Explore the Family Name Wee
The meaning of Wee
1. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 黃, based on its Hokkien and Taiwanese pronunciation, which can be found in Fujian and Taiwan, from where people migrated to Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia. See Huang 1. 2. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surnames 魏, 危, 韋, and 衛, see Wei 1–4. 3. Norwegian: variant of Vee. Some characteristic forenames: Chinese Jung, Sung, Cheng, Choong, Eun, Hye, Hyunsoo, Jae, Jin Woo, Kee, Kwi, Leong.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Wee in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Wee has seen a decline in its popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it was ranked the 19,355th most popular surname, but by 2010, it slipped to 19,865th place - a drop of 2.63%. However, despite this fall in rank, the number of people bearing the surname Wee actually increased over the decade. There were 1,295 individuals with the surname Wee in 2000 and this rose to 1,353 in 2010, reflecting a percentage increase of 4.48%. The proportion of people with the surname Wee per 100,000 declined slightly by 4.17% over the same period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #19,355 | #19,865 | -2.63% |
| Count | 1,295 | 1,353 | 4.48% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.48 | 0.46 | -4.17% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Wee
The ethnicity associated with the surname Wee also saw notable changes between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. The largest ethnic identity group for the surname Wee is Asian/Pacific Islander, which grew from 61.62% in 2000 to 71.54% in 2010, an increase of 16.10%. Meanwhile, the proportion identifying as White decreased by 24.72%, going from 28.96% in 2000 to 21.8% in 2010. Individuals of Two or more races saw a slight decrease of 9.90%. Notably, while there were no recorded individuals identified as Hispanic or American Indian and Alaskan Native in 2000, these categories saw increases in 2010. The percentage of those identifying as Black decreased significantly from 4.48% to 1.48%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 61.62% | 71.54% | 16.1% |
| White | 28.96% | 21.8% | -24.72% |
| Two or More Races | 3.94% | 3.55% | -9.9% |
| Black | 4.48% | 1.48% | -66.96% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 0.89% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0.74% | 0% |