Chinese Surnames
Browse Chinese surnames with Hanzi, tone-marked pinyin, meanings, and family-name notes. Chinese surnames come before the given name, so this page keeps family names separate from girl and boy given names.
Chinese Surnames List
52 Chinese names split by name type, Hanzi, pinyin, meaning, and usage context.
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Chinese Surnames
Common Chinese family names, including the highest-frequency surnames reported in public security surname summaries.
#1
Wáng (王)
Meaning: king
Pinyin: wáng
Type: Chinese surname
One of the top Chinese surnames in mainland public security surname reports. It is written before the given name in Chinese order.
#2
Lǐ (李)
Meaning: plum tree
Pinyin: lǐ
Type: Chinese surname
A top Chinese surname and historically important family name. Do not confuse it with the beauty character 丽, also pronounced li.
#3
Zhāng (张)
Meaning: to stretch; bow-stretching association
Pinyin: zhāng
Type: Chinese surname
One of the most common Chinese surnames. It appears very frequently in full-name examples such as Zhang Wei.
#4
Liú (刘)
Meaning: a historical surname; traditional meanings vary by character history
Pinyin: liú
Type: Chinese surname
A top-five mainland surname in recent surname summaries. The simplified form is 刘 and the traditional form is 劉.
#5
Chén (陈)
Meaning: display; arrange; ancient Chen state
Pinyin: chén
Type: Chinese surname
A top-five Chinese surname. It is different from given-name characters like 晨, morning, or 宸, imperial residence.
#6
Yáng (杨)
Meaning: poplar; willow-like tree
Pinyin: yáng
Type: Chinese surname
A very common surname. It differs from 阳, the sun or yang character used in given names.
#7
Huáng (黄)
Meaning: yellow
Pinyin: huáng
Type: Chinese surname
A major surname connected by character meaning with yellow, earth, and the Yellow River in cultural explanation.
#8
Zhào (赵)
Meaning: Zhao state surname
Pinyin: zhào
Type: Chinese surname
A famous ancient-state surname and one of the common family names in China.
#9
Wú (吴)
Meaning: ancient Wu state surname
Pinyin: wú
Type: Chinese surname
A common surname associated with the historical Wu region and state.
#10
Zhōu (周)
Meaning: Zhou dynasty surname; circumference
Pinyin: zhōu
Type: Chinese surname
A major surname and dynastic name, familiar in Chinese history.
#11
Xú (徐)
Meaning: slowly; calmly
Pinyin: xú
Type: Chinese surname
A common surname with a gentle literal meaning. The tone mark matters: Xu without tone can hide several characters.
#12
Sūn (孙)
Meaning: grandchild; descendant
Pinyin: sūn
Type: Chinese surname
A common surname associated in English-language culture with Sun Tzu, though romanization can hide the tone.
#13
Mǎ (马)
Meaning: horse
Pinyin: mǎ
Type: Chinese surname
A common surname with a clear horse character. It appears across Chinese-speaking communities.
#14
Zhū (朱)
Meaning: vermillion; red
Pinyin: zhū
Type: Chinese surname
A historical surname associated with the Ming imperial family name.
#15
Hú (胡)
Meaning: a historical surname; northern/non-Han association in older usage
Pinyin: hú
Type: Chinese surname
A common surname whose historical associations are more complex than a simple literal meaning.
#16
Guō (郭)
Meaning: outer city wall
Pinyin: guō
Type: Chinese surname
A common surname with a city-wall meaning and ancient place-name associations.
#17
Lín (林)
Meaning: forest; grove
Pinyin: lín
Type: Chinese surname
A common surname written with two tree components. It differs from 琳, a jade given-name character.
#18
Hé (何)
Meaning: what; how
Pinyin: hé
Type: Chinese surname
A common surname. The literal question-word meaning should not be overread as the meaning of a person.
#19
Gāo (高)
Meaning: high; tall
Pinyin: gāo
Type: Chinese surname
A common surname with an elevated literal meaning.
#20
Luó (罗)
Meaning: net; gauze
Pinyin: luó
Type: Chinese surname
A common surname with several historical and regional associations.
#21
Zhèng (郑)
Meaning: Zheng state surname
Pinyin: zhèng
Type: Chinese surname
A common surname from the ancient Zheng state, useful for historically rooted character naming.
#22
Liáng (梁)
Meaning: beam; bridge
Pinyin: liáng
Type: Chinese surname
A common surname and dynastic name with structure and bridge imagery.
#23
Sòng (宋)
Meaning: Song dynasty surname
Pinyin: sòng
Type: Chinese surname
A surname strongly associated with the Song dynasty.
#24
Táng (唐)
Meaning: Tang dynasty surname
Pinyin: táng
Type: Chinese surname
A surname and dynastic name; useful context, but it remains a normal family name.
#25
Hán (韩)
Meaning: Han state surname
Pinyin: hán
Type: Chinese surname
A Chinese surname distinct from 汉, Han Chinese. It also appears in Korean surname romanization contexts.
#26
Cáo (曹)
Meaning: a historical surname
Pinyin: cáo
Type: Chinese surname
A well-known surname in historical and literary contexts, including the Three Kingdoms period.
#27
Dèng (邓)
Meaning: Deng surname
Pinyin: dèng
Type: Chinese surname
A common surname, internationally familiar through Deng Xiaoping.
#28
Féng (冯)
Meaning: Feng surname
Pinyin: féng
Type: Chinese surname
A common surname. It is different from 风, wind, and 峰, peak, both pronounced feng with different tones.
#29
Xiè (谢)
Meaning: thank; decline
Pinyin: xiè
Type: Chinese surname
A common surname. Its literal verb meaning is not usually treated like a chosen given-name meaning.
#30
Pān (潘)
Meaning: Pan surname
Pinyin: pān
Type: Chinese surname
A common surname with historical place and clan associations.
#31
Xǔ (许)
Meaning: allow; promise; Xu state surname
Pinyin: xǔ
Type: Chinese surname
A common surname with historical state associations.
#32
Shěn (沈)
Meaning: sink; Shen surname
Pinyin: shěn
Type: Chinese surname
A common surname. It may appear as Shen without tone marks in English.
#33
Zēng (曾)
Meaning: formerly; Zeng surname
Pinyin: zēng
Type: Chinese surname
A common surname with important historical lineages.
#34
Péng (彭)
Meaning: Peng surname
Pinyin: péng
Type: Chinese surname
A common surname, distinct from 鹏, the mythic bird used in given names.
#35
Lǚ (吕)
Meaning: Lyu/Lu surname
Pinyin: lǚ
Type: Chinese surname
Often written Lu in systems that omit the umlaut, but Lyu better preserves the Mandarin ü sound.
#36
Sū (苏)
Meaning: revive; Su surname
Pinyin: sū
Type: Chinese surname
A common surname also associated with place and clan history.
#37
Lú (卢)
Meaning: Lu surname
Pinyin: lú
Type: Chinese surname
A common surname. It differs from Lǚ 吕 even though both are often simplified to Lu in English systems.
#38
Jiǎng (蒋)
Meaning: Jiang surname
Pinyin: jiǎng
Type: Chinese surname
A common surname internationally familiar through Chiang Kai-shek, a non-pinyin romanization.
#39
Cài (蔡)
Meaning: Cai surname
Pinyin: cài
Type: Chinese surname
A common surname that can appear as Choi/Choy in some diaspora romanizations.
#40
Jiǎ (贾)
Meaning: Jia surname
Pinyin: jiǎ
Type: Chinese surname
A common surname. It differs from 佳 or 嘉, positive given-name characters pronounced jia.
#41
Dīng (丁)
Meaning: nail; fourth heavenly stem; Ding surname
Pinyin: dīng
Type: Chinese surname
A common short surname with several historical associations.
#42
Wèi (魏)
Meaning: Wei state surname
Pinyin: wèi
Type: Chinese surname
A surname from the ancient state of Wei. It differs from given-name Wei 伟 or 威.
#43
Xuē (薛)
Meaning: Xue surname
Pinyin: xuē
Type: Chinese surname
A common surname, distinct from 雪, snow, which is also xue with a different tone.
#44
Yè (叶)
Meaning: leaf; Ye surname
Pinyin: yè
Type: Chinese surname
A common surname written 葉 traditionally. It also has a clear leaf meaning.
Compound and Distinctive Surnames
Two-character surnames and less ordinary family-name forms that are useful for characters but should not be confused with the most common surnames.
#1
Ōuyáng (欧阳)
Meaning: compound surname
Pinyin: ōu yáng
Type: Chinese compound surname
One of the best-known two-character Chinese surnames. Treat it as a family name, not surname plus given name.
#2
Sīmǎ (司马)
Meaning: compound surname
Pinyin: sī mǎ
Type: Chinese compound surname
A historical compound surname, famous from figures such as Sima Qian.
#3
Zhūgě (诸葛)
Meaning: compound surname
Pinyin: zhū gě
Type: Chinese compound surname
A distinctive compound surname, internationally familiar through Zhuge Liang.
#4
Shàngguān (上官)
Meaning: compound surname
Pinyin: shàng guān
Type: Chinese compound surname
A compound surname that can work for historical or fictional characters when used carefully.
#5
Sītú (司徒)
Meaning: compound surname
Pinyin: sī tú
Type: Chinese compound surname
A rare compound surname with official-title roots in older usage.
#6
Dōngfāng (东方)
Meaning: compound surname
Pinyin: dōng fāng
Type: Chinese compound surname
A distinctive compound surname meaning east/eastern direction as characters, but used as a surname in names.
#7
Xiàhóu (夏侯)
Meaning: compound surname
Pinyin: xià hóu
Type: Chinese compound surname
A historical compound surname, useful for period fiction.
#8
Nángōng (南宫)
Meaning: compound surname
Pinyin: nán gōng
Type: Chinese compound surname
A distinctive compound surname meaning south palace as characters.
How To Use Chinese Names Accurately
Chinese names need more care than a simple romanized list. The surname normally comes first, the given name often has one or two characters, and the same pinyin spelling can point to different Hanzi with different meanings. That is why this cluster shows the characters and tone-marked pinyin together.
Name order
Chinese names usually put the family name first: Wáng Wěi is Wang-family plus the given name Wei. English contexts sometimes reverse this, so check the intended order.
Hanzi matters
Pinyin can collapse many names into one spelling. Yǔtóng can be 语桐 or 雨桐, and those characters do not carry the same imagery.
Gender nuance
Some characters lean feminine or masculine, but Chinese names do not map perfectly onto English boy/girl categories. The full character pairing matters.
For a baby
Treat this as research, not a final naming authority. For real-life naming, ask fluent family members or a native speaker to check tone, character pairing, surname fit, and regional expectations.
For a character
Choose the surname first, then the given-name characters. A character named Chén Xīnyí reads differently from Xīnyí Chén, and the wrong order can look careless.
For meanings
Do not use pinyin as the meaning. Wei, Chen, Feng, Lin, and Yu can each represent multiple characters. The Hanzi shown beside the name is the part that carries the meaning.
For surnames
Surnames are inherited family names, not style tags. Wang, Li, Zhang, Liu, and Chen are extremely common, while compound surnames such as Ouyang or Zhuge are much more distinctive.
For nearby lists
For another family-name-first system, compare the Vietnamese surnames guide and the surname section in Korean names.
FAQ
Do Chinese names put the surname first?
Yes. In Chinese order, the family name normally comes first and the given name follows. Wang Wei is Wang-family plus the given name Wei, not Wei Wang.
Why do Chinese names need Hanzi and pinyin?
Pinyin alone is ambiguous. Yutong can be written as 语桐 or 雨桐, and Yichen can be written several ways. The Hanzi tells you which characters and meanings are intended.
Are Chinese girl names and boy names always separate?
Not always. Some characters lean feminine or masculine because of meaning and modern usage, but many Chinese given-name characters are flexible. The full character combination matters more than an English-style gender label.
Can I use a Chinese name for a baby or character?
You can use these pages for research, but important real-life naming should be checked with fluent speakers or family context. Tone, character choice, surname pairing, region, and simplified or traditional forms can all matter.
What are the most common Chinese surnames?
Recent mainland public security surname summaries place Wang, Li, Zhang, Liu, and Chen at the top. These surnames are therefore useful anchors, but they are not the only authentic Chinese family names.
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