Chae Family History

Korean: written 제 in Chinese characters 諸 meaning ‘all’. This is the only Chinese character for the surname Chae. There are two Chae clans: the Ch’ilwŏn and the Ŭisŏng, the Ch’ilwŏn clan being the larger.

Ancestors of this family were originally named Chaegal (諸葛) in Korea. According to the Chaegal clan genealogy, the founding ancestor was a twentieth-generation descendant of a Chinese government official Chae Kal-lyang (諸葛 亮), a character who plays an important role in the epic tale of the Three Kingdoms.

This descendant migrated to the Shilla kingdom some time in the early 9th century. He and his descendants lived in the southern tip of the Korean peninsula for four centuries. It is said that during the reign of the Koryŏ king Kojong (1213–59) two brothers split the Chaegal surname: the younger brother Yŏng (瑩) took the surname Kal (葛) and the elder brother Hong (泓) took the surname Chae (諸).

In Korea, most members of the Chae clan live in southern Kyŏngsang and Chŏlla provinces. Compare Chai 5 Chay 2 and Che 5.