Chinese names can be puzzling for those not familiar with Chinese language and culture. This article will provide you with the ultimate guide to Chinese names.
Read on to learn about Chinese surnames and discover how first names are picked, how to address others using diminutives and how to pick your own Chinese name!
Table of Contents
- Chinese surnames
- Top 10 most common Chinese surnames
- How are Chinese first names chosen?
- Chinese characters
- Birth and Fortune
- Tonal harmony
- Naming taboos
- Top 10 most common Chinese first names
- Most common first names for Chinese girls
- Most common first names for Chinese boys
- Maiden and married names
- Nicknames and terms of endearment
- 老 (Lǎo, old)
- 小 (Xiǎo, little)
- 阿 (Ā, no distinct meaning)
- Example: Our friend 王宇航 (Wáng Yǔháng)
- Adaptation of English names
- Lost in translation
- The growing influence of Mandarin Chinese
- Choosing your Chinese name
- Consult a native Chinese speaker
- How do I say my name in Chinese?
- Chinese Name Vocabulary
Chinese surnames
In Chinese language and culture, it’s common practice to start from big to small. For example, addresses will start from the country and move down to the house number, and names always start with the surname first. Therefore, someone named John Smith would be referred to as Smith John according to Chinese naming conventions.
Children usually inherit their father’s surnames, though it’s also legally possible for children to take on their mother’s maiden surname.
Although the 百家姓 (Bǎijiāxìng, a classical Chinese text created in the Song dynasty) lists over 400 official Chinese surnames, in today’s China, the top 10 surnames account for the majority of the population. This homogeneity is mainly due to the fact that the biggest ethnic group in China is the Han Chinese.
$9.90 
What makes a good Chinese name and how does the name shape destinies and character? How do you ensure that the name is meaningful, elegant and auspicious at the same time? This book provides all the knowledge you need for devising a good Chinese name for your child.
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. 11/16/2021 22:45 pm EST.
Top 10 most common Chinese surnames
As you will see, the surnames Li (李) Wang (王) and Zhang (张) cover more than 20% of the Chinese population. Here are the top 10 Chinese surnames and the total number of people with each name in mainland China:
| Surname | Population |
|---|---|
| 1. 李 (Lǐ) | 7.94％ (95,300,000) |
| 2. 王 (Wáng) | 7.41％ (88,900,000) |
| 3. 张 (Zhāng) | 7.07％ (84,800,000) |
| 4. 刘 (Liú) | 5.38％ (64,600,000) |
| 5. 陈 (Chén) | 4.53％ (54,400,000) |
| 6. 杨 (Yáng) | 3.08％ (37,000,000) |
| 7. 赵 (Zhào) | 2.29％ (27,500,000) |
| 8. 黄 (Huáng) | 2.23％ (26,800,000) |
| 9. 周 (Zhōu) | 2.12％ (25,400,000) |
| 10. 吴 (Wú) | 2.05％ (24,600,000) |
Source: kknews.cc
Although there are hundreds of Chinese surnames, most people have one of the 10 most popular names.
How are Chinese first names chosen?
A Chinese name, or 姓名 (xìngmíng), consists of a surname (姓 xìng) and a first name (名 míng). Chinese first names are usually made up of two characters, although single character first names also exist. The process of picking a name for a newborn is taken seriously and many different factors are considered:
Chinese characters
Most parents choose Chinese characters with meanings that they hope their children will embody. Often, they also pick characters with connotations which are perceived as being either masculine or feminine. For boys, this usually means characters that denote strength and might, and for girls characters that convey beauty and elegance.
In more religious and traditional families, the Five Elements (五行 wǔxíng) and their association with each Chinese zodiac sign play a critical role in the characters chosen.
Based on his or her natal chart, a child may have too much or too little of an element, and so a character that represents the missing element is often chosen to create balance.
Birth and Fortune
For example, a child might “lack fire” (缺火, quē huǒ) in his or her birth chart and so his or her name might include an (always auspicious) character that includes a fire radical such as 杰 (jié), 荧 (yíng), 炫 (xuàn) or 炜 (wěi).
A good name is critical to a person’s good fortune. In Chinese philosophy, the five elements play an integral role in the balance of life.
The following saying shows the relationships that are traditionally believed to exist among the five elements:
金克木，木克土，土克水，水克火，火克金。
Jīn kè mù, mù kè tǔ, tǔ kè shuǐ, shuǐ kè huǒ, huǒ kè jīn.
Metal overcomes wood, wood overcomes earth, earth overcomes water, water overcomes fire, fire overcomes metal.
Traditionally, the characters in Chinese names are chosen based on the elements that they represent.
Tonal harmony
As you may be aware by now, Chinese is a tonal language. Therefore, it’s very important to consider how the characters sound together, especially when combined with the surname.
Not only does the name need to have a pleasing sound, but due to the large number of Chinese homophones, wordplay can result in either auspicious or inauspicious meanings.
Naming taboos
It is inappropriate to name a child after a famous person. In ancient times, this meant not using the same name as the emperor, but in modern times, that could mean avoiding using names linked to celebrities or any other well-known people. Failure to respect this taboo comes across as extremely immodest, so it’s best to choose a nondescript name.
Top 10 most common Chinese first names
Originating from Taiwanese, the word “farmer’s market name” (菜市场名, càishìchǎng míng) is used to refer to a name that is so common that when called out in any farmer’s market, many heads would turn. Very much like the Johns and Karens of the English speaking world!
Here are the top first names for men and women according to the 2019 National Name Report.
Most common first names for Chinese girls
| First name | Pinyin |
|---|---|
| 一诺 | Yīnuò |
| 依诺 | Yīnuò |
| 欣怡 | Xīnyí |
| 梓涵 | Zǐhán |
| 诗涵 | Shīhán |
| 欣妍 | Xīnyán |
| 雨桐 | Yǔtóng |
| 佳怡 | Jiāyí |
| 佳琪 | Jiāqí |
| 梓萱 | Zǐxuān |
Most common first names for Chinese boys
| First name | Pinyin |
|---|---|
| 浩宇 | Hàoyǔ |
| 浩然 | Hàorán |
| 宇轩 | Yǔxuān |
| 宇航 | Yǔháng |
| 铭泽 | Míngzé |
| 子墨 | Zimò |
| 梓豪 | Zǐháo |
| 子睿 | Ziruì |
| 子轩 | Zixuān |
| 梓睿 | Zǐruì |
Maiden and married names
In traditional Chinese culture, women retain their original surnames after marriage and the idea of taking your husband’s name is almost non-existent.
This is due to the influence of strong filial piety and patriarchal values in Chinese culture. Traditionally, women were identified by their fathers’ lineages. People today have the freedom to choose either parent’s last name, but it’s usually the father’s surname that’s passed on to the child.
In China, women keep their maiden names after marriage.
Nicknames and terms of endearment
老 (Lǎo, old)
Generally speaking, 老 (lǎo) is only used for males. Most commonly, 老 (lǎo) is used as a colloquial prefix of respect. It can be used for someone with whom you are acquainted, usually of the same age as yourself. It can also be used for people who are older than you or who have a superior position.
However, keep in mind that although 老 (lǎo) is frequently used for people who are not young, addressing a person who is actually a lot older than you by adding 老 (lǎo) to their name is very impolite. Instead, you can call them 哥 (gē, older brother), 姐 (jiě, older sister), 阿姨 (āyí, aunt) or 叔叔 (shūshu, uncle).
$24.99
In Chinese culture, the name seal is a profound item that is used as an official means of signing ones name, or leaving one's mark. Made with natural Shoushan stone (寿山石 shòushānshí), this timeless piece is a perfect gift for yourself or others.
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. 11/16/2021 22:45 pm EST.
小 (Xiǎo, little)
小 (xiǎo) can be used both for males and females. It’s usually a term of endearment and can also be used when addressing subordinates.
阿 (Ā, no distinct meaning)
This is usually prefixed to the last character of a person’s name to produce an affectionate or diminutive sounding form of address. It’s mainly used by speakers of the Hokkien, Hakka and Min dialects in southern China.
Example: Our friend 王宇航 (Wáng Yǔháng)
Let's say we have a person called 王宇航 (Wáng Yǔháng) who is around 30 years old. His friends might call him 老王 (Lǎo Wáng) while his boss might call him 小王 (Xiǎo Wáng). Those younger than him might call him 王哥 (Wáng Gē) and those a lot younger than him might refer to him as 王叔叔 (Wáng Shūshu).
In Chinese, there’s actually a joke about how you know you’re getting old when younger people start calling you 阿姨 (āyí) or 叔叔 (shūshu)!.
王宇航 (Wáng Yǔháng) might also have several nicknames. His grandparents might address him by repeating the last character of his first name: 航航 (Háng Háng), or if he’s from southern China, his older family members might call him 阿航 (Ā Háng).
There are no hard rules when it comes to nicknames as they’re naturally selected by family or friends during the course of one’s life. The nicknames a person receives tend to depend on his or her character and relationship to others.
Chinese children often have a cute nickname chosen by their family members.
Adaptation of English names
Many Chinese adopt English names for a variety of reasons, such as to help them achieve better integration in a foreign country or workplace, or simply because English names are easier for foreigners to pronounce and remember.
Usually, elementary or middle school English teachers provide English names for their students, but some students will also choose their own names.
Lost in translation
As already mentioned, Chinese names are chosen based on their sound and their positive meanings. However, when the same principles are applied to choosing English names, it sometimes results in the choice of what most English speakers would consider bizarre English names.
It’s not uncommon to meet Chinese people whose English names are Candy, Happy, Sunny, Star, or even something cute like Piggy. Often, these strange names are actually direct translations from their Chinese names.
The growing influence of Mandarin Chinese
There are more and more reasons to learn Chinese, especially when you consider China’s growing economic power. As more people around the globe start to gain familiarity with the Chinese language, many Chinese people are deciding to stick to their original names instead of adopting an English name.
This usually means using the Hanyu Pinyin system to transcribe their names (albeit without the tone marks).
Since Chinese surnames come first while western surnames come last, many (but not all) Chinese people who keep their original Chinese names may still choose to reverse the order so that their surname comes last. Thus, our previously mentioned friend 王宇航 (Wáng Yǔháng) might choose to be referred to as Yuhang Wang in a foreign setting.
Choosing your Chinese name
After reading this article, you may be wondering how to pick your own Chinese name. Read on to learn more about the best way to do this.
Consult a native Chinese speaker
Even if you have a good level of Mandarin, it’s best to have a native speaker pick a name for you due to the number of cultural nuances involved. A perfect candidate would be your Chinese teacher.
If you don’t have a Chinese teacher, you can check out our online one-on-one Chinese classes and even schedule a free trial class.
When picking your name, your Chinese teacher should take into consideration your personality, date of birth and your name in your native language.
It’s best to seek help from a native Chinese speaker when choosing your Chinese name.
How do I say my name in Chinese?
Choosing an appropriate Chinese name takes time and effort. If you need to introduce yourself on short notice and haven't yet had time to pick a Chinese name, you can always use the Chinese transliteration of your English name. Keep in mind, however, that it's always best to choose an authentic Chinese name for yourself rather than just using your name's Chinese equivalent.
Why should you adopt a Chinese name? Learning any language requires you to cultivate a genuine interest in the corresponding culture. It’s important to adopt a Chinese name as this demonstrates seriousness in learning the language and respect towards Chinese culture.
Choosing a Chinese name can also be fun and presents a great way for you to fully develop your new Chinese identity as you immerse yourself in this rich and beautiful language. So what are you waiting for? 取一个名字吧！
Chinese Name Vocabulary
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 取名字 | qǔ míngzì | to pick a name |
| 好运 | hǎoyùn | good luck |
| 积极 | jījí | auspicious |
| 消极 | xiāojí | unlucky |
| 算命 | suànmìng | to tell someone's fortune |
| 五行 | wǔháng | five elements |
| 木 | mù | wood |
| 火 | huǒ | fire |
| 土 | tǔ | earth |
| 金 | jīn | metal |
| 水 | shuǐ | water |
| 五行 (火) 多 | wǔháng (huǒ) duō | to have too much (fire) *can insert any element |
| 五行缺 (火) | wǔháng quē (huǒ) | to lack (fire) |
| 补救 | bǔjiù | to remedy |
| 生辰八字 | shēngchén bāzì | natal chart (based on Chinese calendar) |
FAQs
What is the order of name and surname in Chinese? ›
Chinese naming conventions arrange names as follows: [FAMILY NAME] [given name]. For example, ZHANG Chen (male) and WANG Xiu (female). The family name (or 'surname') is inherited from one's parents and shared with other members of the individual's immediate family .
How do I choose my Chinese name? ›- Start with Your Last Name. ...
- Choose the Length of Your Name. ...
- Get Creative and Abstract. ...
- Put the Last Name and First Name Together. ...
- Always Use a Chinese Dictionary. ...
- Come up with a Few Name Ideas and Test them All Out. ...
- 6.5 Additional Step.
The top five surnames in China – Wang, Li, Zhang, Liu, Chen – are also the top five surnames in the world, each with over 70-100 million worldwide.
What is the rarest Chinese last name? ›1. Gui. Gui is the rarest Chinese surname on this list. It is an ancient surname ranked as the 3159th common surname used in present-day China.
What comes first for Chinese names first name or last name? ›Chinese surnames usually come first, followed by the given name. In our earlier example, Chan Tai Man, Chan is the surname while Tai Man is the given name.
Do Chinese people go by their first or last names? ›The Chinese will state their last name first, followed by the given name (may be one or two syllables). For example, Liu Jianguo, in Chinese would be Mr. Jianguo Liu using the Western style. Never call someone by only his or her last name.
Do Chinese have two first names? ›Modern Chinese names consist of a monosymbolic (single-symbol) surname (xìngshì ; 姓氏), which comes first, followed by a given name (míng ; 名), which is almost always disyllabic, consisting of two characters.
Is Kai a Chinese name? ›In fact, "Kai" is the transliteration of several different Chinese surnames. Its meaning varies depending on how it is spelled in Chinese, and which dialect it is pronounced in.
How do you know your Chinese first name? ›Chinese given names are almost always made up of one or - usually - two characters and are written after the surname. Therefore, Wei (伟) of the Zhang (张) family is called "Zhang Wei" and not "Wei Zhang".
What is the royal surname in China? ›Wáng (王) Wáng is the most common surname in mainland China and is a royal surname meaning “King.” This surname has origins from multiple royal families from the Qin dynasty to the Tang dynasty. Those with the surname Wang are likely descendants of royalty.
What is the No 1 surname in the world? ›
The most popular last name in the world is Wang, meaning "king." About 92.8 million people in mainland China have the royal last name of Wang.
What are very old Chinese last names? ›According to ancient documents, the earliest surname in China was "Feng", and the earliest surnames were "Fuxi", "Shennong", "Nuwa's" and so on. The most commonly used ones in China are "Li", "Wang", "Zhang", "Liu", "Chen", "Yang" and so on. 100 common surnames, accounting for about 85% of China's total population.
What Chinese last name means rich? ›Nhiều Surname Meaning
It is the transliteration of a Chinese surname meaning: rich, abundant, exuberant, to add for free, to throw in as bonus, to spare, to forgive, despite, although.
The three most common surnames in Mainland China are Li, Wang and Zhang, which make up 7.9%, 7.4% and 7.1% respectively. Together they number close to 300 million and are easily the most common surnames in the world.
What Chinese surname means dark? ›Lí 黎 (2nd tone), the 84th most common surname in China. "Lai" or "Lye" in Cantonese. The character also means "dark".
Why do Chinese have 3 names? ›Until the mid-1900s in China, a person usually had three names besides his or her surname: ming, zi and hao. Ming is the name given by parents; Zi is the name granted to a person at the beginning of adulthood – men usually at the age of 20 and women at 15.
Why do Chinese people have 2 names? ›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 the ancestors.
Is Xiao a first or last name? ›Xiao is a common last name found among Overseas Chinese communities around the world. In fact, "Xiao" is the transliteration of several different Chinese surnames.
Do Chinese get surname from father or mother? ›Chinese law stipulates that a child can have either their father's or mother's surname, but the vast majority of children take their father's name.
Why do Chinese put a before name? ›The syllable Ah- (阿) at the beginning of many Australian Chinese and American Chinese surnames is a direct result of this confusion; in Cantonese, adding Ah- before a man or woman's name was, and still is, a common way of creating a nickname, meaning something like “dude” or “pal.” Thus, a person whose surname was Wong ...
Does Chinese name have 2 or 3 characters? ›
Han Chinese USUALLY has two or three, rarely four characters in their names. First character, or two is the family name. others are given name. As long as the computer system of the police department permits, technically you can give your kids a given name forms a poem.
What does Xiao Hu mean? ›His ID xiaohu (小虎) means "Little Tiger".
Do all Chinese names have 3 characters? ›In Chinese, names consist usually of two, three, or occasionally four monosyllabic characters. Surnames, or xìng (姓), generally come first and in most cases consist of one character.
Is Zhou a first or last name? ›Zhou ranks as the 10th most common surname in Mainland China as of 2019. In 2013 it was found to be the 10th most common name, shared by 25,200,000 people or 1.900% of the population, with the province with the most being Hunan.
Is Sun a Chinese name? ›Sun is a transliteration of a common Chinese surname (simplified Chinese: 孙; traditional Chinese: 孫; pinyin: Sūn). It is the third name listed in the Song dynasty classic text Hundred Family Surnames.
Is Hao a Chinese name? ›Hao is the Mandarin pinyin and Wade–Giles romanization of the Chinese surname written 郝 in Chinese characters. It is listed 77th in the Song dynasty classic text Hundred Family Surnames. As of 2008, it is the 82nd most common surname in China, shared by 2.7 million people.
What does the Chinese name Yao mean? ›Meaning of Yao
A Chinese name meaning "brilliant", "glorious" or "brightly shining".
Gender-Neutral Chinese Baby Names
Huan: This gender-neutral Chinese baby name means “happiness.” Lian: Traditionally a feminine name, this Chinese name can be used for modern boys or girls. Lian means “graceful willow.” Tai: It's a “great extreme” and can be used as a gender-neutral Chinese baby name.
Zhang is the pinyin romanization of the very common Chinese surname written 张 in simplified characters and 張 in traditional characters. It is spoken in the first tone: Zhāng. It is a surname that exists in many languages and cultures, corresponding to the surname 'Archer' in English for example.
Is Xi a first or last name? ›Xi is a common last name found among Overseas Chinese communities around the world. In fact, "Xi" is the transliteration of several different Chinese surnames.
What Chinese surname means eternal? ›
Yong (Chinese: 勇) is a common Chinese name. From Chinese 勇 (yǒng) means "brave" or 永 (yǒng) meaning "perpetual, eternal".
What Chinese surname means king? ›Wang 王 is the Chinese word for "king".
What Chinese surnames mean dragon? ›Long is the pinyin romanization of a Chinese surname. It includes 龍 / 龙, which means "dragon" in Chinese, ranking number 80 on the list of common Chinese surnames in 2006, up from 108 in 1990. Another name transcribed as Long is 隆, which is very rare in contemporary China.
What is the most surname use in USA? ›Smith is the most common last name in the United States, followed by Johnson, Miller, Jones, Williams, and Anderson, according to genealogy company Ancestry.com.
What is the most powerful surname? ›1. Abbott. The name Abbott is derived from the Old French word abet, which means “priest.” It also has origins in Greek and Latin, where it means “power.”
Are there only 100 Chinese last names? ›With 1.37 billion citizens, China has the world's largest population, but has one of the smallest surname pools. Only about 6,000 surnames are in use, according to the Ministry of Public Security. And the vast majority of the population – almost 86% – share just 100 of those surnames.
What are some cool Chinese last names? ›- 李 Lǐ
- 王 Wáng.
- 张 Zhāng.
- 刘 Liú
- 陈 Chén.
- 杨 Yáng.
- 赵 Zhào.
- 黄 Huáng.
- Baozhai Meaning “precious hairpin”.
- Caishen: Meaning “god of wealth”.
- Chonglin Meaning “second brother unicorn”.
- Fengge Meaning “phoenix pavilion”.
- Jingyi: Meaning “quiet harmony”.
- Jinhai: Meaning “golden sea”.
- Jun: Meaning “truth”.
- Kuàng: Meaning “bestow”.
Pey Surname Meaning
It is the transliteration of a Chinese surname meaning: white, snowy, pure, bright, empty, blank, plain, clear, to make clear, in vain. Related Surnames: Bai, Pak, Peh. Popular in: Singapore.
The surname An is a Chinese Surname (Chinese: 安; pinyin: Ān) which literally means "peace" or "tranquility". It also serves as an abbreviation of Anxi (安息), meaning "Arsacid" in Chinese and can be romanized as On.
What Chinese name means success? ›
成(chéng) – success.
What is the most common Chinese full name? ›Zhāng Wěi 张伟, Wáng Wěi 王伟, and Lǐ Nà 李娜 are the three most common full names. (There were 294,282 registered people named Zhang Wei).
What is the best Chinese name for a girl? ›- Ài (爱). It's a name that means “love” and “affection” and is fit for a little princess. ...
- Ǎi (蔼). This name is similar to the name Ài. ...
- Chun (春). Another common Chinese girl name you could select is Chun. ...
- Fang (芳). ...
- Fēn (芬). ...
- Hua (花). ...
- Jing (静). ...
- Li (丽).
As a majority of Chinese surnames are one syllable, if you see a three-syllable Chinese name, for instance Wang Xiaoming, the two-syllable name Xiaoming is the given name, and the one-syllable name Wang is the family name.
What Chinese name means heaven? ›Tiān (天) is one of the oldest Chinese terms for heaven and a key concept in Chinese mythology, philosophy, and religion.
What Chinese name means immortal? ›xian, (Chinese: “immortal” or “transcendent”) in Chinese Daoism, an immortal who has achieved divinity through devotion to Daoist practices and teachings.
What Chinese name means immortality? ›Xian (Chinese: 仙/仚/僊; pinyin: xiān; Wade–Giles: hsien) refers to a person or similar entity having a long life or being immortal.
Why surname is written first in Chinese? ›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 the ancestors.
Is surname the first or last name? ›Your surname is your family name. It's also called your “last name.” When filling out applications, type your surname as it appears on your passport, travel or identity document. Do not use initials.
What is first name in Chinese names? ›The given name, or personal name, is known as the ming, while the surname, or family name, is called the xing. Compared to English names that put the given name first, for example, John Smith, a Chinese name is presented in the opposite order Smith John.
How do Chinese family names work? ›
The family name usually has one syllable. All the top 100 Chinese family names have only one syllable and these surnames cover about 85 percent of mainly China's citizens. The most common three family names in mainland China are Li (李), Wang (王) and Zhang (张), shared by more than 270 million people.
Is Xia a first or last name? ›Xia is the Mandarin pinyin romanization of the Chinese surname written 夏 in Chinese character. It is romanized Hsia in Wade–Giles, and Ha in Cantonese. Xia is the 154th surname in the Song dynasty classic text Hundred Family Surnames. As of 2008, it is the 66th most common Chinese surname, shared by 3.7 million people.
What is Cheung in Chinese? ›Cheung is a Cantonese romanization of several Chinese surnames, including the one written as 張 in Traditional characters and 张 in Simplified characters (Jyutping: Zoeng1; Pinyin: Zhāng; Wade–Giles: Chang, Vietnamese: Trương), and the one written in both Traditional characters and Simplified characters as 章 (zoeng1).
Is Xia a first name? ›Xia is a gender-neutral name of Chinese and Greek origin meaning “glow of sunrise,” “welcoming,” or “hospitable.” In Mandarin, Xia is a surname meaning “glow of sunrise” featured in Hundred Family Surnames—a text composed of 507 common Chinese surnames during the Song dynasty.
What are the oldest surnames? ›The oldest surname known to have been recorded anywhere in Europe, though, was in County Galway, Ireland, in the year 916. It was the name “O Cleirigh” (O'Clery). In England, the Normans introduced surnames after 1066.
What is a Chinese last name? ›Chinese surnames or family names are written before the first name or given name. Therefore, someone named Wei (伟) from the Zhang (张) family is called "Zhang Wei" (张伟) and not "Wei Zhang".
What is a unisex Chinese name? ›Gender-Neutral Chinese Baby Names
Huan: This gender-neutral Chinese baby name means “happiness.” Lian: Traditionally a feminine name, this Chinese name can be used for modern boys or girls. Lian means “graceful willow.” Tai: It's a “great extreme” and can be used as a gender-neutral Chinese baby name.
Chinese name usually consists of three characters, one for family name and two for first name. When someone calls you by just two characters, the first name, it means he/she is very close to you. It is usually your parents, your friends, your classmates, and your teacher in elementary school.
What is the shortest Chinese name? ›What's the shortest name? "E" or "E" (鄂) is a common Chinese surname, and one found in the classic book The Hundred Family Surnames from the early Song Dynasty.