Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 薛 originally denoting a ‘type of grass’ in ancient Chinese: (i) from Xue (薛) the name of an ancient state (originally located in Shandong province) dating back to the Xia dynasty (2070–1600 BC). After it was annexed by the state of Chu during the Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BC) the name of the state was adopted as a surname. (ii) from the placename Xue (薛) the name of a fief (located in Shandong province) granted to Meng Chang Jun (Lord Meng Chang) a famous prince of the state of Qi known as one of “the four princes during the Warring States period (475–221 BC)”. (iii) adopted as the surname by the Chi Gan (叱干) family from the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD). (iv) borne by descendants of Xue Huai Yi (薛懷義) a famous general of the Tang dynasty (618–907 AD).
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022