Date
Meaning & History
Although there are two Chinese characters for the So surname, one of these is extremely rare and can be discounted (there are only about two hundred people in Korea who use this rare character). Some records indicate that the more common character for So has as many as 165 clans, but only eleven of them can be documented. The first recorded ancestor of the So clans seems to be a Shilla figure named So Shin-il. According to some legends, the rulers of the Old Choson kingdom (died 194 bc) were driven from power by the Wiman Choson and settled in the Ich’on area. The So clans are among the descendants of these ancient rulers. About fifty percent of modern members of the So clans live in the Kyongsang provinces or in Cholla South province.