Li (李 / 黎)
2 Taiwanese surnames carry the spelling Li.
李 Li
- Zhuyin
- ㄌㄧˇ
- Pinyin
- lǐ
- Wade-Giles
- Li
- Further spellings of 李
- Lee
- Taiwanese Hokkien (Tâi-lô)
- Lí
- Hakka (Sixian)
- li³¹
- Rank in Taiwan
- 5th most common surname, roughly 5.13% of the population (2023 Ministry of the Interior figures)
What the character means
'Plum', meaning both the tree and its fruit.
Where the surname comes from
Tradition traces it to Gao Yao (皋陶), whose descendants served as judges (理) and used 理 as a surname; by tradition, Li Lizhen (理利貞) changed it to 李 at the end of the Shang. Laozi (李耳) is counted among its early bearers. Hall name (堂號): 隴西堂.
Saying it 我姓李 — wǒ xìng lǐ (ㄨㄛˇ ㄒㄧㄥˋ ㄌㄧˇ), "my family name is 李"
黎 Li
- Zhuyin
- ㄌㄧˊ
- Pinyin
- lí
- Wade-Giles
- Li
- Taiwanese Hokkien (Tâi-lô)
- Lê
- Hakka (Sixian)
- lai¹¹
- Rank in Taiwan
- 86th most common surname, roughly 0.13% of the population (2023 Ministry of the Interior figures)
What the character means
'Numerous' (as in 黎民 'the common people'); 'dark, black'; it also refers to the Li people of Hainan.
Where the surname comes from
Tradition traces it to the state of Li (黎) in present-day Licheng, Shanxi; descendants of Emperor Yao who were later enfeoffed there took the state's name. Hall name (堂號): 京兆堂.
Saying it 我姓黎 — wǒ xìng lí (ㄨㄛˇ ㄒㄧㄥˋ ㄌㄧˊ), "my family name is 黎"
Sources: rank and share, 內政部 全國姓名統計分析 (Ministry of the Interior, National Name Statistics), data as of 2023-06-30. Taiwanese Hokkien readings, 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 (MOE Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi), 百家姓 appendix. Hakka, 教育部臺灣客語辭典 (MOE Dictionary of Taiwan Hakka), 百家姓表, Sixian (四縣腔).