Choe

Choe is a surname of Korean origin. It is a romanization of the Korean family name usually written 최 in Hangul. While the most common modern romanization is Choi, the spelling Choe remains in use, particularly among older documents, in some North Korean contexts, and within diaspora communities where family preference or historical transliteration practices have preserved that form, such as the McCune–Reischauer rendering Ch’oe.

The hanja most commonly associated with this surname is 崔. The name ranks among Korea’s more frequent surnames and, like other Korean surnames, is linked to various bon-gwan or ancestral lineages indicating different clan origins.

In English-language contexts, Choe may appear alongside other spellings of the same name, including Choi and Cui. The variant Choe is also encountered in historical or academic works when referring to individuals who adopted that romanization.

Notable people with the surname span fields such as politics, academia, arts, and sports, reflecting the widespread presence of the name across Korean society and the global Korean diaspora. The spelling Choe, along with its alternatives, is part of the broader tradition of romanizing Korean names for international usage. See also Choi for the contemporary standard romanization in Revised Romanization of Korean.