Wei

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 4 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Wei is also recorded as 5 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• English given name353K records spelled Wei13 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Malaysia, Australia, China

  Also written Wēi, Wéì, Weî, Weï, Wèi

• Spanish given name102K records spelled Wei16 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, China, Spain, Brazil

  Languages: Spanish, Portuguese

  Also written Wey, Wëy, Wéy, Wēy, Weý

• a separate given name63K records spelled Wei6 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, China, Singapore, United Kingdom

  Also written Wéi, Wēi, Wěi, Wèi

• French given name18K records spelled Wei12 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in France, Spain, United States, China

  Languages: French, Catalan

  Also written Wey, Wèi, Wēì, Wéï, Weï

• Vietnamese given name13K records spelled Wei16 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Vietnam, United States, China, Malaysia

  Also written Nguy, Ngụy, Nguỵ, Ngùy, Ngủy

86 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Wei is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• ‘Impressive might’.

  as a name·A concise dictionary of first names

• ‘Greatness’.

  as a name·A concise dictionary of first names

• In cdo, Occurs ifl the names of several strestms ； a small branch of the Han in K'aiteng fu, Honan, at which there was ft ford. ( Wealth, riches ； cloths riud silks, as constituting ■ others, specifically to bribe; bribes, hush-money : song* to make presents, as a bribe;

  as a word·An Alphabetic Dictionary of the Chinese Language in the Foochow Dialect

• In cdo, wr. wf. A large sedge, a reed, a rush : \lu (Toi, sedge, grass Wei nt»ed for tying things ； * 、ek、 Hoi Jiong fihi, crossed (tbe stream) on one reed. Also read , ; grass, plants, herbs ； a surname : Wei also read 、mmg, q. v.

  as a word·An Alphabetic Dictionary of the Chinese Language in the Foochow Dialect

• In cdo, A low thorny tree or ^jQ^ hmky producing fcnit like an ear-pendant; a hazel- nut or filbert ？ ( I ■ A g-e n e r a*l term for plants ； herbsy plants, 1^1 i herbs aod trees, plants.

  as a word·An Alphabetic Dictionary of the Chinese Language in the Foochow Dialect

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

AR datos.gob.ar — nombres.datos.gob.ar per-name lookup (1922–2015) — 45 years between 1940–2003. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Emperor Xiaozong of Songb. 1127not in their usual nameChinese Song dynasty emperor from 1162 to 1189
• Wu Weib. 1459CNChinese painter (1459-1508)
• Du Weib. 1962CNAmbassador of China to Israel, Ambassador of China to Ukraine
• Xiaowei Zhuangb. 1972CNnot in their usual nameChinese American biophysicist
• Zhao Weib. 1976CNChinese actress, singer and filmmaker (born 1976)
• Jon M. Chub. 1979USnot in their usual nameAmerican filmmaker
• Tang Weib. 1979CNChinese actress (born 1979)
• Pang Weib. 1986CNChinese sport shooter
• Yang Yung-Weib. 1997TWTaiwan judoka (1997-)
• Nathan Chenb. 1999USnot in their usual nameAmerican figure skater (born 1999)

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 466 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Wei?

We estimate roughly 12 thousand people bear Wei (counting its spellings and scripts) across 13 countries in our records.

In which country does Wei have the most bearers?

Wei is most frequently recorded in China, where it is most often spelled wei.

How common is Wei compared with other names?

In Hong Kong, Wei is the 100th most common given name of 19,389 given names recorded there.

Is Wei a male or female name?

Wei is recorded for both men and women. We don't publish a percentage split: a record's gender belongs to the person and is attached to every given name on that record, so names in cultures where a name string also carries a parent's or spouse's given name pick up large cross-gender counts.

What does the name Wei mean?

Recorded meaning: An ancient Chinese march during the Zhou dynasty