Lui is a surname in various cultures. It may be a variant spelling of two

Chinese surname Chinese surnames are used by Han Chinese and Sinicized ethnic groups in China, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, and among overseas Chinese communities around the world such as Singapore and Malaysia. Written Chinese names begin with surnames, unlike the ...

s ( Léi and Lǚ), as well as an

Italian surname A name in the Italian language consists of a given name ( it, nome), and a surname (); in most contexts, the given name is written before the surname. (In official documents, the Western surname may be written before the given name or names.) Ital ...

. The surname Lui can also be found on various

Pacific Islands Collectively called the Pacific Islands, the islands in the Pacific Ocean are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of se ...

Origins

Lui may be the spelling of various

s, based on their pronunciation in different

varieties of Chinese Chinese, also known as Sinitic, is a branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family consisting of hundreds of local varieties, many of which are not mutually intelligible. Variation is particularly strong in the more mountainous southeast of main ...

; they are listed below by their spelling in

Hanyu Pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...

, which reflects the

Mandarin Chinese Mandarin (; ) is a group of Chinese (Sinitic) dialects that are natively spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. The group includes the Beijing dialect, the basis of the phonology of Standard Chinese, the official language of ...

pronunciation: * Léi (), meaning "thunder"; the spelling Lui is based on the

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...

pronunciation (). The spelling Lui is common in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

, while other spellings of the same surname such as

Loi Loi is the word in the Meitei language (Meiteilon) for the term "scheduled caste". The term ''Loi'' is given to the indigenous and aboriginal people of Manipur in northeast India who refused to adopt Hinduism or were semi-Hinduised when the new ...

and

Louie Louie may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Louie'' (American TV series), by comedian Louis C.K. * ''Louie'' (French TV series), animated series about a young rabbit who draws pictures which come to life * "Louie" (song), by Blood Raw * ''L ...

are found in

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

and among

overseas Chinese Overseas Chinese () refers to people of Chinese birth or ethnicity who reside outside Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. As of 2011, there were over 40.3 million overseas Chinese. Terminology () or ''Hoan-kheh'' () in Hokkien, refe ...

. * Lǚ (); nearly-homophonous with the above in Cantonese (; note the differing tone), and so also spelled Lui, Loi, or Louie. Lui is also an

, derived from the name of the month of

July July is the seventh month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is the fourth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. It was named by the Roman Senate in honour of Roman general Julius Caesar in 44 B.C., it being the mont ...

in the

Eastern Lombard dialect Eastern Lombard is a group of closely related variants of Lombard, a Gallo-Italic dialect spoken in Lombardy, mainly in the provinces of Bergamo, Brescia and Mantua, in the area around Cremona and in parts of Trentino. Its main variants are Be ...

spoken in

Mantua Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard language, Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture ...

and surroundings (compare Italian ).

Statistics

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, 287 families bore the surname Lui, with 200 (69.7%) located in

Lombardy Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...

. According to statistics cited by

Patrick Hanks Patrick Hanks (born 24 March 1940) is an English lexicographer, corpus linguist, and onomastician. He has edited dictionaries of general language, as well as dictionaries of personal names. Background Hanks was educated at Ardingly College, ...

, there were 488 people on the island of

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

and 18 on the island of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

with the surname Lui as of 2011. There were no people with the surname on the island of Great Britain in 1881. The

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

found 6,156 people with the surname Lui, making it the 5,641st-most-common name in the country. This represented an increase from 5,620 (5,662nd-most-common) in the 2000 Census. In both censuses, about nine-tenths of the bearers of the surname identified as

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, and roughly five per cent as

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

. It was the 216th-most-common surname among respondents to the 2000 Census who identified as Asian.

People

Chinese surname Léi ()

* David Y.H. Lui (; 1944–2011), Canadian arts producer of Chinese descent *

Simon Lui Simon Lui Yue Yeung (; born 8 July 1964), also known as Simon Loui and Simon Yu, is a highly prolific Hong Kong-based actor famous for starring in many low-budget and/or horror films since the early 1990s. He began drawing attention when he was fe ...

(; born 1964), Hong Kong actor *

Mark Lui Mark Lui (, born 9 July 1969) is from Hong Kong. He is a composer and producer of Cantopop music with the "On Your Mark" creative team, and part of the Artists and Repertoire team at East Asia Record Production Co., Ltd. Notable works include ...

(; born 1969), Hong Kong Cantopop lyricist *

Elaine Lui Elaine "Lainey" Lui (, born September 26, 1973) is a Canadians, Canadian television personality and reporter. She pens a website, LaineyGossip, is an anchor on CTV Television Network, CTV's ''etalk'', and is also a co-host on CTV's daily talk seri ...

(; born 1973), Canadian television journalist *

Simon Lui (professor) Simon Lui () is a computer music researcher. Lui is currently an Adjunct Professor in the Singapore University of Technology and Design. Simon was a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2012-2013, and a Mari ...

(; born 1981), Hong Kong-born Singaporean computer music researcher * Lui Man Tik (; born 1994), Hong Kong football left back * Lui Kit Ming (; born 2000), Hong Kong football midfielder *

Lui Kim-man Kim Man Lui (雷剑文), also known as Kimman Lui, is an author of software engineering, and financial speculation books. He is the Chief Operations Officer of Marvel Web Services and a lecturer with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He has ...

(), Hong Kong financial and technical writer

Chinese surname Lǚ ()

Lui Shou-Kwan Lui Shou-Kwan ( zh, 呂壽琨 (Lü Shoukun); 1919–1975) was a Chinese painter, one of the most prominent ink painters of the 20th century and a founder of the Hong Kong New Ink Movement. Early life Lui was born in Guangzhou. His father, Lui ...

(; 1919–1975), Hong Kong painter *

Lui Lok Lui Lok (; born Lui Mo Lok (); 16 May 1920 – 13 May 2010) dubbed as 'The Five-Hundred-Million-Dollar Inspector', was a former Hong Kong Detective Staff Sergeant I. He became notorious for his acts of corruption during the 1960s to 1970s dur ...

(; 1920–2010), Hong Kong police officer pursued by the Independent Commission Against Corruption *

Lui Che-woo Lui Che Woo, GBM, MBE, JP () (born 9 August 1929, Jiangmen, China) is a Hong Kong business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is a member of the standing committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Jiangmen, ...

(; born 1929), Guangdong-born Hong Kong member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference * Lui Tsun-Yuen (; 1931–2008), Chinese classical musician and composer * Lui Ming-wah (; 1939–20??), Shandong-born Hong Kong Legislative Council member *

Ray Lui Ray Lui Leung-wai ( vi, Lữ Lương Vỹ, born 22 December 1956) is a Hong Kong actor. Born in Chợ Lớn, Saigon, Vietnam, he traces his ancestry to Lianjiang, Guangdong. He is best known for his role as "Ting Lik" in the 1980 Hong Kong te ...

(; born 1956), Vietnam-born Hong Kong actor *

Lui Tuck Yew Lui Tuck Yew (; born 16 August 1961) is a Singaporean diplomat, former politician and two-star rear-admiral who has been serving as Singapore Ambassador to China since 2019. He previously served as Singapore Ambassador to Japan between 2017 an ...

(; born 1961), Singaporean politician and diplomat *

Danny Lui Danny Lui (; 7 January 1957 – 1 July 2012Startup Capital Ventures- In memoriam http://startupcv.com/member/danny-lui/) was a Hong Kong entrepreneur and venture capitalist. He graduated from Imperial College, London with a degree in Computer Scien ...

(; 1957–2012), Hong Kong entrepreneur and venture capitalist *

Lui Kam Chi Lui Kam Chi (born 24 February 1973) is a Hong Kong rower. He competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics and the 2000 Summer Olympics. He was the winner of a bronze medal at the 1999 Asian Rowing Championships and silver medals in multiple events at th ...

(; born 1973), Hong Kong rower * Yvonne Lui (; born 1977), Hong Kong philanthropist *

Koni Lui Koni Lui Wai Yee (; born 3 September 1982 in Hong Kong) is a model and 2nd runner up at the Miss Hong Kong 2006 pageant. She represented Hong Kong at Miss International 2006 in Tokyo, Japan and Beijing, China. She received two awards, Most Beautifu ...

(; born 1982), Hong Kong beauty pageant titleholder *

Lui Chi Hing Lui Chi Hing (, born 10 January 1984) is a former Hong Kong professional footballer who played as a centre back or a defensive midfielder.

(; born 1984), Hong Kong football coach *

Barton Lui Pan-To Barton Lui Pan-To (; born April 8, 1993, in Hong Kong) is a short track speed skater who has competed since 2010. Barton Lui has also qualified to compete for Hong Kong at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. By doing so he became the fir ...

(; born 1993), Hong Kong short track speed skater * Lui Lai Yiu (; born 1994), Hong Kong hurdler *

Edan Lui Edan Lui Cheuk-on ( zh, t=呂爵安; born 21 January 1997), better known by his mononym Edan, is a Hong Kong singer, presenter, actor, and a member of the Hong Kong boy group MIRROR. Apart from his group activities, Edan has presented various tel ...

(; born 1997), Hong Kong singer * John C.S. Lui (), Hong Kong computer scientist

Other or unknown

Frank Lui Frank Fakaotimanava Lui (19 November 1935 – 9 July 2021) was a Niuean politician, who served as the premier of the Pacific Island state of Niue from 1993 to 1999. Early life Lui was raised by his grandparents on Niue after his parents and ...

(1935–2021), Niuean politician *

Joseph Lui Joseph Lui (died 17 May 1941) was one of the first two Torres Strait Islanders to be ordained a priest in the Anglican Church of Australia (then called the Church of England in Australia) in 1925. Early life Lui was the son of Lui Lifu (also ...

(died 1941), Australian Anglican priest *

Elizabeth Gill Lui Elizabeth Gill Lui (born Nancy Elizabeth Gill; February 6, 1951) in Yonkers, New York is an American photographer and artist. Early life and education Elizabeth Gill Lui, daughter to U.S. Air Force Colonel Richard M.Gill and Shirley Squire, sp ...

(born 1951), American photographer * Mary Ting Yi Lui (born 1967), American history professor * Diana Lui (born 1968), Malaysian-born Franco-Belgian artist *

Richard Lui Richard Lui is an American journalist and news anchor for MSNBC and NBC News. Lui is currently a breaking news anchor for NBC and MSNBC, broadcasting from 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. prior to that role he was a co-h ...

(born ), American television journalist of Chinese descent * Marco Lui (born 1975), Italian mime and comic *

Cynthia Lui Cynthia Lillian Lui (born 17 February 1977) is an Australian politician. She has been the Australian Labor Party member for Cook in the Queensland Legislative Assembly since 2017. Originally from Yam Island in the Torres Strait, Lui is the firs ...

(born 1977), Australian politician of Torres Straits Islander descent *

Lolo Lui Lolo Lui (born 4 January 1982) is a Samoan rugby union player. He captained the Samoa Sevens team which won the 2009–10 IRB Sevens World Series. Lui was born and raised in Moata'a, the same village as former All Blacks star Michael Jones and ...

(born 1982), Samoan rugby union player * Anton Lui (born 1985), Papua New Guinean sprinter *

Gustavia Lui Gustavia Nia Lui (born ) is a New Zealand businesswoman of Samoan and Tuvaluan descent. She is the founder and owner of Staavias, a footwear company specialising in plus-sized shoes for women. Early life Lui was born in Wellington and grew up in ...

(born ), New Zealand businesswoman of Samoan and Tuvaluan descent * Dunamis Lui (born 1990), Australian rugby league footballer *

Robert Lui Robert Lui (born 23 February 1990) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or for the Townsville Blackhawks in the Queensland Cup. He has previously played for the Wests Tigers and the North Queensland Cowboys in ...

(born 1990), Australian rugby league footballer of Torres Straits Islander descent * Nakkiah Lui (born 1991), Australian writer of Gamilaroi and Torres Strait Islander descent * Joseph Andy Lui (born 1994), Tongan sprinter *

Lauititi Lui Lauititi Lui (born ) is a Samoan male weightlifter, competing in the +105 kg category and representing Samoa at international competitions. He participated at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in the +105 kg event. He won the silver medal at the 2 ...

(born 1995), Samoan weightlifter *

Getano Lui (Jnr) Getano Belford Lui Jnr , is an indigenous Australian community leader. Career Lui is Councillor on the Torres Strait Islands Regional Council (TSIRC) (State) and Deputy Chair and Member for Iama ( Yam Island), and also on the Board of the To ...

, indigenous Australian community leader *

Jane Lui Jane Lui is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in Southern California. Biography Lui grew up in Hong Kong and at the age of 12, she moved to the United States. Her musical influences include Tori Amos, Kate Bush, and ...

, Hong Kong-born American singer songwriter * Salesio Lui, Tokelauan politician * Tunoa Lui, American Samoan association football coach * Wonci Lui, American actress of Chinese descent

References

{{Surname Chinese-language surnames Multiple Chinese surnames