경주 최씨(慶州 崔氏) — A representative old-surname (古姓) distinguished house of Korea, spanning some 2,000 years, that takes as its progenitor the great late-Silla literary master Goun Choi Chi-won (崔致遠).
A representative old-surname (古姓) distinguished house of Korea, spanning some 2,000 years, that takes as its progenitor the great late-Silla literary master Goun Choi Chi-won (崔致遠). In the 2015 Census the 경주 최씨 clan numbered about 1,027,848 people, one of Korea's major surnames and clans. Even among people surnamed 최, a different clan seat (bon-gwan, 경주) means a different lineage. New to these terms? See the bon-gwan, pa & hangnyeol guide.
27 branches in all, centered on six major branches: Gwangajeonggong-pa, Gwangjeonggong-pa, Jeongnanggong-pa, Saseonggong-pa, Hwasukgong-pa, Chungnyeolgong-pa, and others
Branch divisions vary by lineage and jokbo; confirm your own branch in your family's records.
최청(founder of the Gwangajeonggong-pa), 최단(founder of the Gwangjeonggong-pa), 최호(founder of the Jeongnanggong-pa), 최예(founder of the Saseonggong-pa), 최현우(founder of the Hwasukgong-pa), 최광위(founder of the Chungnyeolgong-pa), 최치원(Silla scholar), 최진립(military official who died in the Byeongja War; founding ancestor of the Choi Rich House branch), 최제우(founder of Donghak), 최시형(2nd leader of Donghak), 최익현(late-Joseon righteous-army commander), 최현배(Korean-language scholar)
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경주 최씨 figures recognized as independence patriots (National Independence Hall / Gonghun public data). Tap a name for the citation.
경주 최씨 figures listed by the Presidential Committee or the Dictionary of Pro-Japanese Collaborators (Minjok Munje Institute).
A surname with its ancestral seat in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, its progenitor is the great late-Silla literary master Goun Choi Chi-won (崔致遠). Choi Chi-won is said to be the 24th-generation descendant of the founder Sobeoldori (蘇伐都利), village chief of Dolsan Goheo village in the Saro state (斯盧國) of Jinhan (辰韓). In the 2015 Population and Housing Census by Statistics Korea it numbered about 1,027,848, placing it around 7th in surname-and-seat rankings, and historically it is counted among Korea's representative old surnames (古姓) spanning some 2,000 years.
Settling in Gyodong, Gyeongju, from the late 18th century, the so-called Choi Rich House, which built its wealth through a virtuous cycle created by the active adoption of rice transplanting and the lowering of tenant rents, is well known for a spirit of noblesse oblige carried on across generations. This spirit drew renewed attention in the 2000s and was even dramatized in the 2010 KBS drama 'Myeongga.' During the Japanese colonial period, Prince Uichin stayed six days at the Gyeongju Choi ancestral house and bestowed on the head of the family, Choi Jun (崔浚), the art name 'Munpa (汶坡).' The Choi Rich House hands down the Six Precepts (六訓), six family teachings, and the Six Manners (六然), teachings for keeping oneself, which its descendants are said to live by even today.
The Gyeongju Choi clan divides into 27 branches in all, of which the following six major branches form the core. According to the grand genealogy (daedongbo), most branches diverged from the 11th- and 12th-generation descendants of Munchang-hu Choi Chi-won. For example, since Choi Cheong, founder of the Gwangajeonggong-pa, is an 11th-generation descendant of Munchang-hu, a 19th-generation descendant of the Gwangajeonggong-pa is a 30th-generation descendant of Munchang-hu and a 54th-generation descendant of Sobeoldori.
The other 21 branches are as follows.
Panseogong-pa (Choi Gang) · Panseogong-pa (Choi Jin) · Sangseogong-pa (Choi Yeon) · Jwayungong-pa (Choi Hae-un) · Gilseonggun-pa (Choi Yu-jeong) · Hangnimgun-pa (Choi Tak) · Panseogong-pa (Choi Sa-won) · Sijunggong-pa (Choi Sang-hun) · Cheongseonghu-pa (Choi Ju) · Songogong-pa (Choi Han) · Munmilgong-pa (Choi Je) · Dongseonggun-pa (Choi Jong-yu) · Munjeonggong-pa (Choi Hae) · Yeongheungbaek-pa (Choi Ji-mi) · Moksagong-pa (Choi Deuk-ryong) · Miljikgong-pa (Choi Gwang-u) · Munsungong-pa (Choi Hwan) · Haksagong-pa (Choi Rim) · Jinsagong-pa (Choi Jong-ji) · Chambonggong-pa (Choi Bong-jo) · Jeoruigong-pa (Choi Hang).
Branch divisions and generation counts may vary by clan and grand genealogy, so confirm your own family's branch in the genealogy you hold.
The various branches of the Gyeongju Choi clan diverged largely from the lines of the 2nd-generation sons of the progenitor Munchang-hu Choi Chi-won — Eun-ham (殷含) and Yun-sun (允順) — the 8th-generation Ae (애) line, and the line of the mid-ancestor Eon-wi (彦위). Organizing the grand genealogy's branch diagram by ancestor gives the following.
Gwangajeonggong-pa · Gwangjeonggong-pa · Sangseogong-pa · Jwayungong-pa · Gilseonggun-pa · Gyerimgun-pa · Chungnyeolgong-pa · Sijunggong-pa · Cheongseonghu-pa · Munsungong-pa · Haksagong-pa · Jinsagong-pa · Panseogong-pa (several lines)
Jeongnanggong-pa · Saseonggong-pa · Songogong-pa · Munmilgong-pa · Dongseonggun-pa · Munjeonggong-pa · Yeongheungbaek-pa · Moksagong-pa
Hwasukgong-pa · Miljikgong-pa
Jeoruigong-pa
The above branch diagram draws on materials such as those of the Gyeongju Choi Central Clan Association (kyoungjuchoi.com). Detailed lineages and branch founders may vary by clan and grand genealogy, so confirm your own family's branch in the genealogy you hold.
For other branch associations, see the Korean E-Jokbo Library clan-association directory.
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