Surname Nei - Meaning and Origin

Nei: What does the surname Nei mean?

The surname Nei is primarily found in China and is of Chinese origin. Like many Chinese surnames, the exact meaning of "Nei" can vary depending on its written form in Chinese characters. In the majority of instances, surnames in China have historical, regional, or clan-based connotations. While its specific meaning might require further exploration into family history, under some interpretations, "Nei" can refer to "inside" or "within". However, it is crucial to identify the correct Chinese character to gain a precise understanding. Chinese surnames often carry significant cultural and historical meanings that are integral parts of the Chinese language.

Nei: Where does the name Nei come from?

The surname Nei is most commonly seen today in Northern China and in the Chinese diaspora throughout the world. In Northern China, the last name Nei appears to be most common in the Hebei, Liaoning, and Beijing provinces. There are also other countries that are home to the last name, albeit in much smaller numbers: South Korea, Japan, and the United States.

In the United States, the last name Nei is most frequent in and around the states of California, New York, and Pennsylvania. Other states with a disproportionate number of the surname Nei include New Jersey, Massachusetts, Illinois, and Texas. As the Chinese diaspora continues, it is likely that the Nei surname will become more commonly seen in other states throughout the United States.

The last name can also be found in other countries such as Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and most other countries with Chinese expatriates. It is estimated that the last name Nei is held by around one million people worldwide, making it one of the more common Chinese family names.

Variations of the surname Nei

Nei is a surname derived from the Old Norse word "nei" (no, nay). Depending on the region of origin, Nei can have many alternate spellings and variant forms.

In Germany, Denmark and Norway, the surname Nei is commonly spelled as Næ, Nä, Nei, Neii, Neij, Ney, Neye, and Ny.

In Spain, the surname Nei is spelt as Ney and Nei.

In England, Nei has several variant spellings including Nay, Ne, Nee, Nea, Neay, Nei, Neye, and Nei.

In the United States, variants of the Nei surname may be spelled as Ne, Nay, Nei, Nee, Ney and Neii.

In Finland, the Nei surname is spelt as Neij.

In Sweden, variants of Nei include Ni, Ne, Nae, Nay, Nei, Ney, Neii, Neij, and Ny.

In Italy, Nei is mostly spelt as Né.

In the Netherlands, variants of Nei include Nai and Neij.

In Austria, the spelling is commonly Neij or Ney.

Some of the common variant surnames of Nei are Neises, Neising, Neise, Neiss and Neisel.

Other rare surnames derived from Nei include Nehl, Neihl, Neilon, Neito, Neitz, Neilon, Neilan, Neillen, Neish, Neiser, Neitzel, Nemes, Nemschoff, Nendza, Nengesser, Nenning, Neuhaus, Neuhäuser, Neuhoff, Neumann and Neuschwander.

Famous people with the name Nei

• Masumi Nei, Japanese fashion model
• Richard Nei, former Vice Chairman of the US Securities and Exchange Commission
• Satoru Nei, Japanese geneticist
• Koichi Nei, Japanese immunologist
• Takehiko Nei, Japanese poet
• Fumiko Nei, Japanese photographer
• Hynek Nei, Czech-American astronomer
• Nenad Nei, Serbian academic
• Manfred Nei, German philosopher
• Wilhelm Nei, German bird painter

Other surnames

NeibeckerNeibergerNeideggerNeiderquellNeiderquillNeidhardtNeidhartNeidmannNeieNeierNeifeindNeifeldNeifeldtNeigefindNeigefindtNeigenfindNeigenfindtNeighNeighborsNeighboursNeiheiselNeiheiserNeiheißerNeijmanNeikirkNeikumNeilNeileNeilingNeill