Surname Overview
Overview
Lai is a Han Chinese surname traditionally traced to the descendants of Marquis Lai of the Shang dynasty, who adopted an ancestral title as their surname.
Lai Surname
Surname profileLai / Lai
Origins
State Name Origin
One lineage is traced to descendants of the Shang who were enfeoffed in Lai; its former city was southeast of present-day Huang County, Shandong, and descendants took the state name as their surname.
Historical Records
Records and Early Figures
The surname is recorded in the Clan Records sections of the Zheng Tongzhi and Xu Tongzhi; listed figures include Lai Ju of Jin in the Spring and Autumn period, Lai Zhang of the Han dynasty, and Lai Congshan of the Ming dynasty.
Commanderies and Clan Halls
Commandery Tradition
The commandery tradition associated with the Lai surname is Donghai.
Migration and Distribution
Distribution
The Lai surname is found in Liaozhong, Liaoning; Gaochun, Jiangsu; and Miaoli and Yilan in Taiwan, as well as in Yuxian, Hebei, Changzhi, Shanxi, and Wuchuan, Guangdong.
Notable People
Historical Figures
Lai Zhu is identified as Zhong Hui, a worthy minister of King Tang of Shang. Lai Congshan, a Sichuan native of the Ming dynasty, served as an instructor in Xinyu, Jiangxi, during the Xuande era.
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Surname attestation references
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