경주 최씨 family tree
Build your family tree online경주 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).
About the 경주 최씨 clan
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.
Main branches (派)
Saseong-gong branch, Jeongmu-gong line, Gwangajeong-gong branch, Gwangjeong-gong branch, Jeongnang-gong branch, Hwasuk-gong branch, Chungnyeol-gong branch
Saseong-gong branch (司成公派)
The Saseong-gong branch takes as its first generation Choi Ye (崔汭), an upright official who served as Saseong of the Royal Academy, the 12th-generation descendant of Choi Chi-won. His four sons founded the Busa-gong and Juwon lines and others; later sub-branches include the Pangwan-gong, Sajik-gong, Yunwon, Naegeumwi-gong and Chambong-gong lines.
General Choi Jin-rip (Jeongmu-gong), who died in the 1636 Manchu invasion, belongs to this branch; his descendants became the famous Gyeongju Choi rich family, known for its rule that no one within a hundred li should starve.
Branch lines and generations may differ by lineage record; check your own family jokbo.
Jeongmu-gong line (貞武公派)
A sub-line of the Saseong-gong branch founded by General Choi Jin-rip (1568–1636), posthumously named Jeongmu, who fought in the Imjin War and died in battle during the 1636 Manchu invasion. His descendants were the Gyeongju Choi rich family, renowned for twelve generations of wealth shared with the community.
Branch lines and generations may differ by lineage record; check your own family jokbo.
Gwangajeong-gong branch (觀稼亭公派)
One of the six main branches, founded by Choi Cheong (崔淸), the 11th-generation descendant of Choi Chi-won, in the line of the second-generation ancestor Eun-ham.
Branch lines and generations may differ by lineage record; check your own family jokbo.
Gwangjeong-gong branch (匡靖公派)
One of the six main branches, founded by Choi Dan (崔鄲), in the Eun-ham line. The late-Joseon scholar Choi Heung-won (Baekburam, 1705–1786) belonged to it.
Branch lines and generations may differ by lineage record; check your own family jokbo.
Jeongnang-gong branch (正郞公派)
One of the six main branches, founded by Choi Ho (崔灝), in the same Yun-sun line as the Saseong-gong branch.
Branch lines and generations may differ by lineage record; check your own family jokbo.
Hwasuk-gong branch (和淑公派)
One of the six main branches, founded by Choi Hyeon-u (崔玄祐), in the line of the eighth-generation ancestor Ae.
Branch lines and generations may differ by lineage record; check your own family jokbo.
Chungnyeol-gong branch (忠烈公派)
One of the six main branches, founded by Choi Gwang-wi (崔光位), in the Eun-ham line.
Branch lines and generations may differ by lineage record; check your own family jokbo.
Branch divisions vary by lineage and jokbo; confirm your own branch in your family's records.
Notable figures
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)
Tap a name for the full profile (life, career, grave, descendants).
경주 최씨 — Independence patriots
경주 최씨 figures recognized as independence patriots (National Independence Hall / Gonghun public data). Tap a name for the citation.
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경주 최씨 — Pro-Japanese collaborators
경주 최씨 figures listed by the Presidential Committee or the Dictionary of Pro-Japanese Collaborators (Minjok Munje Institute).
The Roots of the Gyeongju Choi Clan — Progenitor Choi Chi-won
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.
The Gyeongju Choi 'Rich House' and Noblesse Oblige
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 Six Precepts (六訓) — Six Family Teachings
- Do not covet power — Take the state examination, but rise no higher than jinsa.
- Pursue mutually beneficial profit — Do not hold property beyond ten thousand seok.
- Communicate and be harmonious — Treat travelers generously.
- Pursue wealth by just means — Do not buy land in years of famine.
- Be frugal and thrifty — Let the daughter-in-law wear cotton clothes for three years after marrying in.
- Help one another — Let no one starve to death within a hundred li in any direction.
The Six Manners (六然) — Teachings for Keeping Oneself
- Jacheo choyeon (自處超然) — Carry yourself with detachment.
- Daein aeyeon (對人靄然) — Treat others with warmth.
- Musa jingyeon (無事澄然) — When there is nothing to do, keep your mind clear.
- Yusa gamyeon (有事斬然) — When there is something to do, act decisively.
- Deugui damyeon (得意澹然) — When you succeed, act with equanimity.
- Sirui taeyeon (失意泰然) — Even when you fail, act with composure.
Branches — 27 Branches and 6 Major Branches
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.
- Gwangajeonggong-pa (觀稼亭公派) — Choi Cheong (崔淸)
- Gwangjeonggong-pa (匡靖公派) — Choi Dan (崔鄲)
- Jeongnanggong-pa (正郞公派) — Choi Ho (崔灝)
- Saseonggong-pa (司成公派) — Choi Ye (崔汭)
- Hwasukgong-pa (和淑公派) — Choi Hyeon-u (崔玄祐)
- Chungnyeolgong-pa (忠烈公派) — Choi Gwang-wi (崔光位)
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.
Branch Diagram (系派圖) — Lines by 2nd-Generation Ancestor
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.
Descendants of 2nd-generation Eun-ham (殷含)
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)
Descendants of 2nd-generation Yun-sun (允順)
Jeongnanggong-pa · Saseonggong-pa · Songogong-pa · Munmilgong-pa · Dongseonggun-pa · Munjeonggong-pa · Yeongheungbaek-pa · Moksagong-pa
Descendants of 8th-generation Ae (애)
Hwasukgong-pa · Miljikgong-pa
Descendants of mid-ancestor Eon-wi (彦위)
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.
Related Videos
How to build your 경주 최씨 tree
- Start with yourself — sign in to get your own tree. Enter your name, birth year and clan seat (경주).
- Add older generations — add parents and grandparents. For accuracy see tracing ancestors with jejeok records (usually to about 5 generations).
- Link siblings & children — sort by generational name (hangnyeol) to see each generation at a glance.
- Export & share — save the finished tree as a PDF and invite family to manage it together.
Related reading
경주 최씨 clan association
For other branch associations, see the Korean E-Jokbo Library clan-association directory.
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