Start with what you know
As with any family history, begin at home. Write down the names of parents and grandparents, birthplaces, approximate dates and any immigration details. Ask relatives for the Korean spelling of names, ideally in Hangul and, if known, in Hanja (the Chinese characters used in older records). Passports, naturalization papers, church records and old letters often hold the details you need to connect to Korean sources.
Surnames and the bongwan
Korean surnames are few and widely shared. Kim, Lee (Yi/I) and Park (Bak) are commonly cited as the most frequent, which means a surname alone narrows very little. What adds precision is the bongwan (본관), the clan’s ancestral seat or place of origin. A pairing of surname and bongwan identifies a specific clan lineage. Ask older relatives if they know it.
When asked what a “very Korean” last name is, there is no single answer: the commonest surnames above are the ones most associated with Korea, but many Korean surnames also exist in China and other countries.
Names in Hangul and Hanja
Modern Korean is written in Hangul, but older family books and registers often use Hanja. The same Hangul syllable can correspond to many Hanja, so the characters matter for matching a person to a record. Dictionaries such as the Naver Korean-English dictionary can help look up characters, including by drawing them.
Jokbo: the clan genealogy books
A jokbo (족보) is a clan genealogy book that lists descendants of a common ancestor, often organized by generation and by male line. Many Korean families, especially those with a long recorded lineage, have a jokbo, though the quality and completeness vary, and some entries contain errors or later additions. A jokbo can name ancestors across many generations, and it can include the bongwan, birth and death dates and burial places. Treat it as a strong lead and corroborate it with other records where possible.
Where to search online
- FamilySearch: has a Korea collection that includes digitized jokbo and family registries. A free account is typically needed to view images.
- National Library of Korea: hosts a searchable digital archive including many scanned family books; much of the interface is in Korean, though English search is partly supported.
- University library guides: for example, the BYU library’s Korean genealogy guide lists books, tools and databases.
- Clan associations: many clans maintain associations that hold or publish their jokbo.
Because tools and collections change, check each site for current coverage.
Reading dates and age
Older Korean records may use the traditional sixty-year cycle or era names rather than Western years. A calendar converter helps, but check results against the original record.
Korea has traditionally counted age in several ways. A person was commonly considered one year old at birth and gained a year at the lunar new year. South Korea moved official and legal use to the international system in 2023, though you may still see the older counting in family stories and older records. If an age and a birth year do not agree, the age system may be the reason.
Government family registers
Historically, South Korea used a household-head-based register called the hoju system. This was abolished in 2008 and replaced with separate registers organized by individual. Access to modern registers is restricted to the person or close relatives, and procedures can change, so confirm requirements with the relevant Korean office or consulate. Records for people from North Korea are far harder to reach.
Translation tools and their limits
Machine translation and AI tools can help interpret names, Hanja and dates. They are not fully accurate, and one university guide describes AI readings of jokbo as a preliminary aid to be compared with the original. Have important entries checked by a fluent reader.
Korean ancestry, DNA and ethnicity
People often ask what ethnicity they are if they are Korean, or who Koreans are most closely related to genetically. A consumer DNA test may report results such as Korean or East Asian, and populations in East Asia generally show more genetic similarity to each other than to distant regions, but test categories and reference panels differ by company and are estimates. DNA results can suggest region; they will not give you a clan, a bongwan or a named ancestor. Documents are still needed for that. See DNA testing for Asian ancestry and choosing an Asian ancestry test for more on regional results.
Next steps
- Collect names, dates and places from relatives, in Hangul and Hanja if possible.
- Identify the surname and bongwan.
- Search for a jokbo through FamilySearch, the National Library of Korea or the clan association.
- Have key entries translated and verified.
If you are also researching a Japanese branch, our guide to Japanese ancestry records covers a similar locally held register system.