Tool · Culture
Chinese surnames
百家姓 bǎijiāxìng · the hundred family names
The 100 most common surnames in China, with the character, Mandarin pinyin and Cantonese spelling. Type any spelling to find the character behind it.
- 1王WángWong
- 2李LǐLee, Li
- 3张ZhāngCheung
- 4刘LiúLau
- 5陈ChénChan
Find a surname
The answer
The most common Chinese surnames are Wang (王), Li (李), Zhang (张), Liu (刘) and Chen (陈). In the 2020 national name report they were still the top five and together covered 30.8% of China’s registered population. More than 6,000 surnames are in use. Search below by any spelling, including Cantonese ones like Wong, Chan or Ng.
The 100 most common Chinese surnames
Mainland China, Ministry of Public Security ranking (2019 data). Cantonese spellings are the ones most used in Hong Kong.
| Rank | Surname | Pinyin | Cantonese | Older spelling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 王 | Wáng | Wong | Wang |
| 2 | 李 | Lǐ | Lee, Li | Li |
| 3 | 张 | Zhāng | Cheung | Chang |
| 4 | 刘 | Liú | Lau | Liu |
| 5 | 陈 | Chén | Chan | Ch'en, Chen |
| 6 | 杨 | Yáng | Yeung | Yang |
| 7 | 黄 | Huáng | Wong | Huang |
| 8 | 赵 | Zhào | Chiu | Chao |
| 9 | 吴 | Wú | Ng | Wu |
| 10 | 周 | Zhōu | Chow, Chau | Chou |
| 11 | 徐 | Xú | Tsui | Hsü, Hsu |
| 12 | 孙 | Sūn | Suen | Sun |
| 13 | 马 | Mǎ | Ma | Ma |
| 14 | 朱 | Zhū | Chu | Chu |
| 15 | 胡 | Hú | Wu | Hu |
| 16 | 郭 | Guō | Kwok | Kuo |
| 17 | 何 | Hé | Ho | Ho |
| 18 | 林 | Lín | Lam | Lin |
| 19 | 高 | Gāo | Ko | Kao |
| 20 | 罗 | Luó | Lo | Lo |
| 21 | 郑 | Zhèng | Cheng | Cheng |
| 22 | 梁 | Liáng | Leung | Liang |
| 23 | 谢 | Xiè | Tse | Hsieh |
| 24 | 宋 | Sòng | Sung | Sung |
| 25 | 唐 | Táng | Tong | T'ang, Tang |
| 26 | 许 | Xǔ | Hui | Hsü, Hsu |
| 27 | 邓 | Dèng | Tang | Teng |
| 28 | 韩 | Hán | Hon | Han |
| 29 | 冯 | Féng | Fung | Feng |
| 30 | 曹 | Cáo | Cho, Tso | Ts'ao, Tsao |
| 31 | 彭 | Péng | Pang | — |
| 32 | 曾 | Zēng | Tsang | — |
| 33 | 萧 | Xiāo | Siu, Shiu | — |
| 34 | 田 | Tián | Tin | — |
| 35 | 董 | Dǒng | Tung | — |
| 36 | 潘 | Pān | Poon, Pun | — |
| 37 | 袁 | Yuán | Yuen | — |
| 38 | 蔡 | Cài | Choi | — |
| 39 | 蒋 | Jiǎng | Tseung | — |
| 40 | 余 | Yú | Yu, Yue | — |
| 41 | 于 | Yú | Yue | — |
| 42 | 杜 | Dù | To | — |
| 43 | 叶 | Yè | Yip | — |
| 44 | 程 | Chéng | Ching | — |
| 45 | 魏 | Wèi | Ngai | — |
| 46 | 苏 | Sū | So | — |
| 47 | 吕 | Lǚ | Lui | — |
| 48 | 丁 | Dīng | Ting | — |
| 49 | 任 | Rén | Yam | — |
| 50 | 卢 | Lú | Lo | — |
| 51 | 姚 | Yáo | Yiu | — |
| 52 | 沈 | Shěn | Shum, Sum, Sham | — |
| 53 | 钟 | Zhōng | Chung | — |
| 54 | 姜 | Jiāng | Keung | — |
| 55 | 崔 | Cuī | Chui | — |
| 56 | 谭 | Tán | Tam | — |
| 57 | 陆 | Lù | Luk | — |
| 58 | 范 | Fàn | Fan | — |
| 59 | 汪 | Wāng | Wong | — |
| 60 | 廖 | Liào | Liu | — |
| 61 | 石 | Shí | Shek | — |
| 62 | 金 | Jīn | Kam | — |
| 63 | 韦 | Wéi | Wai | — |
| 64 | 贾 | Jiǎ | Ka | — |
| 65 | 夏 | Xià | Ha | — |
| 66 | 傅 | Fù | Fu, Foo | — |
| 67 | 方 | Fāng | Fong | — |
| 68 | 邹 | Zōu | Chau, Chow | — |
| 69 | 熊 | Xióng | Hung | — |
| 70 | 白 | Bái | Pak | — |
| 71 | 孟 | Mèng | Mang | — |
| 72 | 秦 | Qín | Chun | — |
| 73 | 邱 | Qiū | Yau | — |
| 74 | 侯 | Hóu | Hau | — |
| 75 | 江 | Jiāng | Kong | — |
| 76 | 尹 | Yǐn | Wan | — |
| 77 | 薛 | Xuē | Sit | — |
| 78 | 阎 | Yán | Yim | — |
| 79 | 段 | Duàn | Tuen | — |
| 80 | 雷 | Léi | Lui | — |
| 81 | 龙 | Lóng | Lung, Loong | — |
| 82 | 黎 | Lí | Lai | — |
| 83 | 史 | Shǐ | Sze | — |
| 84 | 陶 | Táo | To | — |
| 85 | 贺 | Hè | Ho | — |
| 86 | 毛 | Máo | Mo | — |
| 87 | 郝 | Hǎo | Kok | — |
| 88 | 顾 | Gù | Ku | — |
| 89 | 龚 | Gōng | Kung | — |
| 90 | 邵 | Shào | Siu, Shiu | — |
| 91 | 万 | Wàn | Man | — |
| 92 | 覃 | Tán, Qín | Tam | — |
| 93 | 武 | Wǔ | Mo | — |
| 94 | 钱 | Qián | Chin | — |
| 95 | 戴 | Dài | Tai | — |
| 96 | 严 | Yán | Yim | — |
| 97 | 欧 | Ōu | Au | — |
| 98 | 莫 | Mò | Mok | — |
| 99 | 孔 | Kǒng | Hung | — |
| 100 | 向 | Xiàng | Heung | — |
A few names, a lot of people
China has hundreds of millions of Wangs, Lis and Zhangs because a small number of surnames have spread over thousands of years. The top five alone covered almost a third of the registered population in 2020, and the top 100 cover most of the country.
English spellings vary because they follow different dialects and systems: pinyin for Mandarin on the mainland, Cantonese spellings in Hong Kong and among many overseas families, and Wade-Giles in older texts and Taiwan. That is why 陈 can be Chen, Chan, Tan or Ch’en, and why one spelling, such as Wong, can stand for several characters.
Questions readers ask
What is the most common surname in China?
Wang (王). It tops the Ministry of Public Security ranking, followed by Li (李), Zhang (张), Liu (刘) and Chen (陈). These five covered 30.8% of the registered population in 2020.
Why do Chinese surnames have different spellings?
Spellings depend on the dialect and the romanisation system. Mainland China uses pinyin based on Mandarin (Chen, Zhang); Hong Kong spellings follow Cantonese (Chan, Cheung); older and Taiwanese spellings often use Wade-Giles (Ch’en, Chang). The same character can look completely different in English.
Is Wong 王 or 黄?
It can be either. In Cantonese both 王 (Wáng) and 黄 (Huáng) are spelled Wong, and 汪 (Wāng) can be too. Only the Chinese character tells you which family name it is.
Which Chinese surname is Ng?
Usually 吴 (Wú in Mandarin), the ninth most common surname in mainland China. Ng is the Cantonese spelling, common in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore.
How many Chinese surnames are there?
About 24,000 have been recorded in Chinese history, and more than 6,000 are in use today, according to the 2020 national name report. A few, such as 欧阳 (Ōuyáng), have two characters.
Do Chinese put the surname first?
Yes. In Chinese the family name comes first: in 王小明 (Wáng Xiǎomíng), Wang is the surname. Many people reverse the order when writing in English, so check which part is the surname.
Related tools
Sources
- Wikipedia, List of common Chinese surnames (Ministry of Public Security top 100, 2019 data) · accessed 28 Oct 2026
- China News Service, 2020 national name report: top five surnames 30.8% of registered population (9 Feb 2021) · accessed 28 Oct 2026
Update log. 28 October 2026 — published. Next review due 26 January 2027. Suggest a correction
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