Via Sun Bin, a comparison of the distribution of Han Chinese surnames (1990 census) compared with South Korean surnames (2000 census).

…45% of all Korean (South) people are either Kim, Lee or Park. If one use the same breakdown and project to the whole of Korea one has the following chart (source, 2000 figure)

* Top 3 concentration: 45%

* Top 10: 64%

* Top 15: 72%

* 22 names have over 1% population (see chart): 81%

The Han Chinese, being a much larger ethnic group, is less concentrated.

* Top 3 concentration: 23%

* Top 10: 44%

* Top 15: 51%

* 19 names have over 1% population (see chart): 56%

While China largest surname, Li (aka Lee) covers a 7.9 percent share of the population of China, Lee (aka Yi) as the third-most-common family name in South Korea holds a 15 percent share.

Technorati Tags: asia, china, east asia, korea, northeast asia, south korea