Lai Surname

Surname Overview

The Lai surname took the name of a state. It first flourished mainly around Yanling in Henan and later formed prominent clans in Yingchuan, Henan, and Henei commanderies.

Reference: 赖姓：客家南迁第一姓

Origins

Two Lineages

The Lai surname mainly has Ji and Jiang lineages: the Ji lineage derives from the state granted to Shu Ying, while the Jiang lineage derives from a state established by descendants of Yan Emperor.

Reference: 赖姓：客家南迁第一姓

Historical Records

Documentary Records

The Lai genealogy records that the Ji-lineage descendants took Lai as their surname and Yingchuan as their commandery; the Fengsu Tong records a Jiang-state Lai in the early Western Zhou, and the Zuo Zhuan calls its people Lai.

Reference: 赖姓：客家南迁第一姓

Commanderies and Clan Halls

Commanderies and Hall Names

The traditional commanderies of the Lai surname include Yingchuan, Henan, and Henei. The Nankang Lai lineage used “Nankang” as its hall name, and Songyang later became a major Lai commandery.

Reference: 赖姓：客家南迁第一姓

Migration and Distribution

By the Qin and Han periods, some Lai people had moved south from Yingchuan. During the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties, one branch moved to Shaanxi while another moved south and formed prominent clans in Jiangxi and Zhejiang; later descendants spread to Ganzhou, Ji'an, Fuzhou, Yichun, Guangdong, and Fujian.

Reference: 赖姓：客家南迁第一姓

Notable People

Historical Figures and Branches

Lai Zhongcheng is recorded as the founding ancestor of the Hakka Lai lineage. Around the end of the Three Kingdoms and the beginning of the Western Jin, he moved from Fengning County to “Fuyuan of Jieyang.” His son Lai Guang later moved to Songyang, and Lai Shuo and Lai Yi moved to Jieyang in Nankang Commandery during the ninth year of the Yuanjia era of Liu Song.

Reference: 赖姓：客家南迁第一姓