함평 이씨(咸平 李氏) — A branch of the Yi surname with its seat at Hampyeong in South Jeolla, taking as founder Yi Eon, said to have been a general of the Sinmuwi guard at the founding of Goryeo.
A branch of the Yi surname with its seat at Hampyeong in South Jeolla, taking as founder Yi Eon, said to have been a general of the Sinmuwi guard at the founding of Goryeo. In the 2015 Census the 함평 이씨 clan numbered about 138,550 people, one of Korea's major surnames and clans. Even among people surnamed 이, a different clan seat (bon-gwan, 함평) means a different lineage. New to these terms? See the bon-gwan, pa & hangnyeol guide.
The Hampyeong Yi (咸平 李氏) take Hampyeong County in South Jeolla as their ancestral seat and were counted at 138,550 in the 2015 census. The Hampung Yi (咸豊 李氏), named after the old place name Hampung, are counted separately at 18,552, and some sources give a combined 157,102.
According to the Jeongmyobo genealogy, the founder Yi Eon (李彦) served as a general of the Sinmuwi guard under King Taejo of Goryeo; some sources say King Gwangjong, so the era is disputed. The 2nd generation Yi Hwa and the 3rd Yi Sang-mun were generals of the Sinho guard, and the 4th Yi Sun-ji a general of the Heungwi guard. His second son, the 5th-generation Yi Gwang-bong, is said to have won merit as an envoy to Yuan under King Chungsuk, to have become a meritorious subject and to have been enfeoffed Prince Hampung. Accounts of the generations between Yi Eon and Yi Gwang-bong differ slightly by source.
The 9th generation Yi Ja-bo served as magistrate of Mopyeong and had three sons, Yi I, Yi Geuk-hae and Yi Geuk-myeong, and the family flourished. The 10th-generation Yi Geuk-myeong (1388-1454) was posthumously made Minister of War and Lord Hampyeong, and the lines divide with his eldest son Yi Jong-saeng (Hamseong-gun branch) and second son Yi Jong-su (Champan-gong branch). A line that had split into seven branches after the 7th generation is said to have expanded to 27 branches in the 1924 Gapja grand genealogy, taking 11th-generation ancestors as branch founders; Namuwiki lists 22.
Joseon-era members were mostly military officers. Yi Jong-saeng's son Yi Ryang is said to have built an anti-pirate breakwater at Yeosu as Left Jeolla naval commander, and Yi Jong-in drove off raiders at Chuja Island. Around the Imjin War there were Yi Dae-won, who died at the 1587 Sonjuk Island raid, and Yi Gak, beheaded for abandoning his post right after the invasion began; under Yeongjo Yi Sam guarded the gates in Yi In-jwa's rebellion and was enfeoffed Lord Hameun. Scholars include Yi Man-un, who compiled the Jeungbo Munheon Bigo at Jeongjo's command, and the painter Yi Bang-un. A tally gives 293 Joseon-era examination passers (78 civil, 14 military, 199 Sama and 2 medical).
Under Japanese rule Yi Byeong-heon took part in the March 1st Movement and the Singan-hoe. After liberation the same ancestral seat is given for the human rights lawyer Yi Don-myeong, Yi Yong-seop (Minister of Construction and Mayor of Gwangju), Yi Gye-hun (Air Force Chief of Staff), the baseball player Yi Jong-beom and his son Yi Jeong-hu.
The founder's era, generation counts and branch founders' lineages differ by source; check with your own genealogy and the clan association.
Hamseong-gun-pa, Champan-gong-pa, Hyou-gong-pa, Seonggeun-jinsa-gong-pa, Daegyo-gong-pa, Giseong-gun-pa, Unbong-gong-pa, Jongseong-gun-pa, Jipyeong-gong-pa, Sonmu-hyeongam-gong-pa
The Hamseong-gun branch descends from the 11th-generation Yi Jong-saeng (1423-1495). He is said to have been made a Jeokgae merit subject and enfeoffed Lord Hamseong (written 咸城 or 咸成) for putting down the Yi Si-ae rebellion, and to have received the title Jangyang. He was the eldest son of the 10th-generation Yi Geuk-myeong.
The branch is said to have formed when the 1924 Gapja grand genealogy expanded to 27 branches with 11th-generation founders. Within it the Guwan-gong branch under the 16th-generation Yi Chun-won is introduced separately, and the tombs and spirit-way stele of Yi Chun-won, his son and grandson stand at Geumnam-ri, Hwado-eup, Namyangju.
Its settlements are described widely: Buyeo, Dangjin, Nonsan and Yesan in South Chungcheong, Hwaseong and Yangpyeong in Gyeonggi, Jeongeup, Muan and Chuncheon. Baengi village in Toegyewon-ri, Namyangju, is the clan village where the 16th-generation Yi Bae-won settled.
Notable descendants include Yi Gak, Yi Sam and Yi Jong-saeng's son Yi Ryang. A separate Hamseong-gun Branch Association is said to exist.
The Champan-gong branch descends from the 11th-generation Yi Jong-su (1424-1483), younger brother of Yi Jong-saeng. He served as a Bu-sajeong of the Chungjwawi and was posthumously made Vice Minister of War, from which the branch is said to have opened.
His son Yi Jong-in captured pirates and drove off raiders at Chuja. The 14th-generation Yi Yu-geun (1523-1606) passed the civil examination, served as magistrate of Daegu and, as a secretary to the Ming embassy, is said to have moved the emperor with a poem and received jade pendants. The 15th-generation Yi Ji-hyo (1551-1614) died in prison for opposing the deposition debate on the Queen Dowager but was exonerated with a loyal-subject gate and posthumous rank, and Yi Ji-deuk is said to have given grain and gathered volunteers in the Imjin War and died at Heungyang.
Jukji and Chodong villages in Dasi, Naju, are the main clan villages, with Soyojeong and Bosan Jeongsa (Jeonnam Cultural Heritage Material No. 131). Yi Yu-geun and others are said to be enshrined among the eight worthies of Bosan Jeongsa. Gosan-dong in Deoksan-ri, Daedong-myeon, Hampyeong, Samhyang-myeon in Muan and Miryang and Changnyeong are also named.
Modern descendants introduced in this branch include Yi Don-myeong, Yi Gye-hun and the lawmaker Yi Jae-geun.
The Hyou-gong branch is said to take as its early ancestor Yi Jeop, called Hyou-gong for his filial conduct and learning. He was a son of Yi Chun-su and a brother of Yi Geung (1389-1433), who rose to Vice Minister of Works. The 13th-generation Yi Sun-ji (1458-1519) is said to have settled at Sasan village in Chopo-ri, Nasan-myeon, Hampyeong, and opened the branch there in memory of his grandfather.
Yi Sun-ji's elder brother Yi Sun-hwa served as manho, and the head house is called Manho-gong Jonggaji. Its residence, the Yi Geon-pung House, is Jeonnam Cultural Heritage Material No. 251, and the village has Sasansa where the founder is honored.
Yi Chung-sil (1542-1598), a Hullyeonwon officer, is recorded in the Jeolla provincial gazetteer as fighting at Dangpo and Yulpo under Yi Sun-sin and dying at Noryang. Yi Hong-jik (1705-1796) rose to Sagan, impeached local officials and, lamenting Hong Guk-yeong's dominance, lived in seclusion in Hampyeong.
In the modern era the branch is described as producing many anti-Japanese activists, including the volunteer Yi Chil-heon of Jangseong and Yi Gye-dong, Yi Gwon-beom and Yi Do-beom, who led the March 1st Movement in Hampyeong. Its villages include several in Hampyeong, Gwangsan-gu in Gwangju, Muan, Yeonggwang and Seocheon.
The Seonggeun Jinsa-gong branch has its clan village at Yeomun-dong, Huigok-ri, Poseung-eup, Pyeongtaek. Namuwiki introduces Yi Dae-won as a 15th-generation descendant of this branch. The name and office of the branch founder and the hanja spelling were not confirmed.
Yi Dae-won was the Nokdo commander who died at Sonjuk Island in the 1587 Jeonghae raid, and his tomb at Huigok-ri is Gyeonggi Monument No. 56. Pyeongtaek has Hwakchungsa, where his tablet is enshrined.
The Daegyo-gong branch is introduced with its clan village at Eumgok, Naegi-ri, Poseung-eup, Pyeongtaek. Namuwiki records Yi Byeong-heon (independence activist and lawmaker) as a descendant of this branch.
Detailed information on the branch founder and the hanja spelling were not confirmed. Naegi-ri in Poseung-eup is also said to be where Yi Dae-won was born, indicating that several lines of the Hampyeong Yi lived around Poseung in Pyeongtaek.
The Giseong-gun branch is introduced as settled around Ochi-dong in Buk-gu, Gwangju, and in Naju, Yeongam, Jangseong and Nonsan. The name of the branch founder, how he came by the title and the hanja spelling were not confirmed.
Namuwiki introduces the baseball player Yi Jong-beom and his son Yi Jeong-hu as descendants of this branch.
The Unbong-gong branch is introduced with clan villages at Yongbong-dong in Buk-gu and Deungnim-dong in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju. Namuwiki records Yi U-heon (1902-1975), a member of the 6th and 7th National Assemblies, as a descendant.
The name and office of the branch founder and the hanja spelling were not confirmed.
The founder of the Jongseong-gun branch is given in Namuwiki as Yi Un-ro (李雲露); a footnote explains that he is the same person as the founder of the Jongseong-gun branch of the Ubong Yi and of the Jongseong Yi. Because this overlaps with the lineage of other seats, its place within the Hampyeong Yi is best checked against the genealogy.
Its villages are given as Eumseong, Hwaseong, Yangpyeong, Yongin and Hongcheon. The generations and hanja spelling were not confirmed.
The Jipyeong-gong branch is introduced as settled at Gamsan in Geumsan-ri, Daedong-myeon, Hanssam in Daedeok-ri, Hampyeong-eup, and Seulsan in Deoksan-ri, Haeje-myeon, Muan. Jipyeong (持平) is a fifth-rank post of the Office of the Inspector General and the branch may be named after the founder having held it, but the founder's name was not confirmed.
Wikipedia lists Yi On (born 1604), who passed the civil examination under Injo, served as Jipyeong and left a collected work, as a Hampyeong Yi figure, but it is not confirmed whether he is the founder of this branch.
The Sonmu Hyeongam-gong branch is introduced with clan villages at Hyanggyo in Hyanggyo-ri, Daedong-myeon, and Seongnam in Seongnam-ri, Hampyeong-eup. Namuwiki records Yi Yong-seop, former Minister of Construction and Transportation and Mayor of Gwangju, as a descendant of this branch.
The name of the branch founder, the district where he was magistrate and the hanja spelling were not confirmed. The same source introduces Yi Jae-gap, former Minister of Employment and Labor, under the Hyeonryeong-gong branch.
Branch divisions vary by lineage and jokbo; confirm your own branch in your family's records.
이언(founder of the Hampyeong Yi), 이종생(Jeokgae merit subject of the Yi Si-ae rebellion), 이종인(naval commander who built Soyojeong), 이대원(Nokdo commander who died at Sonjuk Island), 이각(Left Gyeongsang commander in the Imjin War), 이삼(Training Commander in Yi In-jwa's rebellion), 이만운(compiler of the Jeungbo Munheon Bigo), 이병헌(March 1st independence activist), 이돈명(human rights lawyer), 이용섭(Mayor of Gwangju), 이계훈(Air Force Chief of Staff), 이종범(baseball player), 이정후(baseball player)
Tap a name for the full profile (life, career, grave, descendants).
함평 이씨 figures recognized as independence patriots (National Independence Hall / Gonghun public data). Tap a name for the citation.
Hampyeong belonged to Mahan in the Three Han period, was Gulnae and Daji counties under Baekje, Hampung and Dagi counties under Unified Silla, and Hampung and Mopyeong under Goryeo; in 1409 (Taejong 9) the two counties merged into Hampyeong. The family was therefore called the Hampung Yi in Goryeo and the Hampyeong Yi after Taejong's time. Today the Hampung Yi have a separate head association and are counted separately.
The founder Yi Eon (李彦) is said to have taken part in the founding of Goryeo, risen to general of the Sinmuwi guard and received the title Lord Hampung. He is introduced as honored at Sasansa in Chopo-ri, Nasan-myeon, Hampyeong County, which is also a clan village of the Hyou-gong branch. His dates and tomb were not confirmed.
Yi Geon-pung House, Hampyeong: the residence of the Manho-gong head house of the Hyou-gong branch at Chopo-ri, Nasan-myeon, keeping the early-Joseon U-shaped hipped-gable form, designated Jeonnam Cultural Heritage Material No. 251. The 13th-generation Yi Sun-ji is said to have settled at Sasan village and opened the Hyou-gong branch.
Bosan Jeongsa and Soyojeong, Naju: the Champan-gong head house is at Jukji and Chodong villages in Dasi, Naju. There are Soyojeong, built by Yi Jong-in, and Bosan Jeongsa (Jeonnam Cultural Heritage Material No. 131), founded by Yi Yu-geun and seven others, and the loyal-subject gates of Yi Ji-hyo and Yi Ji-deuk are named as pride of the family.
Tomb of Yi Dae-won, Pyeongtaek: the tomb of Yi Dae-won at Huigok-ri, Poseung-eup, Pyeongtaek, is Gyeonggi Monument No. 56. In Jeonnam, Ssangchungsa in Goheung (Monument No. 128) and the shrine on Sonjuk Island, Yeosu (Monument No. 239), continue his memory.
Tomb and Spirit-Way Stele of Yi Chun-won, Namyangju: a local heritage site at Geumnam-ri, Hwado-eup, Namyangju, with the tombs of Yi Chun-won, his son Yi Cho-gi and grandson Yi Ji-du and a stele erected by order of King Injo in 1636, with an inscription by Kim Sang-heon. Baengi village in Toegyewon-ri, Namyangju, is the clan village where Yi Bae-won settled.
Tomb of Yi Sam and Baegilheon Portrait Hall, Nonsan: the portrait hall enshrining the portrait of Yi Sam and his tomb stand at Seokjong-ri, Sangwol-myeon, Nonsan, South Chungcheong.
Representative clan villages include Hampyeong County itself (Chopo-ri in Nasan-myeon, Daedong-myeon and Hampyeong-eup), Gwangju, Dasi in Naju, Muan (Deoksan-ri in Haeje-myeon and Samhyang-myeon), Songsan-dong in Jeongeup, Haeri-myeon in Gochang, Godeok-myeon in Yesan, Yanggam-myeon in Hwaseong, and Pyeongtaek (Poseung-eup and Hyeondeok-myeon). The 2015 survey counted 2,057 members in Namyangju. The 2000 statistics were highest in Seoul (35,707), Gyeonggi (31,455), Gwangju (14,177) and Jeonnam (9,814).
Clan affairs are known to be handled by the Hampyeong Yi Head Association, while the Hampung Yi have their own association; the Hamseong-gun branch is introduced as having its own Hamseong-gun Branch Association. Contact details for the associations were not confirmed, so please ask the relevant clan.
Wikipedia lists the generation characters from the 23rd to the 42nd generation in the order Yu (儒), Seo (緖), Min (敏), Heon (憲), Gye (啓), Beom (範), Jae (載), Haeng (行), Geon (建), Seong (聖), Gyu (奎), Seon (善), Won (源), Sik (植), Hui (熙), Gi (基), Jin (鎭), Su (洙), Byeong (秉) and Yeol (烈), but some characters in the original table are corrupted, so the generation matching is an estimate. From personal names, Heon (憲, Yi Byeong-heon) for the 26th, Gye (啓, Yi Gye-hun) for the 27th, Beom (範, Yi Jong-beom) for the 28th, Jae (載, Yi Jae-gap) for the 29th and Geon (建, Yi Geon-yeong) for the 31st are confirmed, and for the 25th Don (敦, Yi Don-myeong) and Min (敏) are said to be used together. These vary by branch and region, so always check with your genealogy.
The 2015 census counts 138,550 Hampyeong Yi and 18,552 Hampung Yi. The count in 2000 was 125,419.
Yi clans with different seats are different families; confirm your seat with your genealogy.
The 함평 이씨 clan association can be found in the Korean E-Jokbo Library clan-association directory.
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