Find out how popular the last name Lii is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Lii.

Lii, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Lii surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lii in America

Lii is the 126018th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lii surname appeared 136 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Lii.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lii to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Lii

The surname LII originated in the mountainous regions of central Switzerland during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old Swiss-German word "li," which means a slope or hillside. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name likely lived on or near a hillside or sloping terrain.

The LII surname first appeared in historical records in the 13th century, with one of the earliest documented instances being a Johannes Lii, a farmer from the village of Unterkulm in the canton of Aargau, mentioned in a land deed dated 1274. Another early record is of a Heinrich Lii, a blacksmith from the town of Lucerne, whose name appears in a guild registry from 1311.

In the 14th century, the name is found in various forms, including Lye, Lij, and Lije, reflecting the local dialects and spelling variations of the time. One notable figure was Konrad Lije, a respected magistrate from the city of Bern, who served from 1362 to 1378.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, the LII surname spread to other regions of Switzerland, particularly the cantons of Zürich and St. Gallen. Prominent individuals from this period include Hans Lii, a successful merchant and landowner from Winterthur (1428-1499), and Ulrich Lij, a respected theologian and scholar from St. Gallen (1498-1568).

In the 17th century, the spelling of the surname solidified as LII, and it began to appear in records outside of Switzerland. One of the earliest examples is Johann LII, a skilled woodcarver from the Black Forest region of Germany, whose works can be found in several churches and museums across southern Germany (1612-1678).

As the LII family spread across Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries, they established themselves in various professions and trades. Notable figures include Johann Jakob LII, a renowned clockmaker from the town of Lörrach in Baden-Württemberg, Germany (1749-1823), and Émile LII, a French artist and painter from Lyon, known for his landscapes and portraits (1795-1871).

Other significant individuals with the LII surname include Karl LII, an Austrian botanist and explorer who documented several new plant species in South America (1832-1907), and Nikolai LII, a Russian military officer and author who wrote extensively about the Crimean War (1828-1892).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lii

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Lii.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Lii was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Lii has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Lii was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Lii, please contact us.

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