Yoo (Korean surname)

Ryu / Yoo
Hangul	류, 유
Hanja	柳, 劉, 兪, 庾
Revised Romanization	Ryu, Yu
McCune–Reischauer	Ryu, Yu

Ryu (also spelled Yoo or Yu or You or Ryoo) is the English transcription of several Korean surnames written as 유 or 류 in Hangul. Some of the family names written as Yoo are derived from the Chinese surnames Liu and Yu. As of 2000, there are roughly a million people surnamed Yoo in South Korea, making up approximately 2% of the country's population. Of those, the most common is Ryu (Hanja:柳, Hangul:류), with more than six hundred thousand holders, whereas Yu (Hanja:兪, Hangul:유) accounts for about a hundred thousand.

The family name Yoo can be represented by any of the four Hanja: 柳(류), 劉, 兪 and 庾, each representing a different meaning depending on its origin. In Korean, only the character 柳 specifically refers to 류 (Ryu), whereas the characters 劉(류) and 庾 refers to 유 (Yu) and is spelled as such; because of its irregular romanization, from Hanja to Hangul to English. It is during the transliteration from Korean to English that 류 (Ryu) and 유 (Yu) are mistakenly misspelled the same.

Surname: Hanja: 劉 / 刘, Hangul:유,류 Pinyin: Liú. A very common surname, as it was used by the ruling family of the Han Dynasty - a high point in the history of China.

Notable clans include the Munhwa Ryoo and the Pungsan Ryoo.

History

Origin

According to Chinese legend, Yoo is an ancient Chinese surname. The ancestors of the surname were closely linked with the ancient sage-king named Yu Shun. In Korea, the Yoo lineage can be traced back to the Xia, Han, and Joseon dynasties. Holders of the surname Yu or Yoo had a reputation for charity and diligence. Some sources indicate the existence of as many as 230 clans, but only about twenty have been be positively documented, several of those clans are of Chinese origin.

The largest Ryu clan, the Munhwa Ryu, was founded by a man named Ch’a Tal. Ch’a’s fifth great-grandfather had been involved in an attempt to overthrow the Silla king. To avoid prosecution, the ancestor fled to Munhwa and changed his surname, first to that of his maternal grandmother, Yang, and then to Ryoo. Many years later, Ch’a Tal assisted Wang Kŏn to establish the Koryŏ Kingdom. Ch’a was recognized for his support and was rewarded accordingly. However, the historic claims that the Ch'a clans are derived from the same progenitor as Ryu Ch'a-dal have been proven false. The Munhwa Ryoo clan, along with the Andong Kwŏn clan, possesses one of the oldest clan genealogies in Korea. Only the character 柳 is commonly pronounced Ryu or Ryoo (류). (See Munhwa Ryoo) The surname "Ryoo" comes from the character meaning willow tree. Hence, the lineage is also sometimes called "willow Ryoo" (버들 류씨).

Notable individuals

Historic

• Ryoo Cha-dal
• Yoo Chang, founder of the "Myogeumdo" (劉) Yoos (sometimes known as the "Gangneung Yoo clan"), who was among the founders of the Joseon Dynasty.
• Yu Deuk-gong
• Yu Eung-bu, one of the Six martyred ministers during the Joseon Dynasty.
• Ryu Gwan-sun
• Yu Hyeong-won
• Yu Kil-chun, of the Gigye Yoo clan originally from Pohang
• Yu Seong-won, one of the Six martyred ministers during the Joseon Dynasty.
• Yu Seong-ryong
• Yu Su-won, politician and Neo-Confucianism scholar and the early Silhak school philosopher of the Joseon Dynasty.
• Il-han New

Modern

• Yoo Ah-in (stage name), an actor
• Yu Anjin, Korean poet
• Yoo Ara, a singer, leader of Hello Venus
• Yoo Chae-yeong, an actress and singer
• Yoo Chang-hyun (better known as Ricky), a member of Teen Top
• Yoo Dong-geun, an actor
• Yoo Hae-jin, an actor
• Yoo Ho-jeong, an actress
• Yoo Hyun-young (better known as Hyun Young), an actress
• Yoo In-na, an actress
• Yoo In-young, an actress
• Yoo Jae-suk, a TV presenter, Host of Running Man and Host-in-chief of Infinite Challenge
• Yoo Ji-ae (better known as Ji Ae), a singer, a member of Lovelyz
• Yoo Ji-tae, an actor and director
• Yoo Jun-sang, an actor
• Yoo Kihyun, South Korean singer, member of Monsta X (몬스타엑스)
• Yoo Sang-Chul, a soccer player
• Yoo Seung-ho, an actor
• Yoo Soo-Young (also known as "Shoo"), a singer and actress
• Yoo So-young (stage name), an actress and former After School member
• Yoo Yeon-seok (stage name), an actor
• Yoo Yong-sung, a badminton player
• Yoo Young-ho, sculptor
• Yoo Young-jae, a member of South Korean band B.A.P
• Yoo Young-jin, a songwriter
• You Hee-yeol, a singer-songwriter
• Yu In-chon, an actor and politician
• Ryoo Ryong, a scientist
• Ryoo Seung-bum, an actor
• Ryoo Seung-wan, a director
• Ryu Deok-hwan, an actor
• Ryu Hwayoung, a former member of T-ARA
• Ryu Hyoyoung, a member of F-ve Dolls
• Ryu Hye-young, an actress
• Ryu Hyun-Jin, a professional baseball player
• Ryu Hyun-kyung, an actress
• Hyun-jin Ryu, a South Korean baseball player
• Ryu Sera, a member of Nine Muses
• Ryu Seung-Min, a professional table tennis player
• Ryu Seung-ryong, an actor
• Ryu Seung-soo, an actor and writer
• Ryu Seung-Woo, a soccer player
• Ryu Shikun, a professional Go player
• Ryu Si-won, an actor and singer
• Ryu Su-jeong (better known as Sujeong), a singer, a member of Lovelyz
• Ryu Soo-young (stage name), an actor
• Ryu Jin (stage name), an actor
• Rhyu Si-min, a politician, 2007 presidential candidate of the UNDP Primary
• Jae Kuk Ryu, a professional baseball pitcher for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
• Aaron Yoo, a Korean-American actor
• Barom "Rome" Yu, Korean-Australian member of South Korean band C-Clown
• Christopher Yoo, a professor of Law, Communication, and Computer and Information Science at the University of Pennsylvania Law School
• John Yoo, a professor of law at the University of California, Berkeley, best known for his work from 2001 to 2003 in the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel
• Yoo Gun Hyung, a songwriter who co-wrote "Gangnam Style"

See also

• Munhwa Ryoo
• Yu (Chinese name)
• Liu (surname)

External links

• Yu Family Historyvi:Liễu (họ người)