Seol (surname)

Seol (설) is a relatively uncommon Korean family name. It is written with the Hanja character 薛.

Origin and History:

The Seol surname's origin can be traced back to China. The progenitor of the Korean Seol clan is believed to be Seol In-gui (薛仁貴), a general of the Tang Dynasty who was dispatched to Korea to assist the Silla kingdom during its unification wars in the 7th century. Although he eventually returned to China, some of his descendants remained in Korea and established the Gyeongju Seol clan.

Clans:

The primary and most well-known clan associated with the Seol surname is the Gyeongju Seol clan (경주 설씨; 慶州 薛氏). Gyeongju is a city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. This signifies the clan's origin and ancestral seat. There might be other, smaller, less documented Seol clans.

Distribution and Demographics:

As a less common surname, Seol is not widely distributed throughout the Korean peninsula. The 2015 South Korean census indicated that there were approximately 44,000 people with the surname Seol.

Notable People:

• Seol Ki-hyeon (설기현): A retired South Korean football player.
• Seolhyun (설현): A South Korean singer and actress, member of the girl group AOA.

Variations and Romanization:

The surname is typically romanized as "Seol" using the Revised Romanization of Korean. Older romanization systems might yield variations such as "Sul."