Lin (surname)
Lin ([lǐn]; Chinese: 林; pinyin: Lín) is the Mandarin romanization of the Chinese surname written 林. It is also used in Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia.
| Pronunciation | Lín (Mandarin) Lim, Liem (Min Nan or Hokkien, Teochew, Korean, Taiwanese Minnan, Indonesian) Lam, Lum, Lem (Cantonese) Ling (Eastern Min, Northern Min, Wu Chinese) Hayashi (Japanese) Lim (Thai) Lâm (Vietnamese) |
|---|---|
| Language(s) | Chinese |
| Origin | |
| Language(s) | Middle Chinese |
| Meaning | "Forest”, "Woods", "Trees", “Sun Goddess” and “Gemstone” |
Among Taiwanese and Chinese families from abroad, it is sometimes pronounced and spelled as Lim because many Chinese descendants are part of the Southern Min diaspora that speak Min Nan, Hokkien or Teochew. In Cantonese-speaking regions such as Hong Kong and Macau it is spelled as Lam or Lum.
It is listed 147th on the Hundred Family Surnames. Within mainland China, it is currently the 18th most common surname.
In Japan, the character 林 is also used but goes by the pronunciation Hayashi, which is the 19th most common surname in Japan.