Lǐ (
理) is a
Chinese surname. In Mandarin it is pronounced with the dipped third tone of the
four tones.
Origin
Li (理) family name originated from
Gaoyao (皐陶) the son of
Shaohao (少昊) during the reign of emperor
Shun. Gaoyao was father of
Boyi (伯益) the origin of the surname
Yíng (嬴), and ancestor of
Gaoyang (高揚).[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
During ancient times
Gaoyang's posterity took the surname Li (理), later many changed to surnames
Li (里),
Li (李), etc.[8]