Chae

Chae, also less commonly spelled Chai or Chea, is a Korean family name. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write it.

Overview
The 2000 South Korean Census found 119,251 people with the family name Chae. It could be written with any of three hanja, indicating different lineages. In a study by the National Institute of the Korean Language based on year 2007 application data for South Korean passports, it was found that 87.8% of people with this surname spelled it in Latin letters as Chae in their passports. Another 7.5% spelled it as Chai, 2.8% as Che, and 1.7% as Chea.

Most common (蔡)
(성씨 채 songssi chae) is by far the most common of the three Chae surnames. This character is also used to write the Chinese family name pronounced Cài in Mandarin. The 2000 Census found 114,069 people and 35,099 households with this surname, divided among seventeen reported bon-gwan (clan hometowns, not necessarily the actual residence of clan members), as well as eighty-six people whose bon-gwan was not stated:
 * Pyonggang, Kangwon (today in North Korea): 69,256 people and 21,373 households They claim descent from Chae Song-nyeon (채송년; 蔡松年), an official under Gojong of Goryeo.
 * Incheon, Gyeonggi (today in South Korea): 37,391 people and 11,415 households They claim descent from Chae Seon-mu (채선무; 蔡先茂), who lived sometime during mid-Goryeo Dynasty.
 * Other or unreported bon-gwan: 7,422 people and 2,311 households

Second-most common (菜)
(나물 채 namul chae) is the second-most common of the three Chae surnames. The 2000 Census found 3,516 people and 1,067 households with this surname, divided among two reported bon-gwan:
 * Yeongyang, North Gyeongsang (today in South Korea): 1,816 people and 576 households
 * Jinju, South Gyeongsang: 1,627 people and 483 households
 * Other or unreported bon-gwan: 73 people and eight households

Least common (采)
(풍채 채 pungchae chae, 캘 채 kael chae) is the least common of the three Chae surnames. The 2000 Census found 1,666 people and 566 households with this surname, with one reported bon-gwan:
 * Yeosan: 1,637 people and 562 households
 * Other or unreported bon-gwan: 29 people and two households

People
People with these family names include:
 * Esther K. Chae (Chae Kyung-ju), American actress of Korean descent
 * Chae Eui-jin (채의진), South Korean voice actor
 * Chae Eun-hee (채은희, born 1982), South Korean marathon runner
 * Chae Gwang-jin (채광진, born 1994), South Korean League of Legends player
 * Chae Ho-ki (채호기, 蔡好基, born 1957), South Korean poet
 * Chae Hyung-won (채형원, 蔡亨源, born 1994), South Korean singer, DJ and member of Monsta X
 * Chae Ji-hoon (채지훈, 蔡智薰, born 1974) South Korean speed skater
 * Ji Young Chae (채지영, born 1993), South Korean ballet dancer
 * Chae Jong-hyeop (채종협, 蔡锺协, born 1993), South Korean actor
 * Chae Jung-an (채정안, 蔡貞安, born Jang Jung-an, 1977), South Korean actress and singer
 * Junseok Chae (채준석), South Korean engineer and academic administrator
 * Chae Keun-bae (채근배, 蔡根培, born 1970), South Korean sport shooter
 * Chae Man-sik (채만식, 蔡萬植, 1902–1950), Korean novelist
 * Chae Min-seo (채민서, born Cho Soo-jin, 1981), South Korean actress
 * Chae Myung-shin (채명신, 蔡命新, 1926–2013), South Korean army general
 * Nelson Chai (채주석, Chai Joo-suk, born 1965), American investment banker of Korean descent
 * Chae Ri-na (채리나, born Park Hyun-joo, 1977), South Korean singer
 * Chae Shi-ra (채시라, 蔡時那, born 1968), South Korean actress
 * Chae Su-chan (채수찬, 蔡秀澯, born 1955), South Korean politician and economist
 * Chae Sung-bae (채성배, 蔡成培, born 1968), South Korean heavyweight boxer
 * Chae Sang-byung (채상병, 蔡尙秉, born 1979), South Korean baseball player
 * Chae Seon-ah (채선아, born 1992), South Korean volleyball player
 * Chea Song-joo (채송주, born 1998), South Korean figure skater
 * Chae Sang-woo (채상우, 蔡相宇, born 1999), South Korean actor
 * Chae Soo-bin (채수빈, 蔡秀彬, born Bae Soo-bin, 1994), South Korean actress
 * Chae YuJung (채유정, 蔡侑玎, born 1995). South Korea badminton player