It means ‘leather’ in Classical Chinese.
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.
[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.