Surname Overview
The surname Lai is pronounced lái, written in Zhuyin as ㄌㄞˊ, and has multiple origins.
Lai Surname
Population reference (not a current census): 137,840Lai / Lai
Origins
Main Origins
The recorded origins include the Zi, Yu, and Si lineages, as well as Hui people, Mongolian groups, and descendants of the Chang surname.
Zi and Lai Origins
One Zi-lineage branch traces to the fief of the Shang royal house at Lai; after the state of Lai was annexed by Lu in the Spring and Autumn period, its people removed the component meaning 'settlement' and used Lai as their surname. Another branch descends from the Marquis of Lai; after Lai was destroyed by Qi, the descendants removed the grass radical and used Lai as their surname.
Historical Records
Documentary Record
Volume 11 of the Shizu Dian records the lineage of Yu the Great's descendant Jilai: Yu fathered Jun, Jun fathered Gu, Gu fathered Jilai, and Jilai fathered Xun'e.
Migration and Distribution
Migration Clues
Lai Tingshao was originally from Yanling County, Henan, later becoming the founding ancestor of the Changhe Lai lineage in Xiaoshan; he was born in Yuanzhou, Jiangxi, in 1150.
Notable People
Historical Figures
Lai Xi was an early Eastern Han general. Lai Hu'er was a Sui dynasty general, the son of Lai Famin, and is recorded as the eighteenth-generation descendant of Lai Xi.
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