Choi

Spellings & scripts●

Locally spelled Cho in NO Norway, DE Germany, IT Italy and 4 more, 최 in KR South Korea, MO Macao, PL Poland and 1 more and Choe in KP North Korea.

Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records; ○ marks a model's transliteration. Click a spelling to open its page.

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 4 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Choi is also recorded as 6 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• a separate surname45K records spelled Choi7 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Netherlands

  Also written Chǭi, Chŏi, Chơi, Čhō̜i, Choĭ

• Spanish surname37K records spelled Choi6 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia

  Languages: Spanish, Portuguese

  Also written Khoy, Çhòí, Chơi

• German surname9.7K records spelled Choi6 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Germany, United States, Austria, Switzerland

  Also written Chơi, Chổi, Chối, Chọi

• French surname7.4K records spelled Choi10 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in France, United States, Spain, Canada

  Languages: French, Catalan

  Also written Choï, Choî, Çhóî, Çhơi, Chọi

• Japanese surname5.8K records spelled Choi8 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Japan, United States, Hong Kong, Canada

  Also written Chơi, Chọi, Chói, Chồi, Chối

• Polish surname3.9K records spelled Choi6 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Poland, United States, Czechia, Slovakia

  Languages: Polish, Czech, Slovak

  Also written Chơi, Chọi, Chôi

72 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Choi is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In cdo, hits of scenery, as of delineated or embroidered

  as a word·Dictionary of the Foochow Dialect

• In Filipino, a Chinese Filipino surname from Cantonese

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In Polish, inflection of choja:

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In Haitian Creole, a thing

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In cdo, to gnaw, to masticate, (ga)

  as a word·Dictionary of the Foochow Dialect

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

SE SCB — Namnstatistik (to 2023) — 22 years between 1999–2020. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Cai Lunb. 48CNnot in their usual nameChinese official credited with inventing paper (died 121)
• Choi Hong-hib. 1918KPKorean army general and martial artist (1918–2002)
• Choi Kyu-hahb. 1919KR4th President of South Korea (1919–2006)
• Choe Ryong-haeb. 1950KPnot in their usual nameChairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea
• Tsai Ing-wenb. 1956TWnot in their usual name14th and 15th President of Republic of China (Taiwan)
• Choi Min-sikb. 1962KRSouth Korean actor
• Kenneth Choib. 1971USAmerican actor
• Jolin Tsaib. 1980TWnot in their usual nameTaiwanese singer, songwriter, and actress (born 1980)
• Choi Min-hob. 1991KRSouth Korean rapper, singer and actor
• Albert Tsaib. 2004USnot in their usual nameAmerican actor (born 2004)

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 157 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Choi?

We estimate roughly 2.4 million people bear Choi (counting its spellings and scripts) across 14 countries in our records.

In which country does Choi have the most bearers?

We estimate about 2.3 million people bear Choi in South Korea, more than in any other country in our records, where it is most often spelled 최.

Where is Choi most common?

Choi is densest in South Korea, where the national register counts about 1 in 22 people carrying it.

How common is Choi compared with other names?

In South Korea, Choi is the 4th most common surname of 14,083 surnames recorded there.

What does the name Choi mean?

Recorded meaning: lang., people, Mexico