| Variant Forms: | Lee, Li, Lí |
| Language: | Vietnamese |
| Meaning: | plum |
Lý (pronounced as /vi/) is a Vietnamese surname. It is the 14th most common Vietnamese surname and is the 1176th most common American surname, according to the 2010 United States Census.[1]
Traditionally, the surname Li is derived from the title Dali held by Gao Yao (Cao Dao in Vietnamese), a legendary minister of the Xia dynasty, and was originally written with a different character (理). There is a claim that Lao Tzu (Lão Tử in Vietnamese), the founder of Taoism, was named Ly Nhi (李耳). Ly Nhi is the first known historical figure with the surname and is considered the possible founding ancestor.
One of the earliest occurrences of the name Lý in Vietnam is the warrior Lý Ông Trọng, who lived around 200 BCE.
Lý Thái Tổ established the Lý dynasty (sometimes known as the Later Lý dynasty), which ruled the Vietnam from 1009 to 1225.