Lei
A rare surname that was probably taken from a place-name, though one old source also links it to a medieval surgeon of Edward III.
The #4,726 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 41,144 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Lei is most likely locational, probably from a place of that name near Chester mentioned in older surname literature. One 19th-century source also notes a medieval bearer, a surgeon in the reign of Edward III, which suggests the name was established in England by the Middle Ages. The spelling is short and may reflect a reduced or variant form of a longer place-name or surname tradition rather than a separate word with a clear everyday meaning.
History
Lower’s 19th-century surname dictionary treats Lei as a surname with both a medieval personal association and a possible local source. Because the name is very short and uncommon, it may also have been influenced by spelling variation over time. The historical record here is thin, so the etymology should be treated as probable rather than certain.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
An old surname dictionary says a man named Lei was one of the surgeons of King Edward III.
From the historical record
“LEI (Chats-wortb), was one of the surgeons of King Echvavd the Third. Lysons' Derb. The name may, however, be local, as there is a place of this designation near Chester. LEECHMAN. The same as Leech, (which see) the suflix man being a mere ex- pletive. Nares gives Leachman as a phy- sician. A Scottish family of the…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom