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.[citation needed] 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]
from Wei (韋) as a title of an official in charge of the manufacture of
leather goods
from the Wei (韋) family in the ancient state of Shu Le in present-day Xinjiang during the Western Han dynasty
allegedly borne by descendants of
Han Xin, an official in the early
Western Han dynasty who was killed on the orders of
Empress Lü. His descendants fled to the area of present-day
Guangdong and
Guangxi, and in order to avoid persecution they simplified their surname
Han (韓) to Wei (韋) by removing the left radical,