---
title: "Chinese male names: the most popular boys’ names and what they mean"
url: https://popularinchina.com/culture/chinese-names/male-names
section: "Culture"
type: answer
updated: 2026-11-01
next_review: 2027-02-01
status: checked
author: "The Popular in China desk"
fact_checker: "Alex Liu"
publisher: Popular in China (https://popularinchina.com)
license: Quote with attribution and a link to https://popularinchina.com/culture/chinese-names/male-names
---

# Chinese male names: the most popular boys’ names and what they mean

_China’s police register every newborn, and the Ministry of Public Security has published the most popular baby names from those records. Here are the top ten boys’ names from the most recent national report, for 2021, and from 2019, with pinyin and the meaning of each character, plus the older names, built on 伟 ‘great’, that you will meet among grown men._

**Verdict: 沐宸 (Mùchén) for babies; 伟 (Wěi) for their fathers** (沐宸) — 沐宸 topped the 2021 boys’ list; 张伟, with the given name 伟 ‘great’, is China’s most common full name

## Short answer

The most popular Chinese boy’s name in the most recent national report, for 2021, was 沐宸 (Mùchén), given to 23,000 newborns, ahead of 浩宇 (Hàoyǔ) and 沐辰 (Mùchén). Among adults the classic is 伟 (Wěi, ‘great’): 张伟 (Zhāng Wěi) is China’s most common full name.

## At a glance

- **Top boy’s name (2021):** 沐宸 (Mùchén), 23,000 registered newborns
- **Top boy’s name (2019):** 浩宇 (Hàoyǔ), still second in 2021
- **Favourite characters:** 宇 (universe), 泽 (pool; favour), 浩 (vast), 子 and 梓, 沐 (to bathe), 辰 and 宸
- **Most common given name:** 伟 (Wěi, ‘great’), used by 3.236 million people (2021)
- **Most common full name:** 张伟 (Zhāng Wěi), followed by 王伟 (Wáng Wěi) (2019)
- **Boys born in 2021:** 4.681 million registered by the end of the year, 52.75% of newborns

## The most popular Chinese boys’ names (2021)

These were the ten most popular names among boys born and registered in 2021, from the Ministry of Public Security’s 2021 national name report, published in January 2022. It is the most recent national report. [1][2][4]

| Rank | Name | Pinyin | What the characters mean |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | 沐宸 | Mùchén | 沐 to bathe, to receive (as in receiving favour) + 宸 imperial apartments |
| 2 | 浩宇 | Hàoyǔ | 浩 vast, grand + 宇 universe |
| 3 | 沐辰 | Mùchén | 沐 to bathe, to receive + 辰 the fifth earthly branch (linked to the Dragon); a homophone of no. 1 |
| 4 | 茗泽 | Míngzé | 茗 young tea leaves + 泽 pool; lustre; favour |
| 5 | 奕辰 | Yìchén | 奕 abundant, graceful + 辰 the fifth earthly branch |
| 6 | 宇泽 | Yǔzé | 宇 universe + 泽 pool; lustre; favour |
| 7 | 浩然 | Hàorán | vast, expansive |
| 8 | 奕泽 | Yìzé | 奕 abundant, graceful + 泽 pool; lustre; favour |
| 9 | 宇轩 | Yǔxuān | 宇 universe + 轩 high, lofty; a pavilion with a view |
| 10 | 沐阳 | Mùyáng | 沐 to bathe + 阳 the sun |

The report gives a count only for first place. Meanings are the dictionary senses of each character (CC-CEDICT via MDBG); parents pick characters for their overall feel, so a name is not a literal sentence.

## Top Chinese boys’ names in 2019

Two years earlier the list looked different, though 浩宇, 浩然 and 宇轩 appear in both. [3][4]

| Rank | Name | Pinyin | What the characters mean |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | 浩宇 | Hàoyǔ | 浩 vast, grand + 宇 universe |
| 2 | 浩然 | Hàorán | vast, expansive |
| 3 | 宇轩 | Yǔxuān | 宇 universe + 轩 high, lofty |
| 4 | 宇航 | Yǔháng | space flight (宇 universe + 航 to sail, to fly) |
| 5 | 铭泽 | Míngzé | 铭 to engrave; an inscribed motto + 泽 favour |
| 6 | 子墨 | Zǐmò | 子 child, son + 墨 ink |
| 7 | 梓豪 | Zǐháo | 梓 the Chinese catalpa tree, a symbol of one’s hometown + 豪 grand, heroic |
| 8 | 子睿 | Zǐruì | 子 child, son + 睿 astute, farsighted |
| 9 | 子轩 | Zǐxuān | 子 child, son + 轩 high, lofty |
| 10 | 梓睿 | Zǐruì | 梓 catalpa + 睿 astute, farsighted; a homophone of no. 8 |

## What today’s boys’ names have in common

Modern boys’ names draw on a small set of favourite characters. Among all babies born in 2019, the most frequent characters in names included 梓, 子, 宇, 泽, 涵, 晨, 佳, 一, 欣 and 雨; in 2021 the list was led by 泽, 梓, 子, 宇 and 沐. Five of the 2021 boys’ top ten contain 泽 or 宇, and three begin with 沐.

Because Chinese has many characters with the same sound, popular names come in written variants. 沐宸 and 沐辰 are both pronounced Mùchén, 铭泽 (2019) and 茗泽 (2021) are both Míngzé, and 子睿 and 梓睿 are both Zǐruì.

The tone has shifted too. Traditionally, boys’ names were chosen to suggest strength; many of today’s favourites instead evoke the universe (宇), vast waters (浩), ink (墨) and tea leaves (茗).

Sources: [2][3][4][5]

## Classic Chinese men’s names: Zhang Wei and the 伟 generation

Older names are shorter and more direct. 伟 (wěi, ‘great’) is the most common given name in China, used by 3.236 million people, and it gives four of the ten most common full names: 张伟 (Zhāng Wěi, no. 1), 王伟 (Wáng Wěi, no. 2), 李伟 (Lǐ Wěi, no. 5) and 刘伟 (Liú Wěi, no. 9). These one-character given names from the 2021 top ten carry the same ideas of greatness and strength. [1][3][4]

| Given name | Pinyin | Meaning | Rank among one-character given names (2021) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 伟 | Wěi | great, big | 1 |
| 杰 | Jié | hero, outstanding person | 4 |
| 勇 | Yǒng | brave | 6 |
| 涛 | Tāo | big wave | 7 |
| 军 | Jūn | army | 9 |
| 强 | Qiáng | strong, powerful | 10 |

The ranking covers all registered residents, not men only; the other four in the top ten, 敏, 静, 丽 and 艳, are covered in our guide to [Chinese female names](/culture/chinese-names/female-names). Among two-character given names, 建华 (Jiànhuá, ‘build China’) ranks sixth.

> **Note: Choosing a Chinese name for a boy**
>
> Chinese parents weigh the meaning of each character, the sound and tones of the whole name with the surname, and how the characters look together. Some also count brush strokes or balance the five elements.
>
> It is considered poor form to name a child after a famous person or a living relative. For how surnames and given names fit together, see our guide to [how Chinese names work](/culture/chinese-names).

Sources: [5]

## Questions

**What is the most popular Chinese boy’s name?**

沐宸 (Mùchén), given to 23,000 boys born in 2021, according to the Ministry of Public Security’s 2021 national name report, the most recent national report. 浩宇 (Hàoyǔ) was second and 沐辰 (Mùchén) third.

**What is the most common male name in China?**

Among all registered residents the most common full name is 张伟 (Zhāng Wěi), followed by 王伟 (Wáng Wěi), in the 2019 report. The given name 伟, meaning ‘great’, is used by 3.236 million people.

**What does the name Haoyu mean?**

浩宇 (Hàoyǔ) combines 浩, vast or grand, with 宇, the universe. It was the top boys’ name in 2019 and second in 2021.

**What does Muchen mean?**

Two different names are pronounced Mùchén. 沐宸 combines 沐, to bathe or to receive favour, with 宸, the imperial apartments; 沐辰 uses 辰, the fifth earthly branch, linked to the Dragon. They were first and third in 2021.

**Do Chinese boys’ names have meanings?**

Yes. Every character has a meaning, and parents choose them deliberately. Older names favour strength and greatness, such as 伟 (great), 勇 (brave) and 强 (strong); newer ones favour 宇 (universe), 泽 (favour; pool) and 浩 (vast).

**Where do these rankings come from?**

From the Ministry of Public Security, which runs China’s household registration system and has published annual name reports based on registered newborns. The most recent national report covers 2021.

**Can Chinese boys’ and girls’ names overlap?**

Yes. Some characters are popular for both: 梓 appears in the 2019 top ten for boys (梓豪, 梓睿) and for girls (梓涵, 梓萱). See our [Chinese female names](/culture/chinese-names/female-names) guide.

## Sources

1. [China News Service (中国新闻网), 2021 national name report: most popular newborn names (24 January 2022)](https://www.chinanews.com.cn/sh/2022/01-24/9660203.shtml) — accessed 2026-11-01
2. [Xinhua (新华网), Ministry of Public Security releases 2021 national name report (24 January 2022)](https://www.news.cn/local/2022-01/24/c_1128294760.htm) — accessed 2026-11-01
3. [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》)](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_5584537) — accessed 2026-11-01
4. [MDBG Chinese Dictionary (CC-CEDICT)](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary) — accessed 2026-11-01
5. [Wikipedia, Chinese name](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_name) — accessed 2026-11-01

## Related

- https://popularinchina.com/culture/chinese-names
- https://popularinchina.com/culture/chinese-names/female-names
- https://popularinchina.com/culture/chinese-surnames
- https://popularinchina.com/culture/chinese-surnames/zhao
- https://popularinchina.com/culture/chinese-zodiac

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