Xiaowei

Xiaowei is a Chinese given name used in Mandarin-speaking communities. It is typically a two-character name, most commonly written as 小伟, where 小 means “small” and 伟 means “great.” The second character can vary, producing different nuances: for example, 小卫, 小玮, or 小威. In practice, these combinations signal traits such as modesty, strength, or goodness, and the overall meaning depends on the chosen characters.

Xiaowei can be given to males or, less commonly, to females, reflecting the flexible conventions of Chinese given names. It is found among people of Han Chinese background and is common in the Chinese diaspora, including Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia. The standard pinyin rendering is Xiaowei; older orthographies include Hsiao-wei in Wade-Giles, and Cantonese forms may render the name as Siu-wai.

In cultural usage, Xiaowei appears as a contemporary given name for fictional and real-life figures, without implying a fixed profession or social role. Given the vast variety of possible character choices, individual meanings are best determined from the specific characters chosen by the family.

See also: Chinese given names, Chinese name romanization.