Bon-gwan
Encyclopedia
Bon-gwan is the concept of clan in Korea, which is used to distinguish clans that happen to share a same family name
(clan name). Since Korea has been traditionally a Buddhist country this clan system is cognate with Gotra
in Sanskrit texts and shares most features. A Korean clan is a group of people that share the same paternal ancestor, and is indicated by the combination of a bon-gwan and a family name (clan name). Since it is important in Korean culture to know exactly which clan one belongs to, a Bon-gwan works as if it is a part of a Korean's name. The bon-gwan and the family name are inherited from a father to his children, thus ensuring that persons in the same paternal lineage share the same combination of the bon-gwan and the family name. A bon-gwan does not change by marriage or adoption
.
Bon-gwan are used to distinguish different lineages that bear the same family name
. For example, the Gyeongju
Kim and the Gimhae
Kim are considered different clans, even though they happen to share the same family name Kim
. In this case, Gyeongju and Gimhae are the respective bon-gwan of these clans.
Different family names sharing the same bon-gwan sometimes trace their origin to a common paternal ancestor, e.g. the Gimhae Kim
clan and the Gimhae Heo
clan share Suro of Geumgwan Gaya as their common paternal ancestor, though such case is exceptional.
On the other hand, when adopting a child
, the adoptive father and the adoptive child must belong to the same clan. Therefore, they must share the same combination of the bon-gwan and the family name. Parents used to prefer children from the same clan, but recently the clan or family name isn't a deciding factor in adoption. It is due that now it is legally possible to adopt a child from a different clan and change the child's family name.
List of survived and newly created bon-gwan can be view from below web link.
http://www.surname.info/surnames.html List of Korean bon-gwan (available only in Korean language)
http://www.arirang.ru/bons/bons.htm List of Korean bon-gwan (In Russian and Korean languages)
Family name
A family name is a type of surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs. The use of family names is widespread in cultures around the world...
(clan name). Since Korea has been traditionally a Buddhist country this clan system is cognate with Gotra
Gotra
In the Hindu society, the term Gotra broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram , which means "the word gotra denotes the progeny beginning with the son's son"...
in Sanskrit texts and shares most features. A Korean clan is a group of people that share the same paternal ancestor, and is indicated by the combination of a bon-gwan and a family name (clan name). Since it is important in Korean culture to know exactly which clan one belongs to, a Bon-gwan works as if it is a part of a Korean's name. The bon-gwan and the family name are inherited from a father to his children, thus ensuring that persons in the same paternal lineage share the same combination of the bon-gwan and the family name. A bon-gwan does not change by marriage or adoption
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
.
Bon-gwan are used to distinguish different lineages that bear the same family name
Family name
A family name is a type of surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs. The use of family names is widespread in cultures around the world...
. For example, the Gyeongju
Gyeongju
Gyeongju is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang province in South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, covering with a population of 269,343 people according to the 2008 census. Gyeongju is southeast of Seoul, and east of the...
Kim and the Gimhae
Gimhae
Gimhae, also commonly spelled Kimhae, is a city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. Gimhae is known to locals as "The Paris of Gyeongsangnamdo." It is the seat of the large Gimhae Kim clan, one of the largest Kim clans in Korea...
Kim are considered different clans, even though they happen to share the same family name Kim
Kim (Korean name)
Kim, sometimes spelled Gim, is the most common family name in Korea. The name is common in both modern-day North Korea and South Korea. The hanja used for the name means "gold," and although the character is usually pronounced 금 geum, it is pronounced 김 gim when used for the family name and...
. In this case, Gyeongju and Gimhae are the respective bon-gwan of these clans.
Different family names sharing the same bon-gwan sometimes trace their origin to a common paternal ancestor, e.g. the Gimhae Kim
Kim (Korean name)
Kim, sometimes spelled Gim, is the most common family name in Korea. The name is common in both modern-day North Korea and South Korea. The hanja used for the name means "gold," and although the character is usually pronounced 금 geum, it is pronounced 김 gim when used for the family name and...
clan and the Gimhae Heo
Heo
Heo is a family name in Korea. It is also often spelled as Hur or Huh, or less commonly as Hue or Her. In South Korea in 1985, out of a population of between roughly 40 and 45 million, there were approximately 264,000 people surnamed Heo. The name is also found in North Korea...
clan share Suro of Geumgwan Gaya as their common paternal ancestor, though such case is exceptional.
Restriction on marriage and adoption
Traditionally, a man and a woman in the same clan could not marry, so the combination of the bon-gwan and the family name of a husband had to differ from that of a wife.On the other hand, when adopting a child
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
, the adoptive father and the adoptive child must belong to the same clan. Therefore, they must share the same combination of the bon-gwan and the family name. Parents used to prefer children from the same clan, but recently the clan or family name isn't a deciding factor in adoption. It is due that now it is legally possible to adopt a child from a different clan and change the child's family name.
Full list of survived Bon-gwan
It's possible for Korean nationals and Korean descendants to look up their own bon-gwan.List of survived and newly created bon-gwan can be view from below web link.
http://www.surname.info/surnames.html List of Korean bon-gwan (available only in Korean language)
http://www.arirang.ru/bons/bons.htm List of Korean bon-gwan (In Russian and Korean languages)