Chae is an Italian, Korean, and Germanic family name. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write it.
The 2000 South Korean Census found 119,251 people with the family name Chae. It could be written with either of three hanja, indicating different lineages. In a study by the National Institute of the Korean Language based on year 2007 application data for South Korean passports, it was found that 87.8% of people with this surname spelled it in Latin letters as Chae in their passports. Another 7.5% spelled it as Chai, 2.8% as Che, and 1.7% as Chea.
蔡 (성씨 채 songssi chae) is by far the most common of the three Chae surnames. This character is also used to write the Chinese family name pronounced Cài ([t͡ɕai̯˥˩]) in Mandarin. The 2000 Census found 114,069 people and 35,099 households with this surname, divided among seventeen reported bon-gwan (clan hometowns, not necessarily the actual residence of clan members), as well as eighty-six people whose bon-gwan was not stated:
Pyonggang, Kangwon (today in North Korea): 69,256 people and 21,373 households They claim descent from Chae Song-nyeon (채송년; 蔡松年), an official under Gojong of Goryeo.
Incheon, Gyeonggi (today in South Korea): 37,391 people and 11,415 households They claim descent from Chae Seon-mu (채선무; 蔡先茂), who lived sometime during mid-Goryeo Dynasty.
Other or unreported bon-gwan: 7,422 people and 2,311 households
菜 (나물 채 namul chae) is the second-most common of the three Chae surnames. The 2000 Census found 3,516 people and 1,067 households with this surname, divided among two reported bon-gwan:
Yeongyang, North Gyeongsang (today in South Korea): 1,816 people and 576 households
Jinju, South Gyeongsang: 1,627 people and 483 households
Other or unreported bon-gwan: 73 people and eight households
采 (풍채 채 pungchae chae, 캘 채 kael chae) is the least common of the three Chae surnames. The 2000 Census found 1,666 people and 566 households with this surname, with one reported bon-gwan:
Yeosan: 1,637 people and 562 households
Other or unreported bon-gwan: 29 people and two households
People with these family names include:
Chae Man-sik (蔡萬植, 1902–1950), Korean novelist
Chae Myung-shin (蔡命新, 1926–2013), South Korean army general
Chae Su-chan (蔡秀澯, born 1955), South Korean politician and economist
Chae Ho-ki (蔡好基, born 1957), South Korean poet
Nelson Chai (Chai Joo-suk, born 1965), American investment banker of Korean descent
Chae Shi-ra (蔡時那, born 1968), South Korean actress
Chae Sung-bae (蔡成培, born 1968), South Korean heavyweight boxer
Chae Keun-bae (蔡根培, born 1970), South Korean sport shooter
Chae Ji-hoon (蔡智薰, born 1974) South Korean speed skater
Chae Jung-an (蔡貞安, born Jang Jung-an, 1977), South Korean actress and singer
Chae Ri-na (born Baek Hyeon-ju, 1977), South Korean singer
Chae Sang-byung (蔡尙秉, born 1979), South Korean baseball player
Chae Min-seo (born Jo Soo-jin, 1981), South Korean actress
Chae Eun-hee (born 1982), South Korean marathon runner
Chae Seon-ah (born 1992), South Korean volleyball player
Piglet (video gamer) (born Chae Gwang-jin, 1994), South Korean League of Legends player
Chae Hyungwon (蔡亨源, born 1994), South Korean singer, member of Monsta X
Chae Soo-bin (蔡秀彬, born Bae Soo-bin, 1994), South Korean actress
Chea Song-joo (born 1998), South Korean figure skater
Chae Sang-woo (蔡相宇, born 1999), South Korean actor
Esther K. Chae (Chae Kyung-ju), American actress of Korean descent
Chae Eui-jin, South Korean voice actor
There are 17 hanja with the reading Chae on the South Korean government's official list of hanja which may be registered for use in given names; they are:
Korean given names containing the element Chae include:
Chae-won (feminine)
Chae-young (feminine)
Eun-chae (feminine)
