StorkWorld

Chinese Baby Names

The name is the characters

A Chinese given name is its characters — usually one or two, chosen by parents for their meaning, beauty or aspiration. This makes Chinese names very different from Western ones: there is no fixed list of “names,” because families compose them from the vast stock of characters, often creating something close to unique.

Why romanization can’t fix the meaning

When a Chinese name is written in the Latin alphabet (pinyin), the tones are dropped and many different characters share the same spelling. “Mei” could be 美 (“beautiful”), 梅 (“plum blossom”) or others entirely. So a romanized Chinese name alone does not tell you the meaning — the character does. The meanings here give the most common character for each sound; other characters carry other senses.

Name order

The family name comes first — Wang, Li, Zhang — and the given name second, the reverse of the Western order.

Where the meanings come from

Characters are chosen for virtue (勇 “brave,” 慧 “wisdom”), beauty (美, 丽), nature (花 “flower,” 月 “moon,” 龙 “dragon”) and good fortune. Gender is flexible and follows the characters rather than the sound.

Frequently asked questions

Do Chinese names have one meaning?

A Chinese name is defined by its characters, and the romanized (pinyin) spelling alone doesnu2019t fix the meaning u2014 many characters share the same sound. The meanings here give the most common character for each name.

Are Chinese names written surname first?

Yes. The family name (Wang, Li, Zhang) comes first, then the given name u2014 the reverse of Western order.

Is there a list of popular Chinese names?

Not in the Western sense. Because parents compose names from thousands of characters, given names are highly individual rather than drawn from a fixed top-names list.

How is a Chinese nameu2019s gender decided?

By the characters chosen rather than the sound u2014 certain characters lean feminine or masculine, but many are flexible.