Our answer
Surname first, then a given name 姓名
Most Chinese names are three characters: a one-character surname and a two-character given name, with no middle name
The short answer
A Chinese name puts the family name first and the given name after it, with no middle name: in 张伟 (Zhāng Wěi), Zhang is the surname and Wei the given name. Most surnames are one character and most given names two, so 84.3% of China’s registered residents have a three-character name (Ministry of Public Security, 2019).
| Order | Surname (姓, xìng) first, then the given name (名, míng); there is no middle name |
|---|---|
| Given name | One or two characters: 84.55% of registered residents have a two-character given name and 13.97% a one-character one (2021) |
| Full-name length | Three characters for 84.3% of all registered residents and 93.2% of babies born in 2019 |
| Most common full name | 张伟 (Zhāng Wěi), top of the Ministry of Public Security’s 2019 list |
| Most common given names | 伟 (Wěi, ‘great’), used by 3.236 million people, and 秀英 (Xiùyīng), used by 2.169 million (2021) |
| Surnames in use | More than 6,000; the 100 most common cover 85.9% of registered residents (2019) |
How Chinese names work
A Chinese name has two parts, in this order: the family name (姓, xìng), almost always one character, and the given name (名, míng), of one or two characters. In 王芳 (Wáng Fāng), Wang is the surname and Fang the given name. Chinese speakers say and write the surname first, in full sentences as well as on forms; abroad, many people switch the order to fit Western forms, so Wang Fang may become Fang Wang.
There is no middle name. A two-character given name such as 建华 (Jiànhuá) is one name, even when it is romanised as two syllables. In Western countries some families of Chinese origin give a child a Western first name and record the Chinese given name as a middle name, but that is a diaspora practice, not a Chinese one.
Two-character given names are now the norm. In the most recent national report, for 2021, 84.55% of registered residents had a two-character given name, 13.97% a one-character name and 1.48% a name of another length. That was not always so: in the early Han dynasty about 70% of given names were a single character, and two-character names first became the majority under the Tang and Song.
Traditionally a married woman keeps her own surname, and a child usually takes the father’s. Mainland marriage law allows a child to take either parent’s surname. For the surnames themselves, start with our guide to the 100 most common Chinese surnames.[2][4]
The most common names in China
These are the ten most common full names among all registered residents, from the Ministry of Public Security’s 2019 national name report. They combine the most common surnames with short, popular given names, which is why the same few names repeat.[1][2][3][7]
| Rank | Name | Pinyin | Given name means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 张伟 | Zhāng Wěi | great |
| 2 | 王伟 | Wáng Wěi | great |
| 3 | 李娜 | Lǐ Nà | elegant, graceful (also used for the ‘-na’ sound in names such as Anna) |
| 4 | 王芳 | Wáng Fāng | fragrant |
| 5 | 李伟 | Lǐ Wěi | great |
| 6 | 王静 | Wáng Jìng | still, calm, quiet |
| 7 | 李静 | Lǐ Jìng | still, calm, quiet |
| 8 | 张敏 | Zhāng Mǐn | quick, nimble, quick-witted |
| 9 | 刘伟 | Liú Wěi | great |
| 10 | 张静 | Zhāng Jìng | still, calm, quiet |
The 2021 report also ranked given names on their own. The most common one-character given names were 伟, 敏, 静, 杰, 丽, 勇, 涛, 艳, 军 and 强, with 伟 used by 3.236 million people. The most common two-character given names were 秀英, 桂英, 秀兰, 玉兰, 婷婷, 建华, 桂兰, 玉梅, 秀珍 and 海燕, with 秀英 used by 2.169 million. Meanings are from the CC-CEDICT dictionary via MDBG.
How Chinese parents choose a name
Parents build a given name from individual characters. They weigh the meaning of each character, how the name sounds with its tones, and how the characters look together. Traditionally, names for boys lean towards strength and names for girls towards beauty or flowers, and girls’ names more often use doubled characters such as 婷婷 (Tíngtíng).
Some families still consult a fortune teller, choosing characters to balance the five elements or counting brush strokes to reach favoured totals. It is considered poor form to name a child after a famous person or a living relative, a remnant of the old taboo against using the names of elders and rulers. Before the formal name is chosen, many babies get a milk name (小名, xiǎomíng), often with 小 or a doubled character, which often stays in use as a family nickname.
Fashions change. Among all residents, the most frequent characters in names are 英, 华, 文, 玉, 秀, 明, 丽, 兰, 红 and 金. Among babies born in 2019 they were 梓, 子, 宇, 泽, 涵, 晨, 佳, 一, 欣 and 雨, and in 2021 the list was led by 泽, 梓, 子, 宇 and 沐. See the latest top tens in our guides to Chinese boys’ names and Chinese girls’ names.[1][2][4]
Courtesy names, art names and generation names
In imperial China an educated person could carry several names. These customs explain why historical figures often appear under more than one name.[4][5][6][8]
| Name | Chinese | What it was | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Courtesy name | 字 (zì) | A second name given at adulthood (traditionally to men at 20), often echoing the meaning of the given name or showing birth order. Peers used it in formal speech and writing. The custom has largely died out. | Confucius, 孔丘 (Kǒng Qiū), was known as 仲尼 (Zhòngní), 仲 marking him as a second son; the poet Li Bai was 太白 (Tàibái) |
| Art name | 号 (hào) | A self-chosen pseudonym, often of three or four characters, used by poets, painters and scholars. | The poet Su Shi called himself 东坡居士 (Dōngpō Jūshì), ‘Householder of the Eastern Slope’, after the farm where he lived in exile; his courtesy name was 子瞻 (Zǐzhān) |
| Generation name | 字辈 (zìbèi) | One character of the given name, shared by all siblings and paternal cousins of the same generation, taken in turn from a family’s generation poem. | The descendants of Confucius, Mencius, Yan Hui and Zengzi follow long-standing generation poems |
| Milk name | 小名 / 乳名 (xiǎomíng / rǔmíng) | A childhood name used by the family before, and often alongside, the formal name. | Commonly built with 小 (‘little’) or a doubled character |
Why many Chinese people have English names
English is a required subject in the gaokao, China’s university entrance exam, so many mainland teenagers pick an English name at school. Adults keep them because foreigners find them easier to say and because they help at work in foreign companies.
In Hong Kong English names are part of everyday life, a legacy of British rule from 1841 to 1997. In a 2015 survey of 2,049 people, 25.8% had an English given name in their legal name and another 38.3% used one informally, 64.1% in all. Hong Kong and Taiwan also hyphenate the two syllables of a given name and use older spellings, so a Hong Kong name may appear as Peter Kuo Chi-yung, or simply Peter Kuo. In Singapore and Malaysia the English name may come before or after the Chinese name.[4]
Questions readers ask
Do Chinese people put their last name first?
Yes. In Chinese the family name always comes first and the given name second, so in 张伟 (Zhāng Wěi) Zhang is the surname. When writing in English, many Chinese people reverse the order to fit Western forms, so check which part is the surname.
Do Chinese people have middle names?
No. A Chinese name is a surname plus a given name of one or two characters. A two-character given name such as 建华 (Jiànhuá) is a single name, not a first and middle name, even if it is written as two syllables.
What is the most popular name in China?
Among all registered residents the most common full name was 张伟 (Zhāng Wěi) in the Ministry of Public Security’s 2019 report, ahead of 王伟, 李娜 and 王芳. Among babies, the most popular names in the most recent national report, for 2021, were 沐宸 (Mùchén) for boys and 若汐 (Ruòxī) for girls.
How long are Chinese names?
Usually three characters: a one-character surname and a two-character given name. In 2019, 84.3% of all registered residents and 93.2% of newborns had a three-character name; 14.0% of residents had a two-character name.
Do Chinese names have meanings?
Yes. Each character has a meaning, and parents choose them deliberately: 伟 means great, 静 calm, 芳 fragrant, 浩 vast. Sound, tones and how the characters look also count.
What is a Chinese courtesy name?
A courtesy name (字, zì) was a second name given at adulthood, traditionally to educated men at 20, and used by peers in formal speech and writing. Confucius’s courtesy name was 仲尼 (Zhòngní). The custom is no longer common.
Why do Chinese people have English names?
Mostly for convenience: English is a required subject in the gaokao, the university entrance exam, English names are easier for foreigners to say, and they help in foreign companies. In Hong Kong, a 2015 survey found 64.1% of people used an English name.
Do Chinese women change their surname when they marry?
Traditionally no: a married woman keeps her own surname. Children usually take the father’s surname, although mainland law allows either parent’s.
Sources
- The Paper (澎湃新闻), Ministry of Public Security, 2019 national name report (《二〇一九年全国姓名报告》) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- China News Service (中国新闻网), 2021 national name report: most popular newborn names (24 January 2022) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Xinhua (新华网), Ministry of Public Security releases 2021 national name report (24 January 2022) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Chinese name · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Courtesy name · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Generation name · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- MDBG Chinese Dictionary (CC-CEDICT) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Su Shi · accessed 1 Nov 2026
Update log. 1 November 2026 — reviewed. Next review due 1 February 2027. Suggest a correction