Chinese Names
A Chinese name is chosen character by character. Parents (and sometimes grandparents or a fortune-teller) weigh each character’s meaning, its sound, how many strokes it has and how it balances with the family name — which always comes first. Most names are three characters: a one-character surname plus a one- or two-character given name.
Because the same syllable can be written with many characters, we give the characters for every name below, with meanings in plain English. For longer lists, see Chinese girl names, Chinese boy names and Chinese last names. Neighbors worth exploring: Japanese names and Korean names.
Chinese Names: browse all lists
Chinese girl names
Girls’ names favor characters for beauty, flowers, jade, grace and wisdom. Two-character names like Yu Tong and Zi Han were among the most registered in mainland China in the 2010s.
| Name | Characters | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Mei Lin | 美琳 | Beautiful jade |
| Xiu Ying | 秀英 | Elegant and outstanding |
| Li Na | 丽娜 | Beautiful and graceful |
| Yu Tong | 雨桐 | Rain and the paulownia tree |
| Zi Han | 梓涵 | Catalpa tree; to nurture |
| Xin Yi | 欣怡 | Joyful and content |
| Jing | 静 | Quiet, calm |
| Hui | 慧 | Wise, intelligent |
| Lan | 兰 | Orchid |
| Ying Yue | 映月 | Reflecting the moon |
| Shu Fen | 淑芬 | Virtuous and fragrant |
| Ruo Xi | 若曦 | Like the morning sunlight |
| Jia Hui | 佳慧 | Good and wise |
| Yi Nuo | 一诺 | A promise (used for boys too) |
| Ai | 爱 | Love |
Chinese boy names
Boys’ names lean toward strength, vastness, brightness and learning. Characters like 浩 (vast) and 轩 (lofty) were huge naming trends in recent decades.
| Name | Characters | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Hao Yu | 浩宇 | Vast universe |
| Zi Xuan | 子轩 | Son; lofty and noble |
| Yu Xuan | 宇轩 | Universe; lofty |
| Jun | 俊 | Handsome, talented |
| Wei | 伟 | Great, mighty |
| Ming | 明 | Bright, clear |
| Jian | 建 | To build, establish |
| Tao | 涛 | Great waves |
| Qiang | 强 | Strong |
| Hao Ran | 浩然 | Vast and upright (from Mencius) |
| Zhi Hao | 志豪 | Heroic ambition |
| Jun Jie | 俊杰 | Outstanding talent, hero |
| Tian You | 天佑 | Blessed by heaven |
| Yi Chen | 奕辰 | Radiant stars |
| Bo Wen | 博文 | Learned, cultured |
Most common Chinese surnames
Just a handful of surnames cover a huge share of China’s population; Wang, Li and Zhang alone are carried by hundreds of millions of people. Many appear in the classic Hundred Family Surnames text.
| Surname | Character | Meaning / origin |
|---|---|---|
| Wang | 王 | King |
| Li | 李 | Plum; surname of the Tang emperors |
| Zhang | 张 | To draw a bow |
| Liu | 刘 | Royal family of the Han dynasty |
| Chen | 陈 | To display; the ancient state of Chen |
| Yang | 杨 | Poplar tree |
| Huang | 黄 | Yellow |
| Zhao | 赵 | The ancient state of Zhao; first in the Hundred Family Surnames |
| Wu | 吴 | The ancient state of Wu |
| Zhou | 周 | The Zhou dynasty; “all around” |
| Xu | 徐 | Slow, calm |
| Sun | 孙 | Grandson, descendant |
| Ma | 马 | Horse |
| Zhu | 朱 | Vermilion; surname of the Ming emperors |
| Lin | 林 | Forest |
Chinese nature and season names
Single-character nature names are short, poetic and work for any gender. For more ideas from the natural world, see nature names.
| Name | Characters | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Chun | 春 | Spring |
| Xia | 夏 | Summer |
| Qiu | 秋 | Autumn |
| Dong | 冬 | Winter |
| Yun | 云 | Cloud |
| Xue | 雪 | Snow |
| Feng | 风 | Wind |
| Shan | 山 | Mountain |
| Hai | 海 | Sea |
| Lian | 莲 | Lotus |
| Song | 松 | Pine tree |
| Yu | 雨 | Rain |
Favorite characters in Chinese names
These characters appear again and again in given names. Mix them to create a meaningful name — and see our names that mean dragon for more on 龙.
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 美 | měi | Beautiful |
| 丽 | lì | Lovely, elegant |
| 华 | huá | Splendid; China |
| 文 | wén | Literature, culture |
| 安 | ān | Peace, safety |
| 龙 | lóng | Dragon |
| 凤 | fèng | Phoenix |
| 玉 | yù | Jade |
| 杰 | jié | Outstanding, heroic |
| 德 | dé | Virtue |
| 福 | fú | Good fortune |
| 宁 | níng | Tranquil |
| 志 | zhì | Will, ambition |
| 嘉 | jiā | Excellent, praiseworthy |
| 晨 | chén | Morning |
How to choose a Chinese name
- Choose characters, not just sounds. “Mei” can be 美 (beautiful), 梅 (plum blossom) or 玫 (rose). The meaning lives in the character.
- Check balance with the surname. Traditional naming considers tones, stroke counts and the five elements; a name should flow when said with the family name.
- Avoid unfortunate homophones. Say the full name aloud in Mandarin (and Cantonese, if relevant) to make sure it doesn’t sound like something embarrassing.
- Mind the generation name. Some families share one character across all siblings or cousins of a generation — ask elders before you decide.
- Pick an English name too, if you like. Many Chinese families abroad give a Chinese name plus an English one; our baby names section can help.
Frequently asked questions
How are Chinese names structured?
The family name comes first, followed by a one- or two-character given name. In Wang Hao Yu, Wang is the surname and Hao Yu the given name.
What is the most common Chinese surname?
Wang (王) and Li (李) are the most common surnames in mainland China, each carried by roughly 100 million people, followed by Zhang (张).
What Chinese name means beautiful?
Mei (美) is the classic character for beauty, used in names like Mei Lin (美琳, “beautiful jade”); Li (丽) also means lovely.
Can a Chinese name be unisex?
Yes. Many characters, such as 明 (bright), 安 (peace) or 雨 (rain), are used for both boys and girls; meaning and pairing give a name its gender feel.
Why do Chinese names have different spellings, like Chen and Chan?
Chen is Mandarin pinyin, while Chan is a Cantonese romanization of the same surname (陈). Taiwanese, Hong Kong and diaspora families often use older spellings.