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A3: Chinese Names

Name Etiquette 
 

  • 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. Unless specifically asked, do not call someone by his or her first name. It is impolite to call an older person by their name. The right way is call him/her by "Family name + Title".
     

  • Addressing someone by his or her courtesy or professional title and last name conveys respect. In Chinese the name precedes the title. For example, Liu Laoshi for Teacher Liu, Ma Gege for brother Ma, Zhang Shushu means Uncle Zhang. 
     

  • Women's names cannot be distinguished from men's names. Chinese women use their maiden names even after marriage. Mrs. Wang might be married to Mr. Liu.

  • Click to read more about Chinese Etiquette & Protocol.

  • Scroll to the bottom of this page to view the list of Common Chinese Family Names in Alphabetic Order常见中文姓氏按拼音排序

Class Activity:
Speak with Speed;

Wristband;
Memory Game-Classmates' names.

Chinese Names

(Content from the Chairman's Bao)

Family name is put in the front of a Chinese name to indicate which family a person comes from. 

There are over 4,000 surnames in use today in China, however the top 100 make up over 85% of China’s 1.3 billion population. In fact, the top three surnames, Wang (王), Li (李), and Zhang (张) account for over 20% of the population.

Learning the top surnames in China can come in useful when analysing text in Chinese. If you can recognise the surname – which is displayed first in a Chinese name – you will be able to know that the following one or two characters likely make up a name.

Here are the top ten surnames in China, along with their meanings:

1. Wang (王)

Wang is the most common surname in mainland China, which represents 92.8 million people, and is a royal surname meaning ‘King’.

2. Li (李)

Li, meaning plum, is the most common surname for Hakka Chinese, used by over 92 million people in China. Li was the royal last name during the Tang dynasty.

 

3. Zhang (张)

The grandson of the Yellow Emperor was bestowed the surname Zhang after his invention of the bow and arrow. Zhang can be found as a surname in many other languages, for example ‘Archer’ in English.

 

4. Liu (刘)

Liu was the royal surname in the Han Dynasty. The character means to kill and destroy – we certainly won’t be messing with any Liu’s!

 

5. Chen (陈)

Chen is the most common surname in Singapore and Taiwan, as well as in the south of China. It means to exhibit.

 

6. Yang (杨)

Yang is a type of tree and was the royal surname during the Zhou Dynasty.

 

7. Huang (黄)

Huang, which means yellow, is most popular surname in Guangdong, in southern China.

 

8. Zhao (赵)

Zhao is an ancient Chinese state. This was the surname of the Song dynasty royalty, so appeared first in the famous Chinese book of the top 100 surnames (百家姓) which was written at the time and is still popular in China today.

 

9. Wu (吴)

From the state of Wu, the surname be translated as god-like, or the highest.

 

10. Zhou (周)

From the state of Zhou. Has been in the top ten list of surnames in China since the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368). It means careful and honest.

Have you managed to find your Chinese friend’s surname on the list?

name pic hayden.jpg
name pic ella.jpg

Common Chinese Family Names in Alphabetic Order

​常见中文姓氏按拼音排序

 

A:艾(ài)安(ān)敖(áo)

B:巴(bā)白(bái)百里(bǎi lǐ)柏(bǎi)班(bān)包(bāo)鲍(bào)暴(bào)贝(bèi)贲(bēn)毕(bì)边(biān)卞(biàn)别(bié) 邴(bǐng)伯赏(bó shǎng)薄(bó)卜(bǔ)步(bù)

C:蔡(cài)苍(cāng)曹(cáo)岑(cén)柴(chái)昌(chāng)常(cháng)、晁(cháo)(cháo)、车(chē)陈(chén)成(chéng)(chéng)、池(chí)充(chōng)储(chǔ)(chǔ)、淳于(chún yú)从崔(cóng cuī)单于(chán yú)

D:戴(dài)党(dǎng)邓(dèng)狄(dí)刁(diāo)丁(dīng)东(dōng) 东方(dōng fāng)东郭(dōng guō)东门(dōng mén)董(dǒng)都(dū)窦(dòu)堵(dǔ)、杜(dù)端木(duān mù)段(duàn)段干(duàn gān)

E:鄂(è)

F:封(fēng)、符(fú)、富(fù)傅(fù)、丰(fēng)、房(fáng)、扶(fú)、酆(fēng)、范(fàn)、贲、方(fāng)、凤(fèng)、冯(féng)、费(fèi)、伏(fú)、樊(fán)

G:盖(gài)干(gān)(gān)、高(gāo)郜(gào)戈(gē)葛(gě)耿(gěng)(gōng)、公(gōng)公良(gōng liáng)公孙(gōng sūn)公西(gōng xī)公羊(gōng yáng)公冶(gōng yě)(gōng)、龚(gōng)巩(gǒng)贡(gòng)勾(gōu)缑亢(gōu kàng)古(gǔ)(gǔ)、顾(gù)关(guān)管(guǎn)广(guǎng)归海(guī hǎi)桂(guì)郭(guō)国(guó)

H:黄(huáng)、胡(hú)、洪(hóng)、怀(huái)、滑(huá)、弘(hóng)、后(hòu)、宦(huàn)、侯(hóu)、惠(huì)、红(hóng)、花(huā)、杭(háng)、郝(hǎo)、和(hé)、贺(hè)、霍(huò)、华(huà)、何(hé)、衡(héng)、韩(hán)、桓(huán)、赫连(hè lián)、呼延(hū yán)、皇甫(huáng pǔ);

J:吉(jí)、景(jǐng)、季(jì)、暨(jì)嵇(jī)、居(jū)、焦(jiāo)、姬(jī)、家(jiā)、计(jì)、夹谷(jiá gǔ)、蒋(jiǎng)、贾(jiǎ)、纪(jì)、经(jīng)、江(jiāng)、姜(jiāng)、靳(jìn)、井(jǐng)、简(jiǎn)、鞠(jū)、蓟(jì)、郏(jiá)、荆(jīng)、冀(jì)、金(jīn);

K:康(kāng)、匡(kuāng)、况后(kuàng hòu)柯(kē)、空(kōng)、寇(kòu)、隗(kuí)、夔(kuí)、阚(kàn)、孔(kǒng)

L:赖(lài)蓝(lán)郎(láng)劳(láo)雷(léi)冷(lěng)黎(lí)李(lǐ)厉(lì)(lì)、郦(lì)、连(lián)、廉(lián)梁(liáng)梁丘(liáng qiū)林(lín)蔺(lìn)凌(líng)令狐(lìng hú)刘(liú)柳(liǔ)龙(lóng)(lóng)、娄(lóu)卢(lú)鲁(lǔ)陆(lù)逯(lù)(lù)、路(lù)闾丘(lǘ qiū)吕(lǚ)栾(luán)罗(luó)骆(luò)

M:麻(má)马(mǎ)毛(máo)茅(máo)梅(méi)孟(mèng)糜(mí)米(mǐ)宓(mì)苗(miáo)闵(mǐn)明(míng)缪(miào)莫(mò)墨哈(mòhǎ)、万俟(mò qí)牧(mù)(mù)、慕容(mù róng)穆(mù)那(nā)南宫(nán gōng)南门(nán mén)

N:能(nài)倪(ní)年爱(nián ài)(niè)、乜(niè)宁(nìng)钮(niǔ)农(nóng)欧(ōu)欧阳(ōu yáng)潘(pān)庞(páng)裴(péi)彭(péng)蓬(péng)皮(pí)平(píng)(pú)、濮(pú)濮阳(pú yáng)(pú); 

Q:戚(qī)漆雕(qī diāo)亓官(qí guān)祁(qí)齐(qí)钱(qián)强(qiáng)(qiáo)、谯笪(qiáo dá)秦(qín)邱(qiū)秋(qiū)仇(qiú)(qiú)、曲(qū)屈(qū)璩(qú)全(quán)(quán)、阙(quē)

R:冉(rǎn)壤驷(rǎng sì)饶(ráo)任(rèn)戎(róng)荣(róng)容(r6ng)、融(r6ng)、茹(ru)、汝( (ru yan)、阮(Tuan)、(ru)

S:桑(sang)、沙(sha)、山shan)、单(shan)、商年( shang mou)上官( shang guan)、尚(shan)、部(shao)、邵(shao)、余佴( she nai)、厍(she)、申(shen)、申屠( shen tu)、莘(shen)、沈(shen)殳(shu)、舒(shu)、东(shu)、双( shuang)、水(shu)、司空(sikong)、司寇( si kou)、司马(sima)、司徒(situ)、松(song)、宋(song)、苏(su)、宿(su)、孙(sun)、素(suo)

T:台(tai)、太叔( tai shu)、谈(tan)、i谭(tan)、台( an tal)、汤tang)、唐(tang)、陶(tao)、滕(teng)、田(tian)、通童(tong)、钭、涂钦( tu qin)、屠(tu)、拓跋(tuoba)

W:万(wan)、(wang)、王(wang)、危(wel)、微生( wei sheng)、韦(wei)、卫(wei)、蔚(wei)、魏(wei)、温(wen)、文(wen)、闻(wen)、闻人( wen ren)、翁(weng)、沃(wo)、乌(wu)、郭(wu)、巫(wo)、巫马(wama)、吴(wu)、伍(wu)、武(wu)

X:郡(xi)、奚(xi)、西门(xmen)、习(X)、席(x)、夏(xia)、夏侯(xiahou)、鲜于( xian yu)、(xian)、相( xiang)、向( xiang)、项( xiang)、萧(xao)、谢(xe)、解(xie)、幸(xing)、那(xing)、熊(xong)、肯(x)、须(xの)、徐(xu)、许(x)、轩辕( xuan yuan)、宣(xuan)、薛(xue)荀(xun)

Y:闫法(yan、fa)、严(yan)、阎(yan)、颜(yan)、晏(yan)、燕(yan)、羊(yang)、羊舌( yang she)、阳佟( yang tong)、杨(yang)、仰(yang)养(yang)、姚(yao)、叶(ye)、伊(yi)、易(yi)、益(yi)、界(yi)、阴(yin)、股(yin)、尹(yin)、E印(yin)、应(ying)、雍(yong)、尤(you)游(you)有琴( you qin)、于(yu)、余(yu)、於(yu)、鱼(yu)、俞(yu)、喻(yu)、虞(yu)宇文( yu wen)、禹(yu)、郁(y心)、尉退(yutui)、元(yuan)、袁(yuan)岳帅( yue shuar)、越(yue)、乐(yue)、乐正( yue zheng)、云(yun)

Z:起(zhao)宰(zai)、宰父(zai)、昝(zan)、曾(zeng)、詹(zhan)、湛(zhan)、张( zhang)、章( zhang)、仉督( zhangd0)、查(zha)、长孙( zhang sun)、郑( zheng)、支(zhi)、终(zhong)、钟( zhong)、钟离( zhong Ii)、仲( zhong)、仲孙( zhong sun)、周(zhu)、朱(zhu)、诸zh)、诸葛(zhag)、然(zhu)、祝(zhu)、题孙( zhuan sun)、庄( zhuang)、卓(zhuo)、子车(zi ju)、撃(zi)、宗(zong)宗政( zong zheng)、左(zuo)、左丘(zuo qiu)

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