영양 남씨(英陽 南氏) — The Nam clan seated in Yeongyang, North Gyeongsang, which traces itself to Nam Min, said to have come as a Tang envoy and settled in Silla.
The Nam clan seated in Yeongyang, North Gyeongsang, which traces itself to Nam Min, said to have come as a Tang envoy and settled in Silla. In the 2015 Census the 영양 남씨 clan numbered about 82,272 people, one of Korea's major surnames and clans. Even among people surnamed 남, a different clan seat (bon-gwan, 영양) means a different lineage. New to these terms? See the bon-gwan, pa & hangnyeol guide.
The Yeongyang Nam clan (英陽 南氏) is one line of the Nam surname with its seat in Yeongyang County, North Gyeongsang Province. Its population rose from 69,155 in 2000 to 82,272 in the 2015 census. The Yeongyang, Uiryeong and Goseong Nam all honor the same founder, Nam Min, and the Yeongyang Nam are presented as the line that kept its roots in the Yeongyang area.
The founder Nam Min (南敏) is said to have been Kim Chung (金忠), a man of Tang China. Sent as an envoy to Japan, he was blown ashore near Chuksan (Jukdo) in Yeongdeok on the way back and naturalized in Silla; in 755 King Gyeongdeok is said to have granted him the surname Nam, the name Min and Yeongyang County as a fief. His honorific is Yeong-ui-gong, and his tomb is said to lie below Buyongbong Peak of Mt. Irwol at Dongbu-ri, Yeongyang-eup. Wikipedia gives his dates as 712-782, but these rest on tradition and vary by source. His eldest son Kim Seok-jung, born before the surname was granted, is said to have kept the Kim name and founded the Yeongyang Kim.
It is said that under King Chungnyeol of Goryeo the brothers Nam Hong-bo, Nam Gun-bo and Nam Gwang-bo, descendants of the founder, opened the Yeongyang, Uiryeong and Goseong lines. Wikipedia calls them sons of Nam Jin-yong, a 7th-generation descendant of the founder, while Namuwiki gives the 15th generation, and the Uljin Sinmun article labels both Hong-bo and Gun-bo 'gwanjo', so generation records are unclear. It is generally summarized that the Yeongyang Nam honor the eldest, Nam Hong-bo (Daegwang-gong line, the Yeongyang line), and the Uiryeong Nam the descendants of Nam Gun-bo (Mikjik-gong line). Figures such as Nam Jae, Nam Eun, Nam I and Nam Gu-man featured on the Uiryeong Nam page belong to the Uiryeong line, so check the seat in your genealogy even if the surname is the same.
Nam Hong-bo, the 1st-generation ancestor honored by the Yeongyang Nam, is said to have served as Dochomuiche Chanseongsa and Jungdaegwang in Goryeo. According to the central association, the four sons of the 7th-generation jungnangjang Nam Yeong-beon founded the Manho-gong (Ho), Hyeongam-gong (I), Banson-gong (Ryeong) and Songjeong-gong (Su) branches, and with the Noksa-gong (Nam Gye-mun) and Susa-gong (Nam Hui) these make up the six main branches. The Seokho-gong line, split from the Songjeong-gong, is centered on Ipseok in Daegu. See the branch descriptions for details.
Among figures of the Joseon era are the Uljin-born scholar Nam Sa-go (Gyeogam) and Nam Su, founder of the Songjeong-gong branch; later come the late-Joseon righteous army fighter Nam Seung-ha and the colonial-era independence activists Nam Ja-hyeon (the 'female Ahn Jung-geun') and Nam Bok-i. There are also the marathoner Nam Seung-ryong (bronze, Berlin 1936), politicians Nam Song-hak, Nam Bong-jin and Nam Jae-han, soldiers Nam Jae-joon and Nam Hae-il, and the diplomat Nam Gwan-pyo. The clan is said to have produced 26 civil and 13 military examination graduates in Joseon.
Daegwang-gong-pa (Yeongyang line), Mikjik-gong-pa (Andong line), Noksa-gong-pa, Manho-gong-pa, Hyeongam-gong-pa, Banson-gong-pa, Songjeong-gong-pa, Susa-gong-pa, Sinam-gong-pa
The Daegwang-gong branch, also called the Yeongyang line, takes the 1st-generation ancestor Nam Hong-bo (南洪輔) as its founder and is the largest line of the Yeongyang Nam. Nam Hong-bo is said to have served as Jungdaegwang and Dochomuiche Chanseongsa under King Chungnyeol of Goryeo, and most Yeongyang Nam belong to this line. The Noksa-gong, Manho-gong, Hyeongam-gong, Banson-gong, Songjeong-gong and Susa-gong branches below all split from it.
According to the central association's genealogy, the line runs Hong-bo (1st), Gyeom (2nd), Suk-ji (3rd), Ji-tak (4th), Hyeok and Sam-gi (5th), and divides at the 6th generation into Seung-gyeong (upper ancestor of Noksa-gong), Seung-go (upper ancestor of the four branches Manho, Hyeongam, Banson and Songjeong) and Bong-u (upper ancestor of Susa-gong). The four sons of the 7th-generation jungnangjang Yeong-beon founded the four branches.
The settler ancestor Nam Yeong-beon is said to have come to Uljin around 1400 (tomb at Hwaseong 1-ri, Jukbyeon), and the Uljin Sinmun reports that the steles of Hong-bo and a shrine to the settler ancestor were restored. The line lives in Yeongyang, where the founder's cemetery is, and in Uljin, Yeongdeok, Cheongsong and Daegu.
The Mikjik-gong branch takes Nam Gun-bo (南君甫) as its founder and is also called the Andong line. Because Nam Gun-bo is also honored as the 1st-generation ancestor of the Uiryeong Nam, this line is described as the point where the Yeongyang and Uiryeong Nam meet. The central association states that its genealogy and sub-branches differ from those of the Daegwang-gong line.
Namuwiki lists sub-branches such as Busa-gong, Jungnyeong-gong, Suui-gong, Hoeryeong-gong, Manho-gong, Moksa-gong, Jinsa-gong, Byeolsiwi-gong, Sajik-gong and Jungnangjang-gong, but parts could not be verified, so check the genealogy with the relevant lineage. For the Uiryeong Nam see the Uiryeong Nam page.
The Noksa-gong branch (also spelled Rokssa-gong) takes Nam Gye-mun (南啓文) as its founder, said to be a grandson of Nam Seung-gyeong (南承敬), a recorder at the Yeonggyeongjeon under King Gongmin. The 6th-generation Seung-gyeong of the Daegwang-gong line is its upper ancestor.
It is said to be based around Uljin, and the Uljin Sinmun lists the Noksa, Manho, Hyeongam and Banson branches as living in Uljin. Check detailed genealogy with clan sources.
The Manho-gong branch takes Nam Ho (南顥), eldest son of the 7th-generation jungnangjang Nam Yeong-beon, as its founder. He is said to have served as a manho (garrison commander) under King Sejong, from which the branch takes its name.
The Uljin-born scholar Nam Sa-go (Gyeogam, 1509-1571) came from this branch and is known as a great-grandson of Nam Ho. The branch lives in Uljin, Gyeongju, Bonghwa and elsewhere.
The Hyeongam-gong branch takes Nam I (南頤), second son of Nam Yeong-beon, as its founder; he is said to have served as magistrate of Jeongeup under King Sejong, and the branch is named after the post of hyeongam (county magistrate).
It lives in Uljin, Gyeongju, Bonghwa and elsewhere. He is a different person from the general Nam I (南怡) of the Uiryeong Nam.
The Banson-gong branch takes Nam Ryeong (南領; written Nam Yeong in the association's table), third son of Nam Yeong-beon, as its founder. It is said to live around Uljin and Ulleung Island.
Detailed genealogy and notable figures were not confirmed here.
The Songjeong-gong branch takes Songjeong-gong Nam Su (南須, 1395-1477), fourth son of Nam Yeong-beon, as its founder and is described as the most numerous line. He is said to have moved from Uljin to Yeonghae and settled around Illyang-ri.
Its home is Illyang-ri in Yeonghae, Yeongdeok, with sites such as Cheoindang in Changsu-myeon (North Gyeongsang Cultural Heritage Material No. 666) and Hwajae and Yugyeongnu in Chuksan. A clan village of its Ungang-gong line is said to be in Cheongsong.
The Seokho-gong line (Nam Sil, Seokho, who came to Daegu's Ipseok-dong in 1600) also split from the Songjeong-gong. Its descendants include Nam Myeong-sin (1698-1772, pen name Yongam) and his son Nam Seok-ro (Yeyeon), whose writings were combined as the 'Seokmun Sega'.
The Susa-gong branch takes Nam Hui (南禧) as its founder, introduced as the eldest son of Nam Deuk-ryang, who served as daehogun under King Taejong. The branch is named after the post of susa (naval commander).
It lives in Gyeongju, Gangneung, Goseong and elsewhere. The central association gives the 6th-generation Bong-u of the Daegwang-gong line as its upper ancestor, which differs somewhat from Namuwiki's account. Check detailed genealogy with clan sources.
The Sinam-gong branch takes Sinam (愼庵) Nam Son (南蓀, 1415-1488), introduced as the settler ancestor of the Yeongyang Nam in Yeongyang, as its founder. Its head house at Seomchon-ri, Irwol-myeon, Yeongyang (North Gyeongsang Cultural Heritage Material No. 489) was bought in 1893 by Nam Gi-yeong (1853-1938), a 14th-generation head descendant of Nam Son, and later head descendants carried on there.
Its relationship to the Sinan family branch that owns Bongam Seowon in Maegok-ri, Pungsan-eup, Andong, was not confirmed, and neither was which line of the Daegwang-gong it belongs to, so ask the lineage.
Branch divisions vary by lineage and jokbo; confirm your own branch in your family's records.
남민(founder by tradition), 남수(founder of the Songjeong-gong branch), 남사고(scholar Gyeogam), 남승하(righteous army fighter), 남자현(independence activist), 남복이(independence activist), 남승룡(marathoner), 남송학(National Assembly member), 남봉진(Governor of Gyeonggi), 남재한(National Assembly member), 남재준(Army Chief of Staff and NIS director), 남해일(Chief of Naval Operations), 남관표(diplomat)
Tap a name for the full profile (life, career, grave, descendants).
영양 남씨 figures recognized as independence patriots (National Independence Hall / Gonghun public data). Tap a name for the citation.
Clan villages are reported in Yeongyang County and across North Gyeongsang, including Andong, Uljin, Yeongdeok, Cheongsong, Yecheon, Bonghwa, Gyeongju, Yeongju, Gumi, Uiseong and Ulleung, as well as in Daegu, Boeun in North Chungcheong, and Samcheok, Donghae, Gangneung and Goseong in Gangwon. Uljin has about 750 households and 2,000-plus people, with clan villages at Jeongnim-ri, Hwaseong-ri (Jukbyeon), Gomok-ri, Noeum-ri, Haenggok-ri, Geummae-ri, Maehwa-ri, Sotae-ri and Seongu-ri. In Yeongdeok, Goesi-ri, Wongu-ri and Illyang-ri in Yeonghae are the best known; Namchon village at Bomun-dong in Gyeongju, Domok-ri in Yean, Andong and Ipseok-dong in Daegu are also known.
Bongam Seowon in Maegok-ri, Pungsan-eup, Andong (founded 1802, Andong City Cultural Heritage No. 9) is owned by the Sinan family branch of the Yeongyang Nam. Check whether it is open before visiting.
The Yeongyang Nam Daejonghoe is reported to have started in 1978, and there is also a Nam Daejonghoe covering the Nam surname as a whole. Official contacts were not confirmed. In Jukbyeon, Uljin, a project to restore the steles and Sanghyeonsa shrine of the mid-founder Nam Hong-bo was carried out.
The Yeongyang Nam have no common clan-wide generation-name (hangnyeol) table; 48 lineages across the country are said to use different characters. Wikipedia carries a table for generations 23 to 50, which was not copied here, so be sure to check your own lineage's genealogy.
69,155 in 2000 and 82,272 in 2015. Together the Yeongyang, Uiryeong and Goseong Nam number about 260,000, with the Uiryeong Nam about two thirds.
The tales of Nam Min's shipwreck and the granting of the surname, and of Nam Hong-bo and his brothers dividing the seat, are genealogical traditions rather than established fact. Generation counts and branch founders can differ by source.
The 영양 남씨 clan association can be found in the Korean E-Jokbo Library clan-association directory.
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