Lai (surname)

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Lai (Traditional Chinese: 賴; Simplified Chinese: 赖; Pinyin: Lài) is a common Chinese surname that is pronounced the same in both Cantonese and Mandarin dialects.

In Cantonese, a different last name "黎" is also romanized into "Lai". It is pronounced as Li in Mandarin: see Li (surname).

The Lai's ancestry is from the state of Lai in the Spring and Autumn Period. Many Lais dispersed to the south during their defeat by the Chu state, many even changed their surname to escape persecution.

Today, the largest Lai clans are in Taiwan, Xingning, Meishen and Melbourne.