Lei is the
pinyin
Hanyu Pinyin, or simply pinyin, officially the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, is the most common romanization system for Standard Chinese. ''Hanyu'' () literally means 'Han Chinese, Han language'—that is, the Chinese language—while ''pinyin' ...
romanization
In linguistics, romanization is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Latin script, Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and tra ...
of the
Chinese surname
Chinese surnames are used by Han Chinese and Sinicization, Sinicized ethnic groups in Greater China, Korea, Vietnam and among overseas Chinese communities around the world such as Singapore and Malaysia. Written Chinese names begin with surnames, ...
(''Léi''). It is the 69th name on the ''
Hundred Family Surnames
The ''Hundred Family Surnames'' (), commonly known as ''Bai Jia Xing'', also translated as ''Hundreds of Chinese Surnames'', is a classic Chinese language , Chinese text composed of common Chinese surnames. An unknown author compiled the book ...
'' poem.
[K. S. Tom. 989(1989). Echoes from Old China: Life, Legends and Lore of the Middle Kingdom. ]University of Hawaii Press
A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...
. .
Additionally, the very common Chinese surname
Li () is pronounced Lei in Standard
Cantonese
Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...
, and is sometimes romanized as "Lei", particularly among the
Macanese.
Romanization
The surname is also romanized as
Lui or
Looi in Hokkien and
Teochew; Lui, Looi, or
Loi in
Cantonese
Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...
;
Louie or
Louis in
Taishanese;
Lūi in
Gan.
Sino-Xenic pronunciations include Lôi in
Vietnamese;
Roe () or
Noe () in
Korean; and
Rai in
Japanese.
Distribution
雷 is the
79th-most-common surname in
mainland China
"Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...
but not included among the
100 most common surnames on
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
.
In the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, Lei is an uncommon surname, ranking 14,849th during the
1990 census and 6,583rd during the year
2000 census.
US Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...
. Op. cit. Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia
Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the ...
.
How Popular Is Your Last Name?
Accessed 6 Apr 2012. In order, "Roe", "Louis", "Noe", "Louie", and "Lui" were all more common than the pinyin name; Loi and Rai were quite uncommon; and Leoi was held by fewer than 100 US residents and left unlisted by the
Census Bureau.
In
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, Lei and Lui were among the 200
most common peculiarly Chinese-Canadian surnames found in a 2010 study by Baiju Shah & al, which data-mined the
Registered Persons Database of
Canadian health card recipients in the province of
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
.
Rai was found, but among the most common surnames of the
Indian-Canadian community.
Origin
雷 is the Chinese character for "
thunder
Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. Depending upon the distance from and nature of the lightning, it can range from a long, low rumble to a sudden, loud crack. The sudden increase in temperature and hence pressure caused by the lightning pr ...
".
In
Old Chinese
Old Chinese, also called Archaic Chinese in older works, is the oldest attested stage of Chinese language, Chinese, and the ancestor of all modern varieties of Chinese. The earliest examples of Chinese are divinatory inscriptions on oracle bones ...
, its pronunciation has been reconstructed as ''*C.rˤuj''; and in
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese (formerly known as Ancient Chinese) or the Qieyun system (QYS) is the historical variety of Chinese language, Chinese recorded in the ''Qieyun'', a rime dictionary first published in 601 and followed by several revised and expande ...
, as ''Lwoj''.
[Baxter, Wm. H. & Sagart, Laurent. '' '', p. 88. 2011. Accessed 6 April 2012.]
Persons with the surname
*
Lei Chen
Lei Chen (; 8 July 1897 – 7 March 1979) was a Chinese people, Chinese politician and dissident who was the early leading figure in the movement to bring fuller democracy to the government of the Republic of China.
Born in Zhejiang in 1897, Le ...
(1897–1979), Taiwanese politician
*
Lei Feng (1940–1962), Chinese soldier
*
Lei Jiayin (born 1983), Chinese actor
*
Lei Jieqiong (1905–2011), Chinese sociologist, activist, and politician
*
Lei Jun (born 1969), Chinese billionaire entrepreneur, founder and CEO of
Xiaomi
*
Lei Sheng (born 1984), Chinese foil fencer
*
Lei Tingjie
Lei Tingjie (, born 3 March 1997) is a Chinese chess player who holds the title of Grandmaster. She was the 2021 Women's Grand Swiss champion, the 2017 Chinese women's national champion and the 2022–23 Women's Candidates winner. Lei earne ...
(born 1997), Chinese chess player
*
Lei Yanjun a.k.a. "Clifford Louie" (1914–1999), Chinese-American pilot and military officer in the Republic of China
*
Lei Yixin (born 1954), Chinese sculptor
*
Lei Zhengfu (born 1958), Chinese politician
*
Lei Yan (born 1980), Chinese singer
*
Lwi Kian Keong (born 1975), Malaysian politician
See also
*''The
Hundred Family Surnames
The ''Hundred Family Surnames'' (), commonly known as ''Bai Jia Xing'', also translated as ''Hundreds of Chinese Surnames'', is a classic Chinese language , Chinese text composed of common Chinese surnames. An unknown author compiled the book ...
''
*
List of common Chinese surnames
These are lists of the most common Chinese surnames in the China, People's Republic of China (Hong Kong, Macau, and Mainland China), the Taiwan, Republic of China (Taiwan), and the overseas Chinese, Chinese diaspora overseas as provided by govern ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lei (Surname)
Chinese-language surnames
Individual Chinese surnames