Explore the Family Name Shim
The meaning of Shim
1. Korean: written 심, in Chinese characters 沈. This is the only Chinese character for the surname Shim. Some sources indicate that there are 63 different Shim clans, but only six can be documented. Each of these clans claims a different founding ancestor. The founding ancestor of at least one of them, the P’ungsan Shim clan, originated in China. Most of the other Shim clans came into being during the Koryŏ period (918–1392). Members of the Shim clans can be found throughout the Korean peninsula. Compare Sim 2. 2. Chinese: Teochew, Hokkien, or Taiwanese form of the surname 沈. This form is mainly found in Taiwan, Fujian province, and eastern Guangdong province, from where people migrated to Southeast Asian countries, such as Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. See Shen 1. Some characteristic forenames: Korean Jae, Jung, Sang, Young, Eun, Hyun, Sung, Chae, Joon, Kwang, Kyung, Wan, Chang, Chul, Chung, Dong Sup, Yeon, Chong, Dae, Hae, Jae Bong, Jae Chul, Jae Won, Min.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Shim in the United States?
According to data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Shim has increased over a decade. In 2000, Shim ranked 7574 in popularity with a count of 4048, which equates to 1.5 per 100k individuals. By 2010, the rank had risen to 6801, an upward shift by 10.21 percent. The count of people with this surname also increased to 4958, a considerable growth of 22.48 percent. This means that the proportion of the population with the surname Shim expanded to 1.68 per 100k, marking a 12 percent increase from the previous decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #7,574 | #6,801 | 10.21% |
| Count | 4,048 | 4,958 | 22.48% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.5 | 1.68 | 12% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Shim
When analyzing the ethnic identity associated with the surname Shim based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, we see some shifts from 2000 to 2010. There was a slight increase in individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and those identifying with two or more races, moving from 86.44 percent to 86.65 percent and 4.10 percent to 4.44 percent respectively. However, there was a significant decrease in those identifying as White, dropping from 4.97 percent to 3.59 percent. The Hispanic representation increased from no recorded data to 1.07 percent, while the Black population saw a modest rise from 3.98 percent to 4.09 percent. Lastly, American Indian and Alaskan Native representation entered the data set with a 0.16 percent share in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 86.44% | 86.65% | 0.24% |
| Two or More Races | 4.1% | 4.44% | 8.29% |
| Black | 3.98% | 4.09% | 2.76% |
| White | 4.97% | 3.59% | -27.77% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 1.07% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0.16% | 0% |
Shim 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 Shim is Korean, which comprises 74.8% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Chinese (8.1%) and British & Irish (4.1%). Additional ancestries include Nigerian, Japanese, Filipino & Austronesian, French & German, and Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Korean | 74.8% |
| Chinese | 8.1% |
| British & Irish | 4.1% |
| Other | 12.9% |
Possible origins of the surname Shim
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 Shim have recent ancestry locations in South Korea and China.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Seoul, South Korea | 77.90% |
| Busan, South Korea | 55.80% |
| Jeollabuk Do, South Korea | 45.30% |
| Gyeongsangnam Do, South Korea | 38.40% |
| Daegu, South Korea | 36.00% |
What Shim 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 Shim is O-F2415, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F2415 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include E-M183 and O-F2859, which are predominantly found among people with European and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Shim surname are: A5, B4, R. 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 Cham
One of the many populations harboring members of haplogroup O1b1a1a1a1 is the Cham ethnic group, a group of people who speak Austronesian languages in Mainland Southeast Asia. Austronesian languages make up a language family that is extremely large and widespread, comprising over 350 million people on islands such as Madagascar, Easter Island, and many others. However, Austronesian languages are less common on mainland Asia, with a notable exception being the Chamic language. Research suggests that ancestors of the Cham people migrated from Southeast Asian islands to the mainland around the year 500 BCE, and that early Cham populations quickly began mixing with indigenous southern Vietnamese populations. As a result, the Chamic language now has words that were borrowed from languages spoken by indigenous Vietnamese people. It is likely that an ancestral Kinh population was one of the populations that mixed with the Cham people shortly after their migration to mainland Asia.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to the Han
Members of haplogroups B4 and B5 are quite frequent in both northern and southern Han Chinese populations. 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, centered in Zhongyuan, China's Central Plain. The spread of Han people, language and culture from northern to southern China only occurred in the last 2,000 years, and was likely driven by warfare and famine in the north.
What do people with the surname Shim 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.
"Shim" Surname 41.7%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Cheek Dimples
Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.
"Shim" Surname 57.9%
23andMe Users 37.6%
Habits
Kinesthetic Learner
Preferring to learn and process information through hands-on activities, practical experiences, and active engagement.
"Shim" Surname 41.7%
23andMe Users 61.5%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Shim?
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 Shim are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition