Explore the Family Name Choe
The meaning of Choe
1. Korean (Ch’oe): written 최, in Chinese characters 崔, meaning ‘high’ or ‘precipitous’. This is the only Chinese character for the surname Ch’oe. Of the 326 Ch’oe clans listed in some sources, only 43 distinct clans can be documented. The oldest Choi clan, the Kyŏngju Choi, was established some eight hundred years later by Choi Chi-wŏn (崔 致遠), a famous 10th-century Korean official. Ch’oe is the fourth most common surname in Korea. The common Romanization Choi (see Choi 7) represents a French transliteration of the surname, which is actually pronounced more like Ch’wae. The first Ch’oe, Sobŏldori, was one of the six elders of pre-Shilla Korea; he received his surname from the Shilla King Yuri Isagŭm in ad 32. 2. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 曹, see Cao 1. 3. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 徐, see Xu 1. Some characteristic forenames: Korean Yong, Young, Chong, Sung, Song, Pyong, Chang, Myong, Kwang, Sang, Jong, Kyong, Man, Won, Jae, Byong, Byung, Choon, Hyong, Chol, Chong Sun, Chul, Chun Ho, Chung.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Choe in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Choe has seen a noticeable increase from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Choe ranked 4682 in terms of popularity and rose to the 4560th rank by 2010, showing an improvement of 2.61%. The number of individuals bearing this surname also saw a significant increase of 12.27%, rising from 6926 in 2000 to 7776 people in 2010. This is reflected in the proportion per 100k, where there is a slight increase from 2.57 to 2.64.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,682 | #4,560 | 2.61% |
| Count | 6,926 | 7,776 | 12.27% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.57 | 2.64 | 2.72% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Choe
The ethnicity data, also based on the Decennial U.S. Census, shows that most individuals with the surname Choe identify as Asian/Pacific Islander, though the percentage did decrease slightly from 95.16% in 2000 to 94.33% in 2010. The data reveals small but notable increases in those identifying as White (1.88% to 2.12%) and Hispanic (0.49% to 0.85%). Interestingly, the proportion identifying as Black decreased by 33.33%. Lastly, the percentage of those reporting two or more ethnic identities increased by 11.76%, and those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native increased by 50.00%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 95.16% | 94.33% | -0.87% |
| Two or More Races | 2.04% | 2.28% | 11.76% |
| White | 1.88% | 2.12% | 12.77% |
| Hispanic | 0.49% | 0.85% | 73.47% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.16% | 0.24% | 50% |
| Black | 0.27% | 0.18% | -33.33% |
Choe ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Choe is Korean, which comprises 83.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (4.8%) and Chinese (3.5%). Additional ancestries include French & German, Scandinavian, Japanese, Eastern European, and Spanish & Portuguese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Korean | 83.3% |
| British & Irish | 4.8% |
| Chinese | 3.5% |
| Other | 8.5% |
Possible origins of the surname Choe
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Choe have recent ancestry locations in South Korea and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Seoul, South Korea | 84.10% |
| Busan, South Korea | 56.30% |
| Daegu, South Korea | 37.30% |
| Jeollabuk Do, South Korea | 33.30% |
| Gyeongsangnam Do, South Korea | 32.50% |
What Choe haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Choe is O-CTS713, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-CTS713 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include O-CTS7620 and O-F8, which are predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Choi, Suh, Ahn, Hwang, Oh, Kim, Cho, Shin, Chun, Park.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Choe surname are: B4, H, D4. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Yayoi
Haplogroup O1b2a, a branch of haplogroup O, is closely related to several haplogroups that are commonly found in Japan. Haplogroup O is closely associated with Kyushu, Japan's third largest island, and makes up over half of all men in Japan. Although haplogroup O is prevalent in Japan, it likely only entered Japan during the Yayoi expansion about 2,300 years ago. During the Yayoi expansion, people entering from the Korean Peninsula brought wet rice agriculture, weaving technology, and metalworking technology to Japan. The Yayoi expansion began on the island of Kyushu, where haplogroup O is very common today. It is possible that some of the early members of O1-F3356 were involved in this major shift, which quickly and dramatically altered Japanese culture.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to the Han
Members of haplogroup D are found in both northern and southern Han Chinese populations at low to moderate frequencies. The Han people, who all share the same language and similar cultural practices, are the largest ethnic group in the world, with about 1.2 billion people. Historical evidence shows that Han people are descendants of the ancient Huaxia tribes that come from northern China, and Han language and culture only expanded into southern China in the last 2,000 years. The spread of Han people and culture from northern to southern China was likely driven by warfare and famine in the north.
What do people with the surname Choe have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Choe" Surname 32.3%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Cheek Dimples
Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.
"Choe" Surname 52.2%
23andMe Users 37.6%
Habits
Kinesthetic Learner
Preferring to learn and process information through hands-on activities, practical experiences, and active engagement.
"Choe" Surname 54.5%
23andMe Users 61.5%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Choe" Surname 16.2%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Choe?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Choe are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition