What is the origin of the Korean surname "Kim" ?

"Kyongju" Kim
Origin goes 4th King of Shilla (King Tal-Hae) was walking through the woods, and suddenly sky turned purple and Rooster was crying. So he followed the sound and there he saw a golden chest and inside the chest there was a boy. So the King Tal-hae named him Kim Alji which means golden egg. Roosters were considered sacred in Shilla as well as Gaya. It represented birth and renewal.

Kim Alji is the ancestor of all Shilla dynasty Kims. Kim Alji's 7th generation became first Kim to be Kinged in Shilla, King Michoo he was the 13th King of Shilla. Of the 56 Kings of Shilla 38 of them were Kims. King Kyong-Soon was the last King of Shilla and 28th generation form Kim Alji. Kingdom became very corrupt and after many rebellions, King Kyong-Soon surrendered his crumbling kingdom to Koryo. There he received his family name Kyongju Kim. Kyongju was a capital of Shilla. It was called surabul before Koryo, but Koryo dynasty changed the name of the city to Kyongju.To prevent Shilla nationalism which would cause rebellion.

There are 623 different variations of recorded Shilla Kims and 100's not verified. ( different clans and also whose last name that has been changed but share same ancestry) Many people especially during war times received last name or clan name, when they had exceptional merits.


Although Kim generally translated as a Gold, it also means steel. At about 7 or 5 bce(not sure about the exact date) southern part of Korea (Gaya and Shilla not a country yet) received technology from Chinese to manufacture steel after 100 yrs later southern Korea became #1 exporter and maker of steel to both Chinese and Japan. Makers of steel became very rich and powerful, enough to form a country. Gaya was the first major country to form in southern Korea. It was a very powerful nation with full steel armor and barding on horses. Since Gaya was known for their steel this maybe why they named their last name to Kim. While Shilla was known for their gold, but there is a theory that the Kim Alji actually may have came from Gaya. Because Kimhae Kim does have older history than the Kyongju Kim, Kim Alji may have passed down metal working to Shilla and became a royal family instantly.