The Li surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 111,786 people carried this name — #273 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 2,640 people counted. That is up 93% from 57,786 in 2000.
Where the name comes from
The origin of the Li surname
Transcription of 李 (Lǐ)
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Li» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
1,579 people named Li live in Switzerland.
They live in 22 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 1,190 people named Li live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Antwerp.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 319 people named Li.
Most of them — 259 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 17 départements, most often Paris.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Poland’s population register
163 people named Li have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 2,111 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 13 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Masovian.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In the Nordic population registers
3,696 people named Li are counted in Sweden, Norway and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Norway publishes only surnames with 200 or more bearers. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Statistics Norway (SSB, ssb.no), table 12891, 2025 — CC BY 4.0 · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Li in American newspapers,
1853–1949.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 10,854,172 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Li,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Laozi -57–-50 · writer -
Li Ling -14–-7 · military officer -
Li Gao 351–417 · ruler -
Luo Yi 501–627 · politician -
Emperor Gaozu of Tang 566–635 · politician
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 137 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Li.
- Leyser 139 · U.S. census
- Lezer 147 · U.S. census
- Lherisson 285 · U.S. census
- Lheureux 2,186 · U.S. census
- Lhomme 138 · U.S. census
- Lhuillier 333 · U.S. census
- Lia 706 · U.S. census
- Liautaud 225 · U.S. census
- Liban 384 · U.S. census
- Libbrecht 101 · U.S. census
- Liber 298 · U.S. census
- Libera 427 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Li is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.