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 .
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.
It's a long-established tradition
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.
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.
Traditional Chinese characters are used in Hong Kong, Macao, and the Republic of China (Taiwan). Simplified Chinese characters are used in the People's Republic of China (PRC), Singapore, and Malaysia.
But how exactly do they work? First things first, Chinese names work the other way around from Western names, the family name is first and given name second. So Mao Zedong was from the Mao family with the given name Zedong. Nearly all family names are one character, and nearly all given names are one or two characters.
The first name is only used or called by oneself to show one's self-modesty while the style name is only used or called by others to show others' respect to the person they address. Many people also have a pseudonym (Hao). It's also for others to address, just like the style name, but with more respect.
As in much of the world, children in China typically inherit their father's surname. This was once a defining characteristic of the country's traditional patriarchal family structures, which greatly emphasized the need to have sons to carry on the family name.
Zhāng Wěi 张伟, Wáng Wěi 王伟, and Lǐ Nà 李娜 are the three most common full names.
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.
Chinese may adopt English names for a variety of reasons, including foreigners' difficulty with Chinese tones and better integration of people working in foreign enterprises. Established English names chosen by Chinese may also be those rarely used by native English speakers.
Many Chinese celebrities have English names so people choose the same name that their favorite singer or actor uses. Other people choose the names of American movie stars or even a character they play. Some people choose a name from their favorite book, either the author's or the main character's name.
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.
The most common xìng in China, shared by nearly 93 million people, is Wang (王) which means 'King'. The next most common xìng, are Li (李), Zhang (张), Liu (刘), Chen (陈), Yang (杨), Huang (黄), Zhao (赵), Wu (吴) and Zhou (周). It's important that you understand that the surname comes first in Chinese name order.
However, Zhang Wei (张伟) is the most common full name in mainland China. 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.
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.
Origin:Chinese. Meaning:Dawn; Little; Reverent. Xiao is a gender-neutral name of Chinese origin and has several meanings, but the most notable translations are “dawn”, “little”, and “reverent of the elderly.” Xiao's connotation with the morning will make natural early-risers fall in love with this precious moniker.
In the Chinese agrarian tradition, a clan that shares a surname — passed down from father to child — also has preassigned names for each generation. A respected elder will write a verse with wishes for the clan's future, and each new generation will use the next character of the phrase in their names.
Most children call their dad 爸爸 (bàba) or, even more casually, 爸 (bà), and call their mom 媽媽 (māma) or simply 媽 (mā). You can also combine these words and say 爸媽 (bàmā) as a casual way to say parents, rather than saying 父母 (fùmǔ).
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.
Some of the rare surnames Kuo has collected include Hu (虎, tiger), Yi (蟻, ant), Shui (水, water), Yun (雲, cloud), Suo (鎖, lock), Dan (但, but) and Mai (買, buy). Some of the surnames were so rare that the character could not be found on a computer, he said.
2. Lǐ (李) The second most common surname in China, which is used by 100 million Chinese.
It is considered to be polite and respectful to address a Chinese people by his/her surname, followed by honorific titles like Xian1 Sheng1 (Sir), Nv3 Shi4 (Madam) or the job position. Given names are often called between good friends.