Wei / Wei
The surname Wei has two readings, yù and wèi, with different origins: yù mainly derives from the simplification of the Xianbei compound surname Yuchi, while wèi derives from the Zheng state office of Yuzheng, which oversaw criminal justice during the Spring and Autumn period.
Classical records connect the surname Wei with the Zheng official Wei Pian and with ancient prison officials. Another record states that an ancestor held the office of Yuhou and that the surname was adopted from that office.
Historically, the Wei surname had the commanderies of Taiyuan, Xingyang, and Henan, and used Taiyuan, Xingyang, and Henan as hall names. Recorded genealogies include those of Feng County in Xuzhou, Hengshan, Heilongjiang, Laixi, Dangshan, Pucheng, and Yucheng.
In The Four Hundred Great Chinese Surnames, Wei ranks 381st, with a population of approximately 95,000. Shanxi is its largest province, and the surname is distributed across Shanxi, Shandong, Henan, Hebei, Anhui, Jiangsu, Gansu, Zhejiang, and other areas.
Wei Zhi and Wei Pian were officials of the Zheng state during the Spring and Autumn period. Wei Liao was a military thinker of the Warring States period who was called Wei Liao after entering Qin, lobbying there, and being appointed state commandant. Wei Guzhen was a governor of Dingzhou under Northern Wei.
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