Last name LIM: origin and meaning

Lim : 1: English: variant of Lum.2: Korean: variant of Im 1 and 2.3: Chinese: Teochew Hokkien and Hakka form of the surname 林 ‘woods forest’ see Lin 1. These dialects in which this form occurs are found in Guangdong Fujian Jiangxi Hainan and Taiwan from where some people migrated to Singapore Malaysia Thailand Indonesia the Philippines and other parts of Southeast Asia (compare 6 below).4: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 廉 see Lian 4.5: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 練 see Lian 3.6: Cambodian: written លីម of Chinese origin from 林 meaning ‘woods forest’ (see Lin 1 and compare 3 above).7: Cambodian: written លឹម of Chinese origin a variant of Lem 4 and possibly cognate with 6 above.

Source : DAFN2 : Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, ©2022 by Patrick Hanks and Oxford University Press
FANBI : The Oxford Dictionary if Family Names in Britain and Ireland, ©2016, University of the West of England