Chinese Last Names: Meanings, Origins, and a Free Last Name Generator

姓What Are Chinese Last Names?

Chinese last names are family names that children get from their parents. People write them before the given name. So in Zhang Wei, Zhang is the last name. Sons and daughters share the same one, so Chinese male last names and Chinese female last names are one list.

The Chinese word for surname is xing (姓 “shing”). It is built from two smaller parts. The left part, 女 “nyoo”, means woman. The right part, 生 “shung”, means to be born. Together, they point to where a person was born. In ancient China, noble women used this clan name, while noble men used a branch name, shi (氏 “shr”).

Family itself has its own sign. In Chinese writing, family is 家 “jyah” (jiā). The top part is a roof. Under the roof is a pig. In old farm life, a pig under a roof meant a home with a family inside.

Most Chinese family names use just one character. That one character holds the whole name. A few use two characters, like Sima (司马 “sih-mah”). These are rare, but they are very old.

生How Does the Chinese Last Name Generator Work?

The generator at the top of this page picks a real Chinese last name for you. It shows the character, the pinyin, and the meaning. Press the button again for a new one.

This is a Chinese last name generator with meaning for every result. You get more than a sound. You get the story behind the word. That makes it a big help to many people.

• WritersChinese last name ideas, like Chinese last names for girls and boys in their stories
• Gamersthe best Chinese last names for a player name
• Studentslearn new characters
• Just for funa random Chinese last name

Writers use it for Chinese last name ideas, like Chinese last names for girls and boys in their stories. Gamers use it to find the best Chinese last names for a player name. Students use it to learn new characters. Some people just want a random Chinese last name for fun.

Every name comes from the real list that Chinese families use. Chinese people do not make up new surnames. So every name from the Chinese last names generator is a real, living family name.

义What Do Chinese Last Names Mean?

Most Chinese last names stand for a plant, a color, an animal, a job, or power. The meaning comes from the character.

Here is a simple way to sort them. The table groups Chinese last names and their meanings by kind.

Plants and power fill most of the biggest names. Animal and color names are smaller, but they are easy to picture.

The meaning of Chinese last names can change over time. Liu (刘 “lyoh”) once meant a battle-axe. Today, people mostly see it as a family name. He (何 “huh”) first meant "to carry," and now it means "what."

So what do Chinese last names mean today? They mean the family first. The old meaning tells you about the past. These Chinese last name meanings make each name a small piece of history.

龙Which Chinese Last Names Mean Dragon, Fire, Moon, or Water?

Long (龙 “loong”) means dragon. Jiang (江 “jyahng”) means river, and Chi (池 “chr”) means pond. Fire, moon, and star mostly live in given names instead.

Many people look for a surname with a strong or magical meaning, especially for male Chinese last names in stories. The table below sorts out what is real and what is rare.

Yes a real surname Somewhat real but less common No, rare very rare as a surname

Chinese last names meaning dragon are the easiest to find. Long is a bold pick among Chinese boy last names. Chinese last names meaning water come next, with Jiang, Wang, and Chi. Chinese last names meaning fire are a fun find too. Jiao (焦 “jyow”), which means burnt, is the closest real one.

Chinese last names meaning moon are a special, rare find. Some people think Yue (岳 “yweh”) means moon, since it sounds like 月 “yweh”. But 岳 “yweh” means a tall mountain. For Chinese girl last names, Hua (华 “hwah”, splendid) and Lin (林 “lin”, forest) are lovely real picks. Chinese last names with dark meanings are rare too. Words like wolf, god, and hunter live in stories and given names instead.

源Where Do Chinese Last Names Come From?

Chinese last names come from old clans, small kingdoms, jobs, places, and honored family members. Many began more than 2,500 years ago.

The origin of Chinese last names often starts with a family story. Families have told these stories for hundreds of years. They are part legend and part history. Here are a few of the best-known ones.

Other names can point to more than one family. Yi can be 易 “yee”, 伊 “yee”, or 益 “yee”. Chi can be 池 “chr”, 迟 “chr”, or 季 “jee”. Au can be 区 “oh” or 欧 “oh”. So each Chinese last name origin depends on the character, not just the spelling.

数How Many Chinese Last Names Are There?

China uses about 6,150 last names today. Over its whole history, China has written down 23,813 of them.

Many old names joined bigger names over time. Some belonged to small clans. Those clans later grew into larger families. Today, a small set of names covers most families.

China's police office keeps the national list of names. Its reports, shared by CGTN, show the top names each year. In 2019, the top 100 surnames covered 85.9% of people. In 2020, the top five covered 30.8%.

Think about that for a moment. Imagine 1.4 billion people. Almost one in three of them carries one of just five names. That is why Chinese last names repeat so often in daily life.

The old book of family names, the Hundred Family Surnames, lists more than 500 names. Most Chinese people today still carry one from that list.

长How Long Are Chinese Last Names?

Most Chinese last names are short. Each one fits in one character and one sound. Only a few have two.

In English letters, short names are very common. There are many 2 letter Chinese last names. Li, Wu, Xu, Hu, Ma, Ng, and Au are a few. Common 3-letter Chinese last names include Sun, Lin, Liu, Lee, Lim, and Tan.

So are Chinese last names long? Only the two-character ones. Two-syllable Chinese last names have a name of their own. They are called fuxing (复姓 “foo-shing”). Here are five of them:

• 欧阳Ouyang (欧阳), the biggest, with about 1.1 million peoplesounds like “oh-yahng”
• 司马Sima (司马), first a job name for the man who kept the horsessounds like “sih-mah”
• 诸葛Zhuge (诸葛), known from the smart hero Zhuge Liangsounds like “joo-guh”
• 司徒Situ (司徒), spelled Szeto or Seto in Hong Kongsounds like “sih-too”
• 上官Shangguan (上官), nine letters long in Englishsounds like “shahng-gwahn”

These 2-syllable Chinese last names often stay in one place. Most of them are rare Chinese last names today. About one in three Ouyang families live in Hunan. Most Linghu (令狐 “ling-hoo”) families live in Guizhou.

传How Do Chinese Last Names Pass Down in a Family?

Do Chinese children take their father's last name? Most do. But Chinese children can take the last name of their mother too, since the law allows both.

China's Civil Code allows both choices. Still, most families follow the old way. One study found that almost 98% of children born from 1986 to 2005 got their father's name.

Some families now join both names. By 2018, about 1.1 million people used both parents' surnames. Back in 1990, only 118,000 people did.

Big families also keep a family tree. In Chinese names, the family tree often shows a shared word for each age group. All the cousins of one age group share the same word in their given names. A short family poem says which word comes next. This way, you can tell someone's place in the family tree from their name.

女Do Chinese Women Take Their Husband's Last Name?

No. Chinese women keep their own last name when they marry. A woman named Wang Fang stays Wang Fang after her wedding.

The surname shows the family a woman was born into, so she keeps it for life. Chinese law protects this choice. Article 1056 of China's Civil Code gives each person the right to use their own name. Many people are surprised to learn this. But Chinese women have kept their birth names for a very long time.

There is one small exception from the past. In some older families in Hong Kong and Taiwan, a wife put her husband's surname before her own. Today, this is mostly seen in old papers. Children still usually get the father's name, while the mother keeps hers.

先Why Do Chinese Last Names Come First?

Chinese last names come first because the family comes before each person. The family name shows where you belong. The given name then shows who you are.

So when someone says "Zhang Wei," you hear the family first. China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam all use this order. It is also the order on Chinese ID cards. Chinese names, male first and last, like Wang Haoran, follow it. So do girls' names, like Li Meiling.

In English, things can switch around. Some Chinese people switch the order to match English forms. Zhang Wei may write "Wei Zhang." Others keep the Chinese order. Can you call a Chinese friend by last name? Yes, with Lao (old) or Xiao (little) in front, as in Lao Wang. The movie star Jackie Chan was born Chan Kong-sang.

拼How Does One Chinese Last Name Get Many Beautiful Spellings?

Each kind of Chinese says a name in its own way. That is how one name gets many spellings. English letters then follow the sound.

Let us follow one name, 李 “lee”, around the world. In Mandarin, it is Li. In Cantonese, it is Lee. In Indonesia, some families spell it Lie. In the Philippines, some families spell it Dy. All four spellings are the same family name.

That is why Chinese last names in English can look so different. The same is true for 陈 “chun”. It is Chen in Mandarin, Chan in Cantonese, and Tan in Hokkien.

Mandarin last names follow pinyin today. Pinyin is the way China spells sounds with English letters. China started using it in 1958. Taiwan still uses many older spellings, like Chang for 张 “jahng” and Hsu for 许 “shoo”.

The characters can change too. Traditional Chinese last names use the old, full characters. Taiwan and Hong Kong use them, like 陳 “chun” and 張 “jahng”. Mainland China uses the simpler forms, 陈 “chun” and 张 “jahng”. The name is the same. Only the way of writing it is different.

译How Do You Translate Your Last Name Into Chinese?

You can match your last name by sound, or you can pick a real Chinese surname that sounds close. Both are a kind of last-name translation into Chinese.

A sound match uses a few characters. For example, Brown becomes 布朗 “boo-lahng” (Bù lǎng). It sounds like Brown. Chinese readers will know it is a name from another land.

A real Chinese surname feels more natural. Brown could become 白 “bye” (Bái), which also means white. The sound is close, and the name is real. Many people like this way best.

So what is my last name in Chinese? It depends on how your name sounds. Look for a real surname with a close first sound. Then choose one with a meaning you like.

声How Do You Say Chinese Last Names Out Loud?

Say each name as one short sound. Then add the right tone. Mandarin has four tones, plus a soft, light tone.

A few letters have their own special sounds. The table below shows six names to practice.

The letter q sounds like "ch." The letter x sounds like a soft "sh." The letter c sounds like "ts," as in "cats."

Tones matter, even in names. People will still understand you while you practice. But a good tone shows care and respect.

书How Did Children Learn 500 Surnames by Heart?

问What Else Do People Ask About Chinese Last Names?