Chinese names are used in China and in Chinese communities throughout the world. Note that depending on the Chinese characters used these names can have many other meanings besides those listed here. See also about Chinese names.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
BaChinese Chinese from the name of the kingdom of Ba, which existed in Sichuan during the Zhou dynasty (1122–221 bc). Descendants of some of the ruling class adopted the name of the kingdom as their surname... [more]
Baili百里Chinese Means "hundred miles", from Chinese 百 (bǎi) meaning "hundred" and 里 (lǐ) meaning "inside, hometown, miles".
Bao鲍, 鮑Chinese From Chinese 鲍 (bào) referring to an area called Bao that existed in the Qi state during the Zhou dynasty.
Bao包Chinese From Chinese 包 (bāo) referring to Shen Baoxu, an official from the Chu state that existed during the Zhou dynasty.
Bei贝, 貝Chinese From Chinese 贝 (bèi) referring to the ancient fief of Bei, which was part of the state of Jin during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Hebei province.
BiChinese Probably from the name of a people living to the west of China in ancient times, who integrated with the Han Chinese during the Han dynasty (206 bc–220 ad). The character also means ‘finish’, ‘conclude’.
Bi毕, 畢Chinese From Chinese 毕 (bì) referring to the ancient fief of Bi, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Shaanxi province.
Bian卞, 边, 扁, 弁, 汴Chinese Romanization of a Chinese surname, which in Pinyin may be respectively Biàn, Biān or Biǎn. The former, written with the character 卞 means "to be impatient", "to be in a hurry" or "excitable" and is by far the most common... [more]
Bian卞Chinese From Chinese 卞 (biàn) referring to the ancient fief of Bian, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Shandong province.
Bian边, 邊Chinese From Chinese 边 (biān) referring to the ancient state of Bian, which existed during the Shang dynasty in what is now Henan province.
Dai戴Chinese A Chinese surname meaning to wear/wore.
Dai戴Chinese From Chinese 戴 (dài) meaning "respect, esteem, support", also referring to the ancient state of Dai, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Henan province.
DeChinese From the Chinese element de, meaning "ethics, moral, virtue".
Diao刁Chinese From Chinese 刁 (diāo) referring to the ancient state of Diao, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Shaanxi province. It was adopted due to being homophonous with the character 雕, which was the actual name of the state.
Dou窦, 竇Chinese From Chinese 窦 (dòu) meaning "hole, burrow".
Duan段Chinese From Chinese 段 (duàn) meaning "section, piece, division". According to legend, the name was adopted by the descendants of Shu Duan, a son of a Zheng duke who unsuccessfully tried to overthrow his elder brother.
FaChinese From Chinese 花 (huā) meaning "Flower, blossom"
Fang方Chinese From Chinese 方 (fāng) referring to Fang Shu, a minister and adviser to King Xuan of the Western Zhou dynasty.
Fang房Chinese From Chinese 房 (fáng) referring to the ancient state of Fang, which existed in what is now Henan province.
Fei费, 費Chinese From Chinese 费 (fèi) referring to the ancient state of Fei, which existed during the Xia and Zhou dynasties in what is now Shandong province. Alternately it may come from Feiyi (費邑), the name of a fief that existed in the state of Lu (during the Zhou dynasty) in what is now Shandong province.
Feng风, 風Chinese Derived from Chinese 风 (fēng) meaning "wind".
Gan甘Chinese From Chinese 甘 (gān) of uncertain origin, possibly from the name of Shang dynasty minister Gan Pan or from the name of an ancient territory called Gan that existed in what is now Shaanxi province.
Geng耿Chinese From Chinese 耿 (gěng) referring to the ancient city of Geng, which existed during the Shang dynasty in what is now Henan province. Alternately it may come from the name of an ancient state that existed during the Spring and Autumn period in present-day Shanxi province.
Gong龚, 龔Chinese From Chinese 龚 (gōng) referring to the ancient state of Gong (written as 共), which existed during the Shang dynasty possibly in what is now Henan province. This name was adopted in place of 共 by future descendants to flee persecution.
Gou苟Chinese From Chinese 苟 (gǒu) meaning "careless, casual, indifferent".
Gu顾, 顧Chinese From Chinese 顾 (gù) referring to the ancient state of Gu, which existed during the Xia dynasty in what is now Henan province.
Gu辜Chinese From Chinese 辜 (gū) meaning "crime, wrong, sin".
Gu谷Chinese From Chinese 谷 (gǔ) referring to the ancient fief of Qin Gu, which existed in what is now the province of either Gansu or Shaanxi. Alternately it may come from the name of the fief of Jia Gu, which was part of the state of Qi during the Zhou dynasty.
Gu古Chinese From Chinese 古 (gǔ) possibly derived from Kucheng (古成 or 苦城), the name of an ancient fief that may have existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Henan province... [more]
Gui桂Chinese From Chinese 桂 (guì) referring to the ancient state of Gui, which existed during the Han dynasty in what is now Guangxi province.
Gui归, 歸Chinese From Chinese 归 (guī) referring to the ancient state of Gui, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Anhui province.
Huo霍Chinese From Chinese 霍 (huò) referring to the ancient state of Huo, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now the city of Huozhou in Shanxi province.
Hwang黃, 黄Korean, Taiwanese Korean form of Huang, from Sino-Korean 黃 (hwang). It is also a Chinese alternate transcription of the same name chiefly used in Taiwan.
Jian簡, 简Chinese From Chinese 簡 (jiǎn) meaning "simple, uncomplicated".
Jiang蒋, 蔣Chinese From Chinese 蒋 (jiǎng) referring to the ancient state of Jiang, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Henan province.
Jiao焦Chinese From Chinese 焦 (jiāo) referring to the ancient state of Jiao, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now the provinces of Shaanxi and Henan.
Kang康Chinese, Korean From Chinese 康 (kāng), derived from Kangju (康居), the Chinese name for an ancient kingdom in Central Asia (now known as Sogdiana). It may also refer to the city of Samarkand in present-day Uzbekistan, which was called 康 in Chinese.
Kay凱, 凯Chinese From Chinese 凯 (kǎi) meaning "triumphant, victorious, triumphal".
Ke柯Chinese From Chinese 柯 (kē) meaning "axe handle, stalk, branch".
Kong孔Chinese From Chinese 孔 (kǒng) meaning "hole, opening". According to legend, this name was created by Cheng Tang, the founder and first king of the Shang dynasty. He formed it by combining the character for his family name, 子 (zǐ) (his full personal name was Zi Lü), with 乙 (yǐ), the second part of his style name, Da Yi (or Tai Yi)... [more]
Koo辜Chinese Alternate transcription of Chinese 辜 (see Gu).
Kuo郭Taiwanese Alternate transcription of Guo chiefly used in Taiwan.
Kuyeng鄺, 邝Chinese (Russified) Russified form of Kuang used by ethnic Chinese living in parts of the former Soviet Union (based on the Cantonese romanization of the name).
Kvon鄺, 邝Chinese (Russified) Russified form of Kuang used by ethnic Chinese living in parts of the former Soviet Union (based on the Cantonese romanization of the name).
Lai赖, 賴Chinese From Chinese 赖 (lài) meaning "rely", also referring to the ancient state of Lai that existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Henan province.
Lan蓝, 藍Chinese From Chinese 蓝 (lán) referring to a place called Lantian that existed in what is now Shaanxi province.
Ling凌Chinese From Chinese 凌 (líng) meaning "ice", originally used as an occupational name for a palace official who was in charge of storing and handling ice.
Lou楼, 樓Chinese From Chinese 楼 (lóu) meaning "storey, level, building".
Lou娄, 婁Chinese From Chinese 娄 (lóu) referring to the 16th constellation of the Twenty-Eight Mansions in traditional Chinese astronomy. It may also refer to the ancient state of Zhu Lou, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Shandong province, or the ancient fief of Lou, which existed in the ancient state of Chu in present-day Shandong province.
Lu陆, 陸Chinese From Chinese 陆 (lù) referring to the ancient territory of Lu, which existed in the state of Qi in what is now Shandong province. Alternately, it may be from 陸渾 (Lù Hún), the name of an ancient nomadic tribe that established a state in the area that is now Henan province.
Lu鲁, 魯Chinese From Chinese 鲁 (lǔ) referring to the ancient state of Lu, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Shandong province.
Mai麦, 麥Chinese From Chinese 麦 (mài) meaning "wheat, barley, oats". It was adopted as a family name by the descendants of Maiqiu, a figure from the Spring and Autumn Period, or Mai Tiezheng, a Sui dynasty military general.
Mao毛Chinese From Chinese 毛 (máo) referring to the ancient region of Mao, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now the Henan province. A notable bearer of this surname was Chinese communist revolutionary Mao Zedong (1893-1976).
Meng孟Chinese From Chinese 孟 (mèng) meaning "eldest brother". It was also adopted by descendants of Meng Sun, a prince from the state of Lu that existed during the Zhou dynasty.
Miao缪, 繆Chinese From Chinese 缪 (miào), another name for Duke Mu of Lu, an ancient official whose name (穆) had the same pronunciation as the character 缪. After his death his descendants adopted 缪 as their surname.
Miao苗Chinese From Chinese 苗 (miáo) meaning "seedling, shoot, sprout", also referring to the ancient fief of Miao, which existed in the state of Chu during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Henan province.
Mo莫Chinese According to a study of Mu Ying's Name record, the surname came to be when descendants of the antediluvian ruler Zhuanxu abbreviated the name of his city, Moyangcheng (莫陽城; in modern-day Pingxiang County, Hebei) and took it as their surname... [more]
Mou牟Chinese From Chinese 牟 (móu) referring to the ancient state of Mou that existed during the Zhou dynasty (1122–221 BC).
Mu穆, 牧, 慕, 木, 母Chinese Chinese : in the state of Song during the Spring and Autumn period (722–481 bc) there existed a leader who was posthumously given the name of the duke of Mu. His descendants adopted Mu as their surname... [more]
Mu穆Chinese From Chinese 穆 (mù) meaning "pure, solemn, honest".
Ni倪Chinese From Chinese 倪 (ní) referring to the ancient territory of Ni, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now the Shandong province.
Nie聂, 聶Chinese From Chinese 聂 (niè) referring to either of two ancient fiefs named Nie. One existed in the state of Wei (Wey) in what is now Henan province, while the other was part of the state of Qi in what is now Shandong province.
Nieh聂, 聶Chinese Alternate transcription of Chinese 聂 (see Nie).
Ning宁, 寧Chinese From Chinese 宁 (níng) meaning "peaceful, tranquil", also referring to the ancient county of Ningyi, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Henan province.
NiuChinese 1 Chinese 牛: this name probably arose during the Zhou dynasty ( 1122–221 bc ) in the area of Gansu province; the details are unclear. It was borne by a person named Niu Wen, who was a descendant of the eldest brother of the last king of the Shang dynasty, Zhou Xin ( 1154–1123 bc ).... [more]
Niu牛Chinese From Chinese 牛 (niú) meaning "cow, ox, bull".
Nong农, 農Chinese From Chinese 农 (nóng) meaning "farming, agriculture, cultivation", also referring to the ancient official position Nong Zheng (農正) meaning "agriculture officer".
Ou欧, 歐Chinese From Chinese 欧 (ōu) referring to Mount Sheng in present-day Huzhou, China. According to legend, this name (along with the compound name Ouyang containing this character) was adopted by the descendants of a prince from the Yue state who settled in the area around the mountain.
Ouyang欧阳, 歐陽Chinese From Chinese 歐 (ōu) referring to Mount Sheng in present-day Huzhou, China, combined with 陽 (yáng) meaning "southern face (of a mountain)". The name supposedly originated with a prince of the Yue state that settled in the area surrounding the mountain... [more]
PingChinese Ping is the Mandarin pinyin romanization of the Chinese surname written 平 in Chinese character.
PiuChinese 1 Chinese 牛: this name probably arose during the Zhou dynasty ( 1122–221 bc ) in the area of Gansu province; the details are unclear. It was borne by a person named Niu Wen, who was a descendant of the eldest brother of the last king of the Shang dynasty, Zhou Xin ( 1154–1123 bc ).... [more]
QiaoChinese Named after a Chinese mountain, Qiao Shan, where Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi was supposedly buried. This is the 96th most common surname in China.
Qiao乔, 喬Chinese From Chinese 喬 (qiáo) meaning "tall, lofty". It may also refer Qiao Shan, a mountain in present-day Shaanxi province where the legendary king Huang Di was supposedly buried.
Qin秦Chinese From Chinese 秦 (qín) referring to the ancient state of Qin, which existed from 221 BC to 206 BC in what is now the Gansu and Shaanxi provinces.
Qing青Chinese From Chinese 青 (qīng) meaning "blue, green, young".
Qiu邱, 丘Chinese From Chinese 邱 or 丘 (qiū) referring to a place called Yingqiu that existed in the state of Qi in what is now Shandong province. The name was originally written with the character 丘 until its usage was prohibited during the Qing dynasty in order to avoid a taboo caused by using the character of Confucius's given name, 丘... [more]
Qu屈Chinese From Chinese 屈 (qū) meaning "bent, crooked", also referring to the ancient fief of Qu, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Hubei province.