Wéi Explained

Wéi
Romanisation:Wai (Cantonese)
Meaning:"Leather"
Region:Henan (original)
Guangxi
Origin:Multiple
Related Names:Hán 韓/韩

Wéi is a Chinese surname. It means ‘leather’ in Classical Chinese. It was the 62nd most common name in China as of 2018. It is Wai in Cantonese. It is the 50th name on the Hundred Family Surnames poem.

The Wei (韋) family name is derived from the surnames Peng (彭) and Xiong (熊) from the ancient state of Chu. During the Han dynasty, Han Xin's son escaped to Wei Country (韋) because of the purge of Empress Lü Zhi, and later took the surname Wei (韋) from the region's name. A 2013 study by the Fuxi Cultural Association found it to be the 66th most common name, shared by 4.3 million people or 0.320% of the population, with the province with the most being Guangxi.[1]

Possible origins

Notables

Notes and References

  1. 中国四百大姓Front Cover, 袁义达, 邱家儒, Beijing Book Co. Inc., 1 January 2013
  2. The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland