Chinese Surnames: The Structure of Chinese Names

Chinese Surnames: The Structure of Chinese Names

In a land as diverse and culturally fascinating as China, surnames are more than just labels; they carry within them a storied legacy of ancient lineages and ancestral connections. From Zhang to Li, Wang to Chen, each Chinese surname represents a thread woven into the intricate tapestry of the nation’s history, traditions, and identity.

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Embarking on a journey to explore Chinese surnames is like diving into a gripping saga that spans millennia. These seemingly simple names hold the power to reveal captivating tales of migration, conquest, and intermingling, reflecting the ever-evolving social, linguistic, and cultural landscape of this vast country.

Every single character in Chinese has explicit meanings; in general a character refers either to a physical object like a tree or a flower, or a concept such as beauty or strength. Finding out a Chinese name is like writing a poem, as you need to express meanings in just 2 or 3 letters. Unlike English names, Chinese people write their family name (normally a single letter) first and then their given name (one or two letters).

Chinese pictograph, calligraphy tablet of Huang Tingjian, a famous calligrapher in Ancient Song Dynasty. The background of Chinese cultural elements.

Chinese calligraphy

The history of Chinese surnames

The history of Chinese surnames dates back to over 4,000 years ago, with the legendary Yellow Emperor, Huangdi, who is considered the founding father of all Chinese people. It is said that he decreed that families should adopt hereditary surnames as early as the third millennium B.C.E. By the Song Dynasty (AD 960–1279), major family names were listed in the ancient poem “Baijiaxing” or “Hundred Surnames.”

The origin of surnames can be traced back to the ancient matriarchal clan society, where the Chinese adopted their mother’s surname. Therefore, many of the earliest surnames in China are the side or bottom of female characters. However, the Chinese surname is patrilinear today, where the father’s surname is passed on to his children.

Over time, the number of Chinese surnames has significantly reduced due to various factors, including people taking the names of their rulers, taboos against using characters from an emperor’s name, orthographic simplifications, and others. Despite the thousands of surnames identified from historical texts prior to the modern era, only about 3,100 are in current use today.

Common Chinese surnames

Even among those 3,100, only about 100 are commonly used. This concentration of common surnames is a fascinating aspect of Chinese society, with the top five surnames — Wang, Li, Zhang, Liu, Chen — alone accounting for a population equivalent to that of the United States, the third most populous country in the world. Each of these surnames carries a unique meaning and historical significance. Below are the top ten most common Chinese surnames and their meanings:

  • (Wáng), meaning “king,” borne by around 101.5 million people
  • (), meaning “plum tree,” with 100.9 million bearers
  • (Zhāng), meaning “stretch open a bow” (combining the characters for “bow” and “long”), with 95.4 million bearers
  • (Liú), meaning “kill,” with 72.1 million bearers
  • (Chén), referring to the Zhou dynasty state of Chen, with 63.3 million bearers
  • 杨 (Yáng), meaning “ocean,” with around 20 million bearers
  • 黄 (Huáng), meaning “yellow,” with around 20 million bearers
  • 赵 (Zhào), referring to one of the 7 states during the Warring States Period, with around 20 million bearers
  • (Wu), referring to the name of the state, with around 20 million bearers
  • 周 (Zhou), referring to the Zhou dynasty, with around 20 million bearers

Surnames may be derived from ancient kingdoms or territories, such as Zheng (鄭),  Wu, or Zhou, or occupations, like Soohoo (司徒), which translates as “minister of education.”

Chinese naming patterns

Traditionally, Chinese given names are structured by a two-character pattern. The first part is the generation name that is shared by all members of a generation, and the last character is given to the individual person. The reason Chinese people write their surname first is to show respect to their ancestors. Actually, Chinese given names are all custom-made instead of choosing one from a list of created names like Dave, Alex or Victoria. Nowadays many young Chinese have only a one-character given name, due to the fact that many families have only one child.

For example, my name is Ma Nan: Ma is my surname and Nan is my given name. Ma is ranked as the 14th most common surname in Mainland China; “ma” literally means “horse.” Nan is a kind of wood — hard with a rich fragrance, it is quite precious. My parents gave me the name of Nan as this it carries a meaning of being healthy and strong. Many Chinese are named after the aspirations that parents have for their children’s future such as the literal translation of luck, wealth and so on.

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Comments

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  • Ankur

    March 2, 2011

    I wanted to know more about the Structure and information related to chinese names. Anyway thanks a tonnnn..

  • Ade Putu Dilarse

    August 30, 2012

    Thank you. So now i know this. My father is a chinese, but he’s really not like the fact that he is a chinese, maybe due to a harsh past in our socio-culture (Indonesian Chinese were deeply considered and treated as a 2nd class citizen during the New Order 1969-1998). Based on that fact during the time he grows up, he seems dont want to be part of Chinese anymore. And just yesterday i ask what my Chinese name is, and you can guess the rest. So thanks for the info, you really open my mind.

  • Nan Chi

    September 27, 2012

    Hi! My name is kind of a funny story. In the 1970’s, they were showing a series named Kung Fu, and there was a female character by the name Nan Chi. My father liked it so much that he said that the he would name his next daughter Nan Chi 🙂 Thing is, I have no idea what it means! I have been looking and looking but I cant find a meaning. Do you know what it might mean?