Explore the Family Name Rhee
The meaning of Rhee
1. Korean: variant of Ri 2, itself a variant of Yi 1. 2. German: habitational name from a place so named in Westphalia. 3. Dutch (mainly Van Rhee): habitational name for someone from Rheden in Gelderland. Some characteristic forenames: Korean Young, Sang, Chang, Chung, Dong, Kyung, Yong, Chong, Jae, Jin, Soo, Sung, Byung, Hyun, Joon, Jung, Moon Ja, Myong, Wook, Dae, Hae, Kwang Hyun, Kyung Sook, Pong.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Rhee in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname "Rhee" has seen a notable increase between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 8,733, while by 2010, it had risen to rank 8,141, showing a 6.78% upward trend. The count of people with this surname also increased from 3,463 in 2000 to 4,071 in 2010, marking a 17.56% rise. Proportionally, for every 100,000 individuals, the rate of people named Rhee grew by 7.81% over this decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,733 | #8,141 | 6.78% |
| Count | 3,463 | 4,071 | 17.56% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.28 | 1.38 | 7.81% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Rhee
The ethnic identity associated with the surname "Rhee" primarily belongs to the Asian/Pacific Islander category, based on the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, a significant 92.26% of individuals with this surname identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, although this percentage slightly decreased to 91.75% by 2010. Over the same period, the percentage of individuals identifying as two or more races saw a dramatic increase of 66.83%, rising from 1.99% to 3.32%. However, those self-identifying as White and Hispanic both experienced declines, with White declining by 13.25% and Hispanic by 4.69%. Interestingly, there were new appearances in 2010 of individuals identifying as Black and American Indian and Alaskan Native, which did not appear in the 2000 data.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 92.26% | 91.75% | -0.55% |
| White | 4.53% | 3.93% | -13.25% |
| Two or More Races | 1.99% | 3.32% | 66.83% |
| Hispanic | 0.64% | 0.61% | -4.69% |
| Black | 0% | 0.22% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0.17% | 0% |
Rhee 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 Rhee is Korean, which comprises 84.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (4.5%) and French & German (2.6%). Additional ancestries include Ashkenazi Jewish, Iranian, Caucasian & Mesopotamian, Eastern European, Indigenous American, and Finnish.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Korean | 84.3% |
| British & Irish | 4.5% |
| French & German | 2.6% |
| Other | 8.6% |
Possible origins of the surname Rhee
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 Rhee have recent ancestry locations in South Korea and United Kingdom.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Seoul, South Korea | 84.00% |
| Busan, South Korea | 57.40% |
| Gyeonggi Do, South Korea | 44.70% |
| Jeollabuk Do, South Korea | 41.50% |
| Daegu, South Korea | 41.50% |
What Rhee 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 Rhee is O-CTS723, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-CTS723 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include O-F743 and C-Z1300, which are predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Yun, Pak, Yi, Kim, Seo, Suh, Park, Yoo, Lee, Jung.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Rhee surname are: M, N9a, D4. These most commonly trace back to individuals of East Asian & Indigenous American and 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 Rhee 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
Vanilla Ice Cream
Prefers vanilla flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Rhee" Surname 33.3%
23andMe Users 36.7%
Traits
Cheek Dimples
Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.
"Rhee" Surname 42.9%
23andMe Users 37.6%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Rhee" Surname 14.5%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Rhee?
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 Rhee are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition