How common is the surname Lei?

7,504 people in the United States had the surname Lei in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 41,144 Americans. It ranked 4,726th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Lei?

Evelyn Laye, actress (1900-1996).

Where is the surname Lei most common?

Wikidata records people named Lei in the United Kingdom.

Is the surname Lei getting more or less common?

More common. 4,749 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 7,504 in 2010, up 58%.

Is Lei also a first name?

Yes. Lei is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Lei

A Chinese surname, carried by 7,504 people in the United States.

1 syllable Soundex L000 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Lei is more common than 97.1% of them.

Origin

Chinese origin

Borrowed from Chinese 雷 (léi).

One of 193 Chinese surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 7,504 people named Lei in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 41,144 Americans. That is up 58% since 2000, when the Census counted 4,749.

#4,726

rank among US surnames

7,504

people in 2010

2.5

per 100,000 Americans

+58%

change since 2000 (was #6,583)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#4,722	Toomey	7,510	41,111
#4,723	Ault	7,509	41,117
#4,724	Parikh	7,506	41,133
#4,726	Lei	7,504	41,144

Who is named Lei

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

94% of people named Lei identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, 3.3% as white (not Hispanic) and 1.2% as two or more races.

Asian and Pacific Islander 94%
White (not Hispanic) 3.3%
Two or more races 1.2%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 0.7%
Black (not Hispanic) 0.5%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.2%

Compare: most common surnames among Asian and Pacific Islander Americans.

Famous Leis

1 notable person on Wikidata, most written-about first

Evelyn Laye
Actress (1900-1996)

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Lei

Lei has the Soundex code L000, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code L000.

Other Chinese surnames

All 193 Chinese surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Lei come from?: Borrowed from Chinese 雷 (léi).
How common is the surname Lei?: 7,504 people in the United States had the surname Lei in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 41,144 Americans. It ranked 4,726th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Lei?: In the 2010 Census, 94% of people named Lei identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, and 3.3% as white (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Lei?: Evelyn Laye, actress (1900-1996).
Where is the surname Lei most common?: Wikidata records people named Lei in the United Kingdom.
Is the surname Lei getting more or less common?: More common. 4,749 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 7,504 in 2010, up 58%.
Is Lei also a first name?: Yes. Lei is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.