Wei (surname 危) explained

L:	danger
C:
P:	Wēi
W:	Wei^1
J:	Ngai^4
Mc:	pronounced as //ngjwe//
Oc-Zz:	pronounced as //*ŋrol//
Poj:	Gûi

Wei (危) is a Chinese surname.^[1] According to a 2013 study, it was the 362nd most common name in China; it was shared by 112,000 people, or 0.0084% of the population, being most popular in Jiangxi.^[2] It is the 140th name in the Hundred Family Surnames poem.^[3]

Origins

The character 危 means "dangerous," "rooftop" or "towering." The surname is traced to:

• from the placename San Wei (三危) in Gansu, to which the San Miao migrated during the reign of the legendary Emperor Shun
• descendants of Wei Su (危素) a Ming-era scholar whose original surname was Huang^[4]

Notable people

• Wei Quanfeng (危全諷), Tang-era warlord
• Wei Yilin (危亦林, c. 1277–1347), Yuan-era doctor
• Wei Weihan (危伟汉, born 1965), politician

Fictional

• The Ngai (危) family from The Comeback Clan
• The Ngai (危) family from The Drive of Life

Notes and References

1. Book: 羊姓史话. February 23, 2001. 江西人民出版社. 9787210024453 . Google Books.
2. [Yuan Yida]
3. K. S. Tom. [1989] (1989). Echoes from Old China: Life, Legends and Lore of the Middle Kingdom. University of Hawaii Press. .
4. Web site: Last name WEI: origin and meaning. Geneanet.