Relatively uncommon, it is not listed in the Song dynasty classic Hundred Family Surnames.

[1][2] Li 栗 is the 249th most common surname in China, with a total population of about 300,000, half of whom live in Henan province.

According to traditional accounts, the surname Li 栗 originates from the legendary tribe or state called Lilu (栗陆氏), and the historical state of Li, which has been linked to Lilu.

[3] In the third-century text Records of Emperors and Kings (帝王世纪), Huangfu Mi records the legend that goddess Nüwa enfeoffed thirteen tribes or states, all having the Feng (风) surname.

[4] During the Shang dynasty, the state of Li (栗) existed in what is now Xiayi County, Shangqiu, Henan province.