leičiai are, for example, Leičiai / Laičiai, Leitiškės(/-iai), Laiteliai villages in Aukštaitija, Leičiai, Lietuva / Lētuva, Leitava area near Anykščiai, Leitkapiai (modern Mataitiškė, Nosaičiai), Laitikai (modern Laitekiai) placenames in Samogitia, etc. There are also surnames possibly derived from the word: Leita, Leitis, Leitanis, Leitanas, Leitonas, Leitėnas, Leičiūnas. Criticism The hypothesis deriving Lietuva from leičiai was not accepted by linguist Zigmas Zinkevičius, who claims that the diphthong -ei- shows a Curonian origin of the word leičiai and that the word laičiai (place name) could not possibly be derived from *leičiai. Dubonis' counterargument is that the use of such form is present in historical sources. In popular culture In the video game Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, the Leitis appears as the unique unit of the Lithuanian civilization as a cavalry unit whose attack ignores melee armor. References History of Lithuania (1219–1569)