Choi
A Korean surname written 최, most often romanized as Choi, though the pronunciation is closer to Che or Chwe.
The #674 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 6,079 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Choi is a Korean family name written with the hanja 崔, traditionally associated with the meaning "high" or "tall". In modern Korean, the standard pronunciation is closer to /tɕʰwe/ or /tɕʰoi/ depending on dialect and romanization practice, which is why English spellings such as Choi, Choe, and sometimes Chwey are found. The surname is native Korean rather than derived from the English surnames in the provided excerpts, which are unrelated incidental mentions.
History
Choi is one of the major Korean surnames and is especially associated with several large clan lineages (bon-gwan) in Korea. In English-language records it became especially visible through Korean immigration in the late 20th century, and the spelling Choi is now the most familiar international form. The historical excerpts provided do not discuss this surname; they only mention unrelated English place-name surnames and contain OCR noise.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same Korean surname can be pronounced with slight variation in English settings, but Choi remains the dominant romanized spelling internationally.
From the historical record
“Adam Brocker, co. Soms., i Edw. Ill : ^iJt! S?choi£ Sl-oker : CaL of Wills in Court of Husting (2), 1798. Married— Soloman Brooker and Elis. Hale : St Geo. Han. Sq. ii. 191.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)Notable people named Choi
- Sulli (1994–2019)
- Choi Kyu-hah (1919–2006)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.