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이
李
Lee / i /
#2 most common Korean surname · about 14.7% of South Koreans

Meaning of the surname Lee (이)

이 is written 李, meaning “plum tree”, and its character belongs to the element 🌿 木 Wood. Also spelled Yi or Rhee. The Jeonju Lee clan produced the kings of the Joseon dynasty (1392–1897).

Major clans (본관)

Korean surnames are subdivided by bon-gwan, the ancestral seat of the clan. Two Kims from different clans are, genealogically, unrelated.

Given names that pair well with Lee

In naming practice the surname's element is fixed, so a given name is often chosen to carry the element the surname produces (木 Wood → 🔥 火 Fire) — a “generating” (상생) relationship — while avoiding a repeated first sound.

이하윤 李夏潤
Lee Ha-Yoon · summer · glossy, to enrich
이지안 李智安
Lee Ji-An · wisdom · peace, safety
이아린 李雅潾
Lee Ah-Rin · refined, elegant · clear water
이아윤 李雅潤
Lee Ah-Yoon · refined, elegant · glossy, to enrich
이지우 李智雨
Lee Ji-Woo · wisdom · rain
이하린 李夏潾
Lee Ha-Rin · summer · clear water
이지아 李智雅
Lee Ji-Ah · wisdom · refined, elegant
이소율 李昭律
Lee So-Yul · bright, clear · law, rhythm
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Other surnames

Kim (김) · Park (박) · Choi (최) · Jung (정) · Kang (강) · Cho (조) · Yoon (윤) · Jang (장) · Lim (임) · Han (한) · Oh (오) · Seo (서) · Shin (신) · Kwon (권) · Hwang (황) · Ahn (안) · Song (송) · Jeon (전) · Hong (홍) · Yoo (유) · Ko (고) · Moon (문) · Yang (양) · Son (손) · Bae (배) · Cho (조) · Baek (백) · Heo (허) · Yoo (유) · Nam (남) · Shim (심) · Noh (노) · Jung (정) · Ha (하) · Kwak (곽) · Sung (성) · Cha (차) · Joo (주) · Woo (우) · Koo (구) · Shin (신) · Im (임) · Na (나) · Jeon (전) · Min (민) · Yoo (유) · Ryu (류) · Jin (진) · Um (엄) · Won (원) · Chun (천) · Bang (방) · Gong (공) · Hyun (현) · Byun (변) · Ham (함) · Seok (석) · Pyo (표) · Tak (탁)