Meaning of the surname Lim (임)

임 is written 林, meaning “forest”, and its character belongs to the element 🌿 木 Wood. Spelled Lim, Im or Yim. There is also 任 (Im), a separate surname meaning 'to entrust'.

Major clans (본관)

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

• Naju Im (나주 임씨)
• Pyeongtaek Im (평택 임씨)

Given names that pair well with Lim

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.