제주 양씨 family tree

제주 양씨(濟州 梁氏) — Known as an old ancestral seat of the Yang clan, said to trace its founding ancestor to Yang Eul-la of the Tamna founding myth.

About the 제주 양씨 clan

Known as an old ancestral seat of the Yang clan, said to trace its founding ancestor to Yang Eul-la of the Tamna founding myth. In the 2015 Census the 제주 양씨 clan numbered about 142,211 people, one of Korea's major surnames and clans. Even among people surnamed 양, a different clan seat (bon-gwan, 제주) means a different lineage. New to these terms? See the bon-gwan, pa & hangnyeol guide.

Roots and History of the Jeju Yang Clan

With about 142,000 members in the 2015 census, the Jeju Yang (濟州 梁氏) honor Yang Eul-la (良乙那), eldest of the three divine founders of Tamna, as their founder. Several other Yang seats, including the Namwon, Naju and Chungju Yang, are known as offshoots of the Jeju Yang. The clan is also renowned for producing Hakpo Yang Paeng-son and Soswaeong Yang San-bo of the Honam scholar-gentry.

Founder and Origin of the Ancestral Seat

According to an old record quoted in the Goryeosa, three divine men emerged from the Moheung Cave on the northern slope of Hallasan: the eldest Yang Eul-la, then Go Eul-la and Bu Eul-la. They married three princesses from the land of Byeongnang and founded Tamna. Yang Eul-la's surname was originally written 良 and later changed to 梁. In the myth he settled at Jeil-do, the "first capital".

Clan tradition holds that a descendant named Yang Tang went as envoy to Silla under King Jinheung and received the surname 梁, and that the mid-founder Yang Sun (梁洵) entered Silla under King Sinmun, served as a Hallim academician and was enfeoffed as Lord Halla. Accounts of this early period rest largely on genealogical tradition.

Sources differ on the order of the three clans. The Samguk yusa, Goryeosa, the geography section of the Sejong sillok and the Dongguk tonggam give "Yang, Go, Bu", while the Yeongju-ji and Tamna-ji give "Go, Yang, Bu". Since Jeju magistrate Yi Hyeong-sang ranked Yang Eul-la first in the order of spirit tablets in 1703, the "Yang, Go, Bu" order has generally been followed.

The Clan Through History

The lineage after Goryeo is organized into the Yugyeok-gong branch, whose first recorded ancestor is Yang Bo-sung (梁保崇), and the Seongju-gong branch, whose first recorded ancestor is Yang Gu-mi. Under the Yugyeok-gong branch are many sub-branches, among them Seodu-bonggwan (Yang Hui, 2nd generation), Geumseong-gun (Yang Dong-jae, 5th), Gyori-gong (Yang Cheo-gong, 9th), Busa-gong, Sajik-gong, Hyegang-gong (Yang Paeng-son, 11th), Jubu-gong, Soswaewon-gong (Yang San-bo, 12th) and Hakhae-gong. The Seongju-gong branch divides in the 12th generation into the Sajik-gong, Cheonho-gong and Jungnangjang-gong branches.

In mid-Joseon the Jeju Yang stood at the center of the Honam scholar-gentry. Yang Paeng-son of Neungju lost office after defending Jo Gwang-jo in the 1519 Gimyo purge, and Jo Gwang-jo's disciple Yang San-bo withdrew to Damyang and built Soswaewon after his teacher's downfall. Yang Paeng-son's son Yang Eung-jeong was counted among the "Eight Writers" of King Seonjo's reign and taught Jeong Cheol, Baek Gwang-hun and Choe Gyeong-chang. In the Imjin War, Yang Eung-jeong's sons Yang San-ryong, Yang San-suk and Yang San-su all died for their country; Yang San-suk raised a righteous army with Kim Cheon-il, fought to the end at Jinju fortress and threw himself into the Nam River.

In late Joseon, Yang Deuk-jung, sixth-generation descendant of Yang Paeng-son, was known as a scholar who stressed "seeking truth from facts" (silsa gusi). In the Korean Empire period Yang Hoe-il led a righteous army around Neungju and Hwasun, and under Japanese rule Yang Han-muk signed the Declaration of Independence as one of the 33 national representatives of the March First Movement. One count gives 14 civil and 20 military examination graduates under Joseon.

Clan Villages and Heritage Sites

Samseonghyeol in Jeju City, a designated Historic Site, is the birthplace of the three clans Go, Yang and Bu; spring and autumn rites are held at its Samseongjeon shrine every 10 April and 10 October, and the Geonsi rite every 10 December. Honinji pond at Onpyeong-ri, Seongsan-eup, Seogwipo, is where the three founders are said to have married the princesses of Byeongnang.

On the mainland, the main sites are in South Jeolla and Gwangju. Soswaewon in Damyang, the retreat garden created by Yang San-bo, is a designated Scenic Site. In Neungju, Hwasun, stand Hakpodang, where Yang Paeng-son studied, and Juksu Seowon, where he is enshrined. The Yang Songcheon tomb site at Dongho-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, holds the graves of Yang Eung-jeong, his three sons who died in the Imjin War, and his grandson Yang Man-yong, and was designated a Gwangju Monument in 1978. Yang San-suk is enshrined at Jeongnyeolsa in Naju and Changnyeolsa in Jinju.

Today clan villages are concentrated in Honam: Gwangsan-gu in Gwangju and Hwasun, Boseong, Naju, Yeonggwang, Hampyeong, Jindo and Wando in South Jeolla. On Jeju the clan lives at Sillye-ri in Namwon-eup, Seogwipo, and Sangga-ri in Aewol-eup, Jeju City, among other places.

Branch and lineage details can differ between family associations and genealogies, so please confirm them with your own family's jokbo.

Main branches (派)

Yugyeok-gong-pa, Seongju-gong-pa, Hyegang-gong-pa, Soswaewon-gong-pa, Seodu-bonggwan-pa, Geumseong-gun-pa, Gyori-gong-pa, Busa-gong-pa, Sajik-gong-pa (Yugyeok line), Jikjang-gong-pa, Hyeollyeong-gong-pa, Jubu-gong-pa, Hakhae-gong-pa, Cheonho-gong-pa, Jungnangjang-gong-pa, Sajik-gong-pa (Seongju line)

Branch divisions vary by lineage and jokbo; confirm your own branch in your family's records.

Notable figures

양을나(founder in the Tamna three-clan myth), 양순(mid-founder), 양팽손(Gimyo purge scholar and painter Hakpo), 양산보(creator of Soswaewon garden), 양응정(one of the Eight Writers of King Seonjo's reign), 양산숙(righteous-army leader who died at Jinju fortress), 양득중(practical-learning scholar Deokchon), 양회일(righteous-army leader of the late Joseon), 양한묵(one of the 33 national representatives of the March First Movement), 양회경(Supreme Court justice), 양재봉(founder of Daishin Securities), 양용은(2009 PGA Championship-winning golfer), 양방언(composer and pianist)

Tap a name for the full profile (life, career, grave, descendants).

Samseonghyeol and Its Rites

Samseonghyeol in Ido-il-dong, Jeju City, was designated Historic Site No. 134 on June 10, 1964. It holds three holes from which the three divine men Go, Yang and Bu Eul-la are said to have emerged. The Samseongjeon shrine housing the founders' spirit tablets is said to have been built in 1698 by magistrate Ryu Han-myeong, alongside the Jeonsacheong (1771) and Sungbodang (1849) halls.

Ritual care is traced to 1526, when magistrate Yi Su-dong set up an altar and gate and had seasonal rites held. Descendants are described as holding the spring great rite on April 10 and the autumn great rite on October 10, while the December 10 Geonsi rite is led by the provincial governor as a rite for the people of Jeju. Guides differ slightly on venues and wording, so confirm with the site management before attending.

Honinji and Samsaseok

Honinji in Onpyeong-ri, Seongsan-eup, is said to be the pond where the three divine men wed the three princesses of Byeongnang, found in a wooden chest washed ashore. Samsaseok (三射石) in Hwabuk-dong, Jeju City, is presented as a site tied to traditions about the three founders, with a separate monument. These are myth-based accounts, best taken as "it is said".

Clan Associations

The Yangssi Jongchinhoe Chongbonbu began in 1967 as the Jeju Yang clan association and took its present name in 1989. It is reported to maintain a shrine, history hall and ritual hall in Yusuam-ri, Aewol-eup, with a rite each April 11 (tel. 064-751-0811~2). Wikipedia also lists the Jeju Yang Hallagun-gye Jongbujeong-gong Daejonghoe. In Honam there are branch-level bodies and heritage sites, such as the Hakpo-gong Daejonghoe (Hakpo's ancestral shrine in Hwasun, built 1631, Hwasun County Local Heritage No. 7), the Songseokjeong (No. 27) and the Samjijae (No. 15). Reports say that in 2025 the heads of the Jeju, Namwon and Chungju Yang branches discussed merging central clan associations; the outcome was not confirmed.

Population and Offshoots

Wikipedia cites 113,442 members in 1985, 133,355 in 2000 and 142,211 in 2015. The Namwon, Naju and Chungju Yang are known as offshoots of the Jeju Yang.

On Generation Names

No clan-wide generation-name (hangnyeol) table was found. These are often set per branch or lineage, so ask your family or lineage association.

Related Videos

How to build your 제주 양씨 tree

1. Start with yourself — sign in to get your own tree. Enter your name, birth year and clan seat (제주).
2. Add older generations — add parents and grandparents. For accuracy see tracing ancestors with jejeok records (usually to about 5 generations).
3. Link siblings & children — sort by generational name (hangnyeol) to see each generation at a glance.
4. Export & share — save the finished tree as a PDF and invite family to manage it together.

Related reading

제주 양씨 clan association

The 제주 양씨 clan association can be found in the Korean E-Jokbo Library clan-association directory.