Im (surname)

Im or Lim is a common Korean family name. 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 character is 林. The Supul Rim or Lim or Im branch consists of two large clan houses; the first is Naju (early Hoijin) and the second, which is the elder branch, is Pyeongtaek. 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 Hanja character is 任. The Matgil Im/Mateul Im branch consists of one large clan house called Pungcheon Im clan 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 and Revised Romanization of Korean, as "Lim".

When 任 (임) is romanized, it is spelled as "Im" in McCune–Reischauer and Revised Romanization of Korean, 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.

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.


 * Im Sahong (1445–1506)
 * Im Kkeokjeong (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 (1594 – 1646), general of the Joseon period, instrumental in protecting Korea from Manchu invasion.
 * Im Yunjidang (1721-1793), she wrote the Yunjidang Yugo.
 * Im Sang-ok (1779–1885), a major ginseng trader of Joseon.

Notable people of the recent times

 * Im Chang-kyun (stage name I.M), South Korean rapper, member of boy group Monsta X
 * Im Chang-jung, South Korean actor and singer
 * Dami Im, Australian-Korean singer and songwriter
 * Danny Im (stage name Taebin), Korean-American singer, member of group 1TYM
 * Im Do-hwa, South Korean singer and actress, former member of girl group AOA
 * Im Dong-hyun, South Korean archer
 * Im Heung-soon, South Korean artist and director
 * Im Hyun-sik, South Korean singer, member of boy band BtoB
 * Im Jae-hyuk, South Korean part-time actor
 * Im Jin-ah (stage name Nana), South Korean singer, actress, and model, member of After School
 * Im Kwon-taek, South Korean film director
 * Im Na-yeon, South Korean singer, member of girl group Twice
 * Im Sang-soo, South Korean film director
 * Im Se-mi, South Korean actress
 * Im Si-wan, South Korean singer and actor, member of boy group ZE:A
 * Im So-eun (stage name NC.A), South Korean singer
 * Im Soo-hyang, South Korean actress
 * Im Soo-jung, South Korean actress
 * Im Sung-han, South Korean television screenwriter
 * Im Won-sik, Korean conductor, composer, and educator
 * Im Yoon-ah, South Korean singer and actress, member of girl group Girls' Generation
 * Lim Chang-yong, South Korean baseball pitcher
 * Dong-Hyek Lim, South Korean classical pianist
 * Lim Dong-Hyun (stage name Lee Do-hyun), South Korean actor
 * Lim Dong-won, retired South Korean politician
 * Lim Eun-ji, South Korean pole vaulter
 * Lim Hyo-jun, South Korean short track speed skater, Olympic gold medalist
 * Lim Hyung-joo, South Korean operatic pop (popera) tenor and classical crossover singer
 * Lim Jae-beom (stage name Jay B), South Korean singer and actor, member of boy band Got7
 * Lim Ji-yeon,South Korean actress
 * Lim Jeong-hee, South Korean singer
 * Lim Jeong-hyun, South Korean guitarist
 * Lim Ju-hwan, South Korean actor
 * Lim Na-young, South Korean singer, former member of South Korean girl groups I.O.I and Pristin
 * Lim Seulong, South Korean singer and actor, member of boy group 2AM
 * Lim Sungbin (stage name Beenzino), South Korean rapper
 * Lim Yo-hwan, South Korean former professional StarCraft player
 * Rhim Ju-yeon, South Korean comics writer
 * Rim Jong-sim, North Korean Olympic weightlifter
 * Yim Bang-eun, South Korean badminton player
 * Yim Soon-rye, South Korean film director
 * Yim Sung-ah, South Korean professional golfer
 * Lim Young-woong, South Korean trot singer
 * Yunchan Lim, South Korean pianist