World Culture names

Chinese Name Generator

Get a Chinese given name with its characters, pinyin and meaning, then pair it with a surname. Surname first, as in Wang Jiayi or Li Haoran.

A scholar’s garden opens around a still pond, with a zigzagging stone path and a small pavilion beneath willow branches

A few to start with

MeiBeautiful
WeiPowerful
JingyiQuiet and joyful (静怡)
ZhongLoyalty
XiaGlow of the Sunrise
ChengSincere

About Chinese names

Understanding Chinese names

A Chinese name runs surname first, then a given name of one or two characters: Wang Fang, Li Haoran. The surname pool is small. Wang, Li, Zhang, Liu and Chen together cover nearly a third of China's population, so the given name does the work of telling people apart. Parents often spend weeks on it, and some consult grandparents or a fortune teller.

Each character carries its own meaning, so a given name reads like a short phrase. Haoran (浩然) is "vast and upright," from a line in Mencius. Ruoxi (若曦) is "like the first light of dawn." Boys' names lean toward strength, learning and ambition: 伟 (great), 杰 (outstanding), 博 (broad learning). Girls' names favor jade, flowers and grace: 琪, 婷, 芳. Pinyin hides all of this, because one syllable can stand for dozens of characters. Settle on the characters, not just the spelling.

A short guide

How to come up with a Chinese name

Pick a surname, and spell it for the region

Mandarin pinyin is the standard in mainland China, but older and overseas spellings follow local dialects. The surname 陈 is Chen in Mandarin, Chan in Cantonese (Hong Kong) and Tan in Hokkien (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia). 林 is Lin or Lim; 黄 is Huang, Wong or Oei. A Chinese-Indonesian or Singaporean character should usually carry the Hokkien form. Taiwan has used older romanizations, which is why the same surname may appear as Chang instead of Zhang.

Build the given name from two meanings

Most modern given names pair two characters into a wish for the child. Join a quality to an image: 子 (child, scholar) plus 墨 (ink) gives Zimo, a bookish boy; 雨 (rain) plus 婷 (graceful) gives Yuting. Then say the full name aloud. Chinese parents avoid names that sound like an unlucky or silly phrase. Yang Wei (杨伟, "great poplar") is a common name that gets teased because it sounds like the word for impotence.

Use generation names for families

Many traditional families give one shared character to every child of a generation, taken in order from a poem kept in the family genealogy. Mao Zedong's brothers were Mao Zemin and Mao Zetan; 泽 (ze) marks all three. Give a fictional clan this pattern and readers can see at a glance who are siblings and cousins. The shared character sits in the same position, first or second, for the whole generation.

Ancient and fantasy names

Before the 20th century, educated men had a personal name (ming), a courtesy name (zi) used by peers, and often a literary name (hao). The poet Li Bai's courtesy name was Taibai. Wuxia and xianxia fiction keeps this layering: in Mo Xiang Tong Xiu's Mo Dao Zu Shi, Wei Ying is better known by his courtesy name, Wei Wuxian. For invented sects and heroes, draw on characters like 云 (cloud), 剑 (sword), 霜 (frost), 玄 (mysterious) and 尘 (dust).

Famous names

Famous Chinese names and what they show

Real people, surname first, with what their names reveal about Chinese naming.

Mao Zedong (毛泽东)泽东 means roughly "benefit the east." 泽 is his generation character, shared with his brothers Zemin and Zetan, a textbook case of the system.
Confucius (孔丘, Kong Qiu)"Confucius" is a Latin form of Kong Fuzi, "Master Kong." His personal name was Qiu and his courtesy name Zhongni, the layered naming educated men used for two thousand years.
Li Bai (李白)The Tang poet's given name means "white," and his courtesy name, Taibai, is the old Chinese name for Venus. Legend says his mother dreamed of that star before his birth.
Hua Mulan (花木兰)Mulan means magnolia. The original ballad gives her no surname; Hua (flower) was attached in later retellings, including a Ming dynasty play.
Sun Yat-sen (孙逸仙)Sun Yat-sen is a Cantonese reading. In Mandarin he is Sun Yixian, and in China he's best known as Sun Zhongshan, from a Japanese alias. One man, three names, all correct.
Bruce Lee (李小龙)His Chinese stage name, Li Xiaolong (Lee Siu-lung in Cantonese), means "little dragon"; his birth name was Lee Jun-fan. Many Chinese people carry an English name alongside a Chinese one.
Yao Ming (姚明)A one-character given name: 明, "bright." Single-character names were common in the 20th century and make a clipped full name of just two syllables.

Names and meanings

Popular Chinese names

Popular Chinese names
Name	Meaning	Gender
Mei	Beautiful	Female
Jingyi	Quiet and joyful (静怡)	Female
Wei	Powerful	Male
Zhong	Loyalty	Male
Xia	Glow of the Sunrise	Female
Cheng	Sincere	Male
Ying	Lustrous, like jade (莹)	Female
Jun	King, Monarch	Male
Lian	Lotus	Female
Lei	Thunder	Male
Xiu	Elegant	Female
Hao	Vast, like great waters (浩)	Male
Yan	Swallow	Female
Xuan	Mysterious	Male
Meilin	Beautiful Forest	Female
Weiwei	Rose or fern (薇薇), a doubled character	Female
Xin	Heart	Female
Qing	Clear, Pure	Male
Rong	Graceful, Beautiful	Female
Bo	Waves	Male

60 more Chinese names and meanings

Male Chinese names

Male Chinese names
Name	Meaning
Jùnyì (俊逸)	Talented and graceful; often masculine in use.
Jùnfēng (俊峰)	Talented, distinguished peak.
Hàorán (浩然)	Vast and upright; evokes a noble spirit.
Míngzhé (明哲)	Bright and wise.
Yìchén (奕辰)	Radiant; associated with celestial time.
Ruìzé (睿泽)	Wise insight and generous grace.
Bóyuǎn (博远)	Broad learning and far-reaching ambition.
Kǎixuán (凯旋)	Triumphant return.
Zhìyuǎn (志远)	A purpose that reaches far.
Yǔháng (宇航)	Journey through the cosmos.
Jǐnghào (景昊)	Bright prospect and vast sky.
Zǐmò (子墨)	A literary image of ink and scholarship.
Hánlín (翰林)	Literary talent; also the name of a historic academy.
Chéngyì (承毅)	Carry on with resolve.
Téngfēi (腾飞)	Rise and soar.
Wénbó (文博)	Cultured and broadly learned.
Yìfēi (逸飞)	Unrestrained flight.
Péngchéng (鹏程)	The great journey of a mythical roc; ambitious prospects.
Guāngyào (光耀)	Radiance and distinction.
Jiànxīn (建新)	Build anew.
Lóngtāo (龙涛)	Dragon and surging waves.
Zhènghào (正昊)	Upright and open as the vast sky.
Jùnjié (俊杰)	A talented and outstanding person.
Bówén (博文)	Broadly learned and cultivated.
Mùchén (沐宸)	Bathed in imperial favor; 宸 is the emperor's palace.

Female Chinese names

Female Chinese names
Name	Meaning
Yǔtíng (雨婷)	Rain and graceful poise.
Shūyǎ (淑雅)	Kind, virtuous, and elegant.
Jiāyí (嘉怡)	Goodness and happiness.
Ruòxī (若曦)	Like the first light of dawn.
Mèngyáo (梦瑶)	Dream and precious jade.
Xīnyuè (欣悦)	Joy and delight.
Yǔqí (雨琪)	Rain and fine jade.
Zǐxuān (紫萱)	Purple and daylily.
Shīyǔ (诗雨)	Poetry and rain.
Jìngwén (静雯)	Quietness and patterned clouds.
Lìwén (丽雯)	Beauty and patterned clouds.
Mùqí (沐琪)	Bathed in grace; fine jade.
Yírán (怡然)	Contented and at ease.
Qīngyǎ (清雅)	Pure and elegant.
Yǎnī (雅妮)	Elegant and youthful.
Chūnxiǎo (春晓)	Spring dawn.
Bīngqīng (冰清)	Clear as ice; suggests purity.
Xuěhuá (雪华)	Snow and splendor.
Fēngyǐng (枫影)	Shadow of a maple tree.
Zhēnzhēn (珍珍)	Precious; an affectionate repeated-character name.
Fāngfēi (芳菲)	Fragrant blossoms in profusion.
Huìzhōng (慧中)	Wisdom within.
Língyuè (凌月)	Rising toward or above the moon.
Yǔshān (雨珊)	Rain and coral.

Unisex Chinese names

Unisex Chinese names
Name	Meaning
Ānníng (安宁)	Peace and calm.
Chénxī (晨曦)	Morning light.
Yǔchén (雨辰)	Rain and celestial time.
Jǐngrán (景然)	Bright, radiant appearance.
Xīnghé (星河)	River of stars; the Milky Way.
Yuèmíng (月明)	Bright moon.
Zhīyuǎn (知远)	Knowledge that reaches far.
Shūyǔ (书语)	Books and words.
Yǔ'ān (予安)	Grant peace.
Yíníng (怡宁)	Contentment and peace.
Yúnfēi (云飞)	Clouds in flight.

Chinese last names

Chinese last names
Name	Meaning
Wáng (王)	The character means “king”; a very common surname.
Lǐ (李)	The character refers to a plum tree.
Zhāng (张)	The character can mean “stretch” or “open.”
Liú (刘)	A common surname; its historical surname origins are complex.
Chén (陈)	A common surname associated with the ancient state of Chen.
Yáng (杨)	The character refers to a poplar tree.
Huáng (黄)	The character means “yellow.”
Zhōu (周)	The character can mean “all around” or “complete.”
Wú (吴)	A common surname and the name of an ancient state.
Xú (徐)	The character can mean “slowly” or “gently.”
Sūn (孙)	The character means “grandchild” or “descendant.”
Hú (胡)	A common surname; its character has several historical uses.
Zhū (朱)	The character means “vermilion” or “cinnabar red.”
Gāo (高)	The character means “high” or “tall.”
Lín (林)	The character means “woods” or “forest.”
Hé (何)	A common surname; the character is also used to mean “what.”
Guō (郭)	The character means “outer city wall.”
Mǎ (马)	The character means “horse.”
Luó (罗)	The character can mean “net” or “to gather.”
Sòng (宋)	A common surname and the name of an ancient state.

Good to know

Chinese names: frequently asked questions

What are good Chinese names for boys?

Strong recent choices are Haoran (浩然, vast and upright), Zimo (子墨, ink), Yuhang (宇航, spaceflight) and Junjie (俊杰, outstanding person). Older men are often Wei (伟, great), Jun (军, army), Jianguo (建国, build the country) or Qiang (强, strong); patriotic names like Jianguo date a man to the decades after 1949. Add a surname such as Zhang, Liu or Chen for a full name like Zhang Haoran.

What are good Chinese names for girls?

Popular girls' names pair beauty or nature with a soft character: Yuting (雨婷, rain and grace), Zixuan (紫萱, purple daylily), Ruoxi (若曦, like the first light of dawn) and Shiyu (诗雨, poetry and rain). Older women are often Fang (芳, fragrant), Li (丽, beautiful), Xiuying (秀英, elegant and outstanding) or Guilan (桂兰, osmanthus and orchid). Doubled characters such as Lili and Tingting are common as childhood or pet names.

How do I make a Chinese fantasy name?

For wuxia or xianxia, give a hero a surname, a birth name and a courtesy name, and choose characters for mood. A swordsman might be Ling Feng (凌风, above the wind) or Mo Chen (墨尘, ink and dust). A heroine might be Bai Shuang (白霜, white frost) or Yun Xi (云曦, cloud and dawn light). Surnames used in popular novels, such as Lan and Jiang in Mo Dao Zu Shi, are real Chinese surnames.

How do Chinese-Indonesian names work?

Many Chinese Indonesians use Hokkien spellings of their surnames: Tan (陈), Lim (林), Oei (黄), Go (吴) and Kwee (郭). After 1966, government policy pressed Chinese Indonesians to adopt Indonesian-sounding names, so many families carry both. The tycoon Liem Sioe Liong, for example, was known as Sudono Salim. For a Chinese-Indonesian character, give an Indonesian legal name and a Chinese name used by family.

Can I get a Chinese name based on my English name?

Chinese newspapers transliterate foreign names by sound, so Kevin becomes 凯文 (Kaiwen), which still reads as foreign. A proper Chinese name works from sound and meaning together, with a real surname first. Former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd uses Lu Kewen (陆克文): Lu is a common surname close to Rudd, and Kewen echoes Kevin with characters meaning "able" and "cultured." Start from the first sound of your surname.

What do common Chinese surnames mean?

Wang (王) means king, Li (李) plum tree, Zhang (张) to draw a bow, Lin (林) forest, Huang (黄) yellow and Ma (马) horse. Chen (陈), Wu (吴) and Song (宋) were names of ancient states. Most surnames trace to ancient states, fiefs or clan emblems, so the dictionary meaning rarely says anything about the family itself, and Chinese readers don't hear it as a description.