fighters''), Chinese assassin character *Lin Chow Bang, character in Fat Pizza Places * Lin, Iran, ...

(林芳灵) (born 2001), Chinese badminton player *

Lin Fang-yue Lin Fang-yue () is a Taiwanese cardiovascular surgeon, hospital superintendent, professor, and former health minister. Education Lin graduated with his M.D. degree from National Taiwan University medical school, and earned a Ph.D. from the C ...

(林芳郁) Taiwanese cardiologist, hospital superintendent, and health minister (2008) * Lin Fong-cheng, Vice Chairman of Kuomintang (2007–2014) *

Lin Hejie Lin Hejie (Lim Ho Kiat; ; pen name 林寉傑; born October 7, 1986) is a Chinese painter. In February 2019, he was hired by the Fujian Provincial Government Portal to become an online commentator. Early life He came from a poor family, ...

(Lim Ho Kiat 林贺杰), painter and commentator * Lin Hwai-min, choreographer and founder of Taiwan's Cloud Gate Dance Theater *

Lin Hsi-shan Lin Hsi-shan (; born 17 March 1962) is a Taiwanese politician. He was the Secretary-General of Legislative Yuan from 1 March 1999 until 31 January 2016. Early life Lin was born in Changhua County on 17 March 1962. He attended Chinese Culture Un ...

, Secretary-General of the Legislative Yuan (1999–2016) *

Lin Hsi-yao Lin Hsi-yao (; born 25 December 1961) is a Taiwanese politician. Early life Lin studied civil engineering at National Taiwan University, where he earned a bachelor's and degree and a master's degree in the subject in 1983 and 1990, respectively ...

, Vice Premier of the Republic of China (2016–2017) * Lin Jeng-yi, Director of National Palace Museum of Taiwan (2016–2018) * Lin Join-sane, Secretary-General of Kuomintang (2012) * Lin Jun Jie, Singaporean singer and songwriter *

Lin Junq-tzer Lin Junq-tzer (; born 1944) is a Taiwanese politician who has served as the Governor of Taiwan Province from 26 February 2010 to 20 May 2016. Early life A Hakka born in Hsinchu, Lin obtained his bachelor's degree in business administration fro ...

, Governor of Taiwan Province (2010–2016) *

Shu Qi use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinate ...

(Lin Li-hui 林立慧), Taiwanese actress and model * Lin Ling-san, Minister of Transportation and Communications (2002–2006) * Lin Mei-chu, Minister of Labor of the Republic of China (2017–2018) * Lin Ming-chen, Magistrate of Nantou County *

Lin Neng-pai Lin Neng-pai () is a Taiwanese politician. He was the Minister of Public Construction Commission in 2000–2002. Education Lin obtained his bachelor's degree from National Taiwan University and doctoral degree from Ohio State University in th ...

, Minister of Public Construction Commission of the Republic of China (2000–2002) * Lin Peng, actress * Lin Qingfeng (林清峰), world Olympic champion, weightlifter, athlete *

Lin Sang Lin Sang (; born August 17, 1977 in Putian, Fujian) is an archer from the People's Republic of China. Lin represented China at the 2004 Summer Olympics. She placed 11th in the women's individual ranking round with a 72-arrow score of 647. In ...

, world Olympic silver medalist, athlete, archer * Lin San-quei, Vice Minister of Labor of the Republic of China * Lin Sen, former president, chairman of National Government of China * Lin Shicheng musician, Shanghai-born pipa player * Lin Shihong (林士弘), king of Chu dynasty *

Lin Shu-chen Lin Shu-chen () is a Taiwanese people, Taiwanese politician. She was the Administrative Deputy Ministry of Education (Republic of China), Minister of Education from 22 October 2013 until 20 May 2016. References

Living people Taiwanese Mi ...

, Administrative Deputy Minister of Education of the Republic of China (2013–2016) *

Lin Teng-chiao Lin Teng-chiao () is a Taiwanese politician who has been the Administrative Deputy Minister of Education since 20 May 2016. Early life Lin obtained his bachelor's degree in computer science and information engineering from Tamkang University ...

, Administrative Deputy Minister of Education of the Republic of China * Lin Tsung-hsien, Minister of Council of Agriculture of the Republic of China (2017–2018) * Lin Tzou-yien, Minister of Health and Welfare of the Republic of China (2016–2017) *

Lin Tzu-ling Lin Tzu-ling () is a Taiwanese politician. She currently serves as the Administrative Deputy Minister of the Ministry of the Interior. ROC Interior Ministry In 2000, Lin was appointed leader of the Civil Affairs Department. By 2002, she had ...

, Administrative Deputy Minister of the Interior of the Republic of China * Lin Wan-i, Deputy Magistrate of Taipei County (1999–2002) * Lin Weining (林伟宁), world Olympic champion, weightlifter, athlete * Lin Wenyue, scholar, writer and translator from Taiwan. *

, Chinese politician of the

* Lin Xu (林旭), scholar, poet *

Lin Yang-kang Lin Yang-kang ( ; 10 June 1927 – 13 April 2013) was a Taiwanese politician. He was born at Sun Moon Lake during the Japanese rule of Taiwan. Some thought he might be Chiang Ching-kuo's successor as head of the Kuomintang (KMT), but after fai ...

, former mayor of Taipei city, Chairman of Taiwan province, Taiwanese politician *

Lin Yanjun Lin Yanjun (; born August 24, 1995), also known as Evan Lin, is a Taiwanese singer, rapper and actor. He debuted as a member of temporary Chinese boy group Nine Percent on April 6, 2018, through Chinese survival show ''Idol Producer''. He is bes ...

, Taiwanese singer and actor, former member of Nine Percent *

Lin Yi-shih Lin Yi-shih (; born 19 August 1968) is a Taiwanese politician. He was the Secretary-General of the Executive Yuan in 2012. Education Lin studied dentistry at Taipei Medical College and later graduated from National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYS ...

, Secretary-General of Executive Yuan (2012) * Lin Yongsheng (林永昇), Chinese admiral * Lin Youren, musician, Chinese guqin player * Lin Youyi (林有懿), Hong Kong-born Singaporean television host and actress * Lin Yuan-lang, Magistrate of Nantou County (1989–1997) *

Lin Yu-chang Lin Yu-chang (; born 10 March 1971) is a Taiwanese politician. He is currently the Mayor of Keelung City since 25 December 2014. Early life Lin did his bachelor's degree in landscape architecture from Chinese Culture University and master's deg ...

, Mayor of Keelung City * Lin Yu-chun Taiwanese singer *

Lin Yue Lin Yue (; born July 24, 1991, in Chaozhou, Guangdong) is a Chinese diver and a double Olympic gold medal winner. He competed for Team China in Diving at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and won gold with Huo Liang in the Men's synchronize ...

(林跃), world Olympic champion, diver *

Lin Yu-fang Lin Yu-fang (; born 15 March 1951) is a Taiwanese politician. Lin was a Kuomintang legislator from 2008 to 2016 and the chairman of the Legislative Yuan's Diplomacy and National Defense Committee. Education Lin obtained his bachelor's and mast ...

, Taiwanese politician *

Lin Yutang Lin Yutang ( ; October 10, 1895 – March 26, 1976) was a Chinese inventor, linguist, novelist, philosopher, and translator. His informal but polished style in both Chinese and English made him one of the most influential writers of his generati ...

, inventor, linguist, writer, Nobel prize nominee *

Lin Zexu Lin Zexu (30 August 1785 – 22 November 1850), courtesy name Yuanfu, was a Chinese political philosopher and politician. He was the head of states (Viceroy), Governor General, scholar-official, and under the Daoguang Emperor of the Qing dynas ...

, nineteenth-century governor-general, imperial commissioner, poet, scholar, diplomat *

Alfred Lin Alfred Lin is an American venture capitalist at Sequoia Capital.Arrington, Michae"Alfred Lin Has The Midas Touch: The Man With $2 Billion In Acquisitions Under His Belt" ''TechCrunch'', July 28, 2009. Lin was the COO, CFO, and Chairman of Zappos ...

, Taiwanese-born American venture capitalist *

Ariel Lin Ariel Lin Yi-chen (; born 29 October 1982) is a Taiwanese actress and singer. She rose to fame for her role as Yuan Xiangqin in the Taiwanese drama '' It Started with a Kiss'' (2005) and the Chinese fantasy drama ''The Little Fairy'' (2006). Lin w ...

(''Lin Yi-chen''), Taiwanese actress * Brigitte Lin (林青霞, ''Lin Ch'ing-hsia''), Taiwanese film actress *

Cho-Liang Lin Cho-Liang Lin (Lin Cho-liang, , born January 29, 1960), born in Hsinchu, Taiwan, is an American violinist who is renowned for his appearances as a soloist with major orchestras. Musical America named him its "Instrumentalist of the Year" in 20 ...

, musician, U.S. Taiwanese violinist, "Instrumentalist of the Year" in 2000 *

David Lin Lin Yung-lo (; born 10 March 1950), also known as David Lin, is a Taiwanese politician who was the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan. In 2022, he was elected as the Chairman of the Association of Foreign Relations (AFR). Early life David ...

(born 1950), Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (2012–2016) * Douglas N. C. Lin, astrophysicist *

Estrella Lin Estrella Lin (; born 1980) is a pop music singer from Taiwan, formerly a member of the girl group 3EP Beauties, and the author of a Chinese-language book detailing alleged abuses in South Korea's pop music industry. Career In the 1990s, Lin wa ...

(Lin Wei-ling 林韋伶), Taiwanese singer * Francis Y. Lin, Chinese linguist * Jenny Lin, musician, pianist * Jeremy Lin (林書豪, ''Lin Shu-hao''), U.S. basketball player *

Jimmy Lin Jimmy Lin Chih-ying (, born 15 October 1974) is a Taiwanese singer, actor, and race car driver. Early life Lin was born in Taipei on 15 October 1974. He was the second child in a family of five children. Lin graduated from Zhong Xiao Primary S ...

(林志穎, ''Lin Chih-ying''), Taiwanese film actor and singer * Justin Lin, U.S. film director *

Justin Yifu Lin Justin Yifu Lin (; born on October 15, 1952) is a Chinese economist and professor of economics at Peking University. He served as the Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of the World Bank from 2008 to 2012. He has been appointed as China S ...

, former Chief Economist of the World Bank *

Kelly Lin Kelly Lin or Lin Hsi-Lei () is a Taiwanese actress and model who has appeared mainly in Hong Kong films. Biography Lin was born in Taiwan in 1973. She moved to Santa Barbara, California with her family at the age of 12. She graduated from the U ...

(林熙蕾), Taiwanese actress, model * Kevin Lin (林義傑), marathon runner * Lucia Lin, Political Deputy Minister of Education of the Republic of China (2014–2016) *

Maya Lin Maya Ying Lin (born October 5, 1959) is an American designer and sculptor. In 1981, while an undergraduate at Yale University, she achieved national recognition when she won a national design competition for the planned Vietnam Veterans Memoria ...

, artist and architectPBS episode '' Finding Your Roots'' February 2, 2016 *

Ruby Lin use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = , burial_place ...

(林心如, ''Lin Xin-ru''), Taiwanese actress * Tzu-Wei Lin, infielder for the Boston Red Sox * Lin Siyi (林思意), Chinese singer, actress, and member of Chinese idol girl group SNH48

Lam

Cantonese form *

Adrian Lam Adrian Lam (born 25 August 1970) is a Papua New Guinean professional rugby league coach who is the head coach of the Super League Club Leigh Leopards (was Leigh Centurions), and a former rugby league footballer. He played for the Sydney Rooste ...

, coach *

Barry Lam Barry Lam (; born 24 April 1949) is a Taiwanese billionaire businessman, and the founder and chairman of Quanta Computer.Bowie Lam, Hong Kong actor and singer *

Lam Bun Lam Bun ( zh, t=林彬; 25 September 1929 – 25 August 1967) was a radio commentator at Commercial Radio Hong Kong who was fiercely critical of leftists. He was assassinated during the 1967 Hong Kong riots, becoming an icon of freedom of spee ...

, radio commentator *

Lam Bun-Ching Lam Bun-Ching (; b. Macau, 1954) is a Chinese American composer, pianist, and conductor. Early life and training Lam holds a B.A. degree in piano performance from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (1976). She obtained a scholarship from the U ...

, concert pianist and composer * Carol Lam, former United States Attorney for the Southern District of California *

Carrie Lam Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor ( Cheng; ; born 13 May 1957) is a retired Hong Kong politician who served as the 4th Chief Executive of Hong Kong from 2017 to 2022. She served as Chief Secretary for Administration between 2012 and 2017 and Sec ...

Cheng Yuet-ngor, Chief Executive of Hong Kong * Chet Lam, singer/songwriter *

David Lam David See-chai Lam, (; July 25, 1923November 22, 2010) was a Hong Kong-born Canadian banker, businessman, investor, philanthropist, and politician. From 1988 to 1995, Lam was the 25th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, and he was the first ...

, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, Canada *

Derek Lam Derek Lam (born 1967) is an American fashion designer. In addition to designing his own line, Lam was Tod's creative director for ready-to-wear and accessories from 2005 until 2010. Read full biography Background Lam was born in San Francisco, C ...

, U.S. fashion designer * Eman Lam, musician * Francis Lam Po-chuen, voice actor *

George Lam George Lam Tsz-Cheung (born 12 October 1947), also known professionally by his surname Lam, is a Hong Kong-based veteran Cantopop singer, singer-songwriter, music producer and actor, with a career that has so far lasted more than four decades. Lam ...

, singer * James Lam, author and consultant * Karen Lam, Canadian filmmaker * Karen Lam, diabetes and obesity researcher *

Karena Lam Karena Lam (; born 17 August 1978) is a Taiwanese Canadian actress and singer based in Hong Kong. In 2015, she won the Best Actress award at the Golden Horse Awards for her role in ''Zinnia Flower'', making her the first person ever to have won ...

, actress * Lam Kor-wan, serial killer * Lam Nhat Tien, Vietnamese American singer * Nora Lam, Chinese Christian Ministry and the author of "China Cry" *

Pat Lam Patrick Richard Lam (born 29 September 1968) is a rugby union coach and former player. He is currently Director of Rugby at Bristol Bears in England's Premiership Rugby. Born in New Zealand, he represented New Zealand in schools and under-21 ...

, rugby player *

Raymond Lam Raymond Lam (; Jyutping: lam4 fung1; born 8 December 1979) is a Hong Kong actor and singer who is best known for roles in the television dramas ''A Step into the Past'', ''Twin of Brothers'', '' Moonlight Resonance'', '' Highs and Lows'' and '' Lin ...

, Hong Kong entertainer * Richard Lam, lyricist * Ringo Lam, film director *

Lam Sai-wing Lam Sai-wing (1861? – 1943) was a Hung Gar martial artist. He was a student of the Chinese martial artist, acupuncturer and folk hero of Cantonese ethnicity, Wong Fei-hung. "Since my young years till now, for 50 years, I have been learning f ...

, Student of

Wong Fei-hung Wong Fei-hung (born Wong Sek-cheung with the courtesy name Tat-wun; 9 July 1847 – 17 April 1925) was a Chinese martial artist, physician, and folk hero. His recent fame was due to becoming the subject of numerous martial arts films and televis ...

* Sandy Lam, Hong Kong Cantopop singer * Sarah Lam, actress *

Stephen Lam Stephen Lam Sui-lung (Cantonese pronunciation: ; born 24 November 1955) was the Chief Secretary for Administration of Hong Kong and Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs. Lam was born in Hong Kong attended Wah Yan College. He ...

, government official * Tony Lam, politician *

Wifredo Lam Wifredo Óscar de la Concepción Lam y Castilla (; December 8, 1902 – September 11, 1982), better known as Wifredo Lam, was a Cuban artist who sought to portray and revive the enduring Afro-Cuban spirit and culture. Inspired by and in conta ...

, Cuban artist * Willy Wo-Lap Lam, Hong Kong political commentator

Lum

Alternate Cantonese form * Agnes Lum, U.S. model and J-pop singer *

Awkwafina Nora Lum (born June 2, 1988), known professionally as Awkwafina, is an American actress, rapper, and comedian who rose to prominence in 2012 when her rap song "My Vag" became popular on YouTube. She then released her debut album, ''Yellow Ra ...

or Nora Lum, U.S. rapper * Olivia Lum, Singaporean businesswoman

Lim

Southern Min or

or Teochew * Lim Ban Lim, Singaporean secret society member and gunman *

Lim Bo Seng Lim Bo Seng (; 27 April 1909 – 29 June 1944) was a Chinese-born resistance fighter based in Singapore and Malaya during World War II. Prior to the outbreak of World War II, he was a prominent businessman among the Chinese community in Singa ...

, World War II anti-Japanese Resistance fighter based in Singapore and British Malaya *

Lim Boon Keng Lim Boon Keng (; 18 October 1869 – 1 January 1957) was a Peranakan physician who advocated social and educational reforms in Singapore in the early 20th-century. He also served as the president of Xiamen University in China between 1921 and ...

, Singaporean national reformist of Peranakan descent *

Lim Chin Chong On 20 June 1997, a 65-year-old Singaporean and retiree Low Cheng Quee (), also known as Philip Low, was found dead inside his bedroom of his Jalan Rajah flat, where he operated a homosexual brothel, which was colloquially known as a "Male prostitu ...

, Malaysian male prostitute and convicted killer executed in Singapore *

Lim Chin Siong Lim Chin Siong (; 28 February 1933 – 5 February 1996) was a Singaporean politician and Trade union, union leader active in Singapore in the 1950s and 1960s. He was one of the founders of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), which has ...

, cofounder of Singapore's

People's Action Party The People's Action Party (abbreviation: PAP) is a major conservative centre-right political party in Singapore and is one of the three contemporary political parties represented in Parliament, alongside the opposition Workers' Party (WP) and ...

(P.A.P.) *

Lim Chin Tsong Lim Chin Tsong (; my, လင်းချင်းချောင်း) was a Burmese Chinese tycoon and merchant, with business interests ranging from rice to oil. Throughout his career, he served as the sole partner of Lim Soo Hean & Company, ...

(林振宗), Overseas Chinese oil tycoon during British Burma *

Lim Chong Eu Tun Dr. Lim Chong Eu (; 28 May 1919 – 24 November 2010) was a Malaysian politician who served as the 2nd Chief Minister of Penang from May 1969 to October 1990. He was also the founding president of Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (GERAKAN). ...

, former Malaysian-born Singaporean politician * Lim Giong, Singaporean Taiwanese musician, songwriter and actor *

Lim Goh Tong Lim Goh Tong (; 28 February 1918 – 23 October 2007) was a prominent wealthy Malaysian Chinese businessman & entrepreneur. He was renowned for his transforming Genting Highlands from an unexplored hilltop into one of the world's most successf ...

, Fujianese billionaire and founder of Genting Group *

Lim Guan Eng Lim Guan Eng (; born 8 December 1960) is a Malaysian politician and accountant from the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a component party of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Bagan, Member of t ...

, Malaysian politician, former Chief Minister of Penang (2008–2018) and current Minister of Finance of Malaysia (2018–present) *

Lim Hng Kiang Lim Hng Kiang ( zh, s=林勋强, p=Lín Xūnqiáng; born 9 April 1954) is a Singaporean former politician who served as Minister for Trade and Industry between 2004 and 2018, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office between 2003 and 2004, Mini ...

(林勛強), Singapore Minister for Trade and Industry *

Lim Hock Soon Tan Chor Jin (; 29 March 1966 – 9 January 2009), also known by his alias Tony Kia, was a Singaporean gang leader known for fatally shooting 41-year-old Lim Hock Soon, his former friend and nightclub owner, using a semi-automatic Beretta 0.22 ...

, Singaporean nightclub owner and murder victim *

Lim Kim San Lim Kim San ( zh, c=林金山, p=Lín Jīnshān; 30 November 1916 – 20 July 2006) was a Singaporean politician who served as a Cabinet minister between 1965 and 1981. He was credited for leading a successful public housing programme in the ...

(林金山), Singaporean politician noted for contributions to public housing policy * Lim Kit Siang, Malaysian politician, known as Mr. Opposition * Lim Koon Teck, first person of East Asian descent to be appointed to the British Colonial Legal Service during the twentieth century * Lim Nee Soon, prominent Singapore pioneer and community leader, rubber magnate and banker *

Norman Kwong Norman Lim Kwong (born Kwong Lim Yew; ; October 24, 1929 – September 3, 2016) was a Canadian football player who played for the Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was also an active businessman ...

(Lim Kwong Yew), former professional athlete and Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, Canada * Lim Por-yen (林百欣), Hong Kong industrialist * Lim Shiow Rong (林秀蓉 Lín Xiùróng), Singaporean and victim of an unsolved child rape and murder case *

Lim Yew Hock Lim Yew Hock ( zh, c=林有福, p=Lín Yǒufú; 15 October 1914 – 30 November 1984) was a MalaysianAbraham Lim (actor) Abraham Lim is an American actor and singer most known for his portrayal of 'Ben Park' on Netflix's ''Clickbait (miniseries), Clickbait'' and as 'Kenji Miyashiro' on Amazon's ''The Boys (TV series), The Boys''. It was recently announced that Lim ...

, American actor and singer *

Adrian Lim The Toa Payoh ritual murders took place in Singapore in 1981. On 25 January, the body of a nine-year-old girl was found at a block of public housing flats in the town of Toa Payoh, and two weeks later, the body of a ten-year-old boy was fo ...

(林宝龙), Singaporean medium and notorious child killer * Catherine Lim, Malaysian-born Singaporean author *

Desiree Lim Desiree Lim (born 1971) is a Malaysian-born Canadian independent film director, producer, and screenwriter. She is known for her films ''Sugar Sweet'' (2001), ''Floored by Love'' (2005), and ''The House'' (2011). Lim tends to work within the realm ...

, Malaysian-born Canadian independent film director, producer, and screenwriter *

Freddy Lim Freddy Lim Tshiong-tso (; Tâi-lô: ''Lîm Tshióng-tsò''; born 1 February 1976) is a Taiwanese politician, musician, and independence activist. He is the lead vocalist of the Taiwanese heavy-metal band Chthonic. and the lead vocalist of the ...

, Taiwanese musician and lead singer of Taiwanese metal band Chthonic * Jennifer Lim, British actress *

Ken Lim Ken Lim (born 1964) is a Singaporean concept & campaign manager, concerts & event promoter, established artiste manager, composer, music producer & publisher. He is the executive director of Hype Records. Early life and career Ken Lim runs on ...

, Singaporean record producer and composer *

Kevin Lim Kevin Lim (born May 2, 1994) is an Indonesian singer and songwriter. He started gaining Indonesian public attention through his first single "Cinta Kita Beda" ''(Our Love is Different)'' produced by his label, Universal Music Indonesia (a subsi ...

, Indonesian singer and songwriter * Lee Hong Susan Lim, Malaysian parasitologist (1952-2014) *

Moses Lim Moses Lim (born 12 December 1949) is a Singaporean actor, television host, comedian and food connoisseur, best known for playing Tan Ah Teck in the Singaporean sitcom '' Under One Roof (1995 - 2003)''. Education Lim took his primary school educa ...

, T.V. and movie actor (e.g. "Just Follow Law"), food gourmet and entrepreneur from Singapore *

Peter Lim Peter Lim (born 21 May 1953) is a Singaporean business magnate who was a stockbroker, and is now a private investor who has invested in sectors ranging from palm oil to medicine. In 2019, Forbes ranked him as the 10th richest person in Singa ...

, Singaporean billionaire *

Phillip Lim Phillip Lim (born September 16, 1973, as Pheng Lim) is an American fashion designer of Chinese descent whose parents immigrated to America from Thailand during the Cambodian genocide. Lim co-founded and worked at the Los Angeles-based fashion labe ...

, U.S. fashion designer *

Pik-Sen Lim Pik-Sen Lim (, born 15 September 1944) is a Malaysian-British actress. According to the British Film Institute, Lim was "the most familiar Chinese actor on British television screens in the 1970s and 80s." Her notable roles include Chin Lee i ...

(林碧笙), Malay-British actress * Rebecca Lim (林慧玲) (born 1986), Singaporean actress *

Ron Lim Ronald Lim (born 1965) is an American comic book artist living in Sacramento, California. He is best known for his work for Marvel Comics on their various "cosmic" titles, most particularly the ''Silver Surfer'' (vol. 3) series. Biography Lim's ...

, U.S. comic book artist *

Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay (; born 16 August 1951) is a Malaysian Chinese billionaire businessman. He is the chairman of Genting Group, a casinos, resorts and palm oil conglomerate with a market capitalization of almost MYR40 billion, and the second ...

, Chairman and C.E.O. of Genting Berhad conglomerate *

Wendell Lim Wendell Lim Ph.D. is the Byer's Distinguished Professor of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology at the University of California, San Francisco. He is the Director of the UCSF Cell Design Institute. He earned his A.B. in Chemistry from Harvard Univ ...

, Professor at

University of California, San Francisco The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a public land-grant research university in San Francisco, California. It is part of the University of California system and is dedicated entirely to health science and life science. It cond ...

and director of SynBERC *

Sondhi Limthongkul Sondhi Limthongkul ( th, สนธิ ลิ้มทองกุล; RTGS: Sonthi Limthongkun; , born 7 November 1947) is a Thai media mogul, reactionary activist, demagogue, and leader of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD). He was elect ...

(林明達), Thai journalist, founder and owner of

Manager Daily ''Manager Daily 360 Degree '' ( th, ผู้จัดการรายวัน 360 องศา; ) is a Thai-language daily newspaper published in Bangkok and distributed nationwide. The paper is a broadsheet, and emphasizes political and bu ...

and political activist

Liem

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...

: * John Liem Beng Kiat, Indonesian member of the

Asia-Pacific Scout Committee The Asia-Pacific Scout Region is the divisional office of the World Scout Bureau of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, headquartered in Makati, Philippines, with satellite offices in Australia and Japan. The Asia-Pacific Region servi ...

Liem Bwan Tjie Liem Bwan Tjie (6 September 1891 – 28 July 1966) was a prominent architect, and a pioneering figure of modern Indonesian architecture. He belonged to the first generation of professionally trained Indonesian architects. Early life and educati ...

, Indonesian architect *

Liem Koen Hian Liem Koen Hian (3 November 1897 – 4 November 1952) was an Indonesian journalist and politician. He was born in Banjarmasin, the son of a local peranakan Chinese business owner, Liem Ke An. He attended the Hollands-Chineesche School to class 6, ...

, Indonesian journalist and politician *

Liem Seeng Tee Liem Seeng Tee (1893 – 1956) was the founder of PT HM Sampoerna Tbk., one of the largest tobacco companies in Indonesia. In the 1930s, Liem Seeng Tee adopted the Indonesian name Sampoerna (cf. sempurna) meaning "perfection" as his fami ...

, founder of Sampoerna, one of the largest Indonesian tobacco companies *

Liem Sioe Liong Sudono Salim (16 July 1916 – 10 June 2012), also known as Liem Sioe Liong, was a Chinese-born Indonesian banker and businessman. He was the richest individual in Indonesia. He was the founder and chairman of the conglomerate Salim Group be ...

, Indonesian tycoon *

Liem Swie King Liem Swie King (; born 28 February 1956) is an Indonesian former badminton player who excelled from the late 1970s through the mid-1980s. He won the All England in 1978, 1979 and 1981. He was one of the world's leading singles players of his e ...

, Indonesian badminton player * Liem Tien Pao, one of Indonesia's richest men * Liem Tjoan Hok, Indonesian film director

Ling

Eastern Min Eastern Min or Min Dong (, Foochow Romanized: Mìng-dĕ̤ng-ngṳ̄), is a branch of the Min group of Sinitic languages of China. The prestige form and most-cited representative form is the Fuzhou dialect, the speech of the capital of Fujian. ...

, Northern Min, and Wu form: *

Ling How Doong Ling How Doong (; 1935/1936 – 30 April 2021) was a Singaporean politician and lawyer who served as the Parliament of Singapore, Member of Parliament (MP) for Bukit Gombak Single Member Constituency, Bukit Gombak SMC between 1991 and 1996. Edu ...

(林孝谆, 1934–2021), Singaporean politician and lawyer *

Ling Liong Sik Tun Dr. Ling Liong Sik (; born 18 September 1943) is a retired Malaysian politician. He was the sixth president of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), a component party of Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition and also the former Malaysian Minis ...

(林良实, born 1943), the sixth president of the

Malaysian Chinese Association The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA; zh, 马来西亚华人公会; ; ta, மலேசிய சீனர் சங்கம், initially known as the Malayan Chinese Association) is a uni-racial political party in Malaysia that seeks to ...

(MCA) *

Jahja Ling Jahja Ling () is a conductor, music director and pianist. From 2004 to 2017, he was the music director and conductor at the San Diego Symphony. Following his retirement in 2017, he plans to do guest conducting, as well as teaching and voluntee ...

(林望傑, born 1951) * Alan Ling Sie Kiong (林思健, born 1983), Malaysian lawyer * John Wey Ling (林建伟, born 1958 or 1959), Chinese-born American ballet dancer *

Julia Ling Julia Ling, born Xiao Wei Lin, is an American actress. Her television work includes recurring roles on NBC series such as '' ER'', ''Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip'', and as a series regular on ''Chuck''. Early life and education Ling was born ...

(林小微, born 1983), American television actress * Landon Ling (林家亮, born 1987), Canadian football player *

Tschen La Ling Tscheu La Ling ( Chinese: 林球立; pinyin: ''Lín Qiú Lì''; born 6 January 1956) is a Dutch former professional footballer of mixed Dutch and Chinese descent, who played for clubs in the Netherlands, Greece and France. His name has been spell ...

(林球立, born 1956), Dutch football player *

Victor Ling Victor Ling, (; born 1943) is a Canadian researcher in the field of medicine. Ling's research focuses on drug resistance in cancer. He is best known for his discovery of P-glycoprotein, one of the proteins responsible for multidrug resistance. ...

(林重慶, born 1943), Chinese-born Canadian scientist

References

{{surname Chinese-language surnames Individual Chinese surnames Surnames of Malaysian origin Surnames of Tongan origin