Song is one of the well-known Korean surnames. Song, using Chinese character is written in two different ways: 宋 and 松. The rare Song, 松, the origin and its progenitor are unknown. According to the 1975 Census, this Song ranked 248 out of reported 249 surnames in Korea. In 1985, 29 families were reported existing, and it ranked 213 out of the 274 names. 3 Branches from the 松 root are considered major: Kim-Hae 김해(金海), Shin-Pyung 신평(新平), and Yong-Sung 용성(龍城). For the other majorly known and generally used Song, 宋, a naturalized-Korean citizen named Song Joo-Eun 송주은(宋柱殷) from China's Tang Dynasty in the 1300s became the progenitor of the people bearing his surname. The reason for Song's naturalization to Korean citizenship is unknown, but he was a highly ranked court official during Korea's Shilla Dynasty. The more common Song (宋) genealogy shows that 172 branches of families derived from its originator, although many are believed extinct. The three direct grandsons (Yoo-Ik 유익(惟翊), Chun-Ik 천익(天翊), and Mun-Ik 문익(文翊))of Song Joo-Eun are considered as the fathers of the three major branches of the Song family, and the three branches (Yeo-san 여산(礪山), Eun-jin 은진(恩津), and Jin-Chun 진천(鎭川)) occupy 90% of the Song (宋)name. The remaining branches (연안(延安)·야성(冶城)·청주(淸州)· 남양(南陽)·복흥(福興)) are also believed to have derived from the three major Song branches, therefore, all Songs(宋) are the descendants of Song Joo-Eun, and prohibited from intermarriage by custom. According to the 2000 Census, Songs(宋 and 松) occupy 1.4% of the Korean population. Throughout the Korean history, the name Song in general is a widely recognized surname, and also understood by many Koreans as one of the less populated names.
This page or section lists people with the surname Song. If an internal link for a specific person referred you to this disambiguation page, you may wish to add the given name(s) to that link.
