See the whole storyOrigin of my surname

The surname Li originates from the Ying clan. It comes from Li Zheng, a descendant of Emperor Gaoyang (Zhuanxu), a descendant of Gaotao. The surname originated from an official title, but was later changed to avoid misfortune. Legend has it that Gaotao, also known as Gaoyao, was the great-grandson of Shaowu, a leader of the Dongyi tribe in ancient times. Gaotao served as Dali (an official in charge of criminal law and prisons). His son, Boyi, was given the surname Ying. His descendants continued to hold the position of Dali for three generations, and following the custom of the time, they adopted the official title as their surname, becoming the Li clan. Towards the end of the Shang Dynasty, a descendant of Gaotao named Li Zheng was killed for offering honest advice to King Zhou. Li Zheng's wife, Qi He, fled with their young son, Li Zhen, and arrived at a place called "Yi Hou Zhi Xu" (a place once inhabited by a Marquis of Yi, but later abandoned) in the Yi River basin of western Henan. The mother and son were extremely hungry and exhausted. Fortunately, Qi He discovered some "mu zi" (fruits) growing on nearby trees, and the two survived by eating these wild fruits. Later, they reached eastern Henan and settled in Ku County (east of present-day Luyi County, Henan Province), not far from Huaiyang. To express their gratitude to "Mu Zi" for saving their lives, and also to escape King Zhou's pursuit, and because their ancestor Gao Yao had served as Dali (an official in charge of criminal law) under Yao and Shun, and because "Li" and "Li" are homophones and can be used interchangeably, they changed their surname from Li Zhen to Li.

The surnames originate from bestowal and surname changes. During the Three Kingdoms period, after Zhuge Liang pacified the "Ailao Yi" (the Ailao Yi were the ancestors of the ancient Ailao Kingdom, located in the Ailao Mountains area of present-day Baoshan, Yunnan), he bestowed surnames such as Zhao, Zhang, Yang, and Li upon the local ethnic minorities. During the Northern Wei Dynasty, the Xianbei people had a compound surname called Chili. After Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei moved the capital to Luoyang, he implemented a policy of Sinicization, changing the surname to the single-character Han surname Li. Li Simo of the Tang Dynasty was originally a member of the Turkic Jieli tribe (Eastern Turks), named Ashina Simo. Emperor Taizong of Tang bestowed upon him the surname Li. Li Jiaqing, originally a member of the Zhucha tribe, surnamed Ru, named Chang, migrated to Youzhou and became a military officer stationed in the north. Due to his military achievements, he was granted the surname Li and renamed Jiaqing. Li Guochang, originally a member of the Zhuxie tribe (Zhuxie was the name of a Western Turkic tribe during the Tang Dynasty), named Chixin, was the son of Zhuxie Zhiyi, the chieftain of the Shatuo Turks. He was granted the surname Li and named Guochang for his meritorious service in defeating the Pang Xun uprising under Kang Chengxun. The surname Li is also found among the Hui, Miao, Zhuang, Yao, Bai, She, and Jewish people. The large-scale bestowal of surnames during the Tang Dynasty marked a significant turning point for the Li clan. Many individuals who received this surname are recorded in various historical texts. According to the records in "Lu Shi" and "Tang Shu: Table of the Lineage of Chancellors", the Xu, Bing, An, Du, Hu, Hong, Guo, Ma, Xianyu, Zhang, Abu, Adie, Sheli, Dong, Luo, and Zhuxie clans were all granted the imperial surname Li for their meritorious service.