537 Chinese Baby Names From Ancient Heritage
Rejoice in oriental delight with timeless treasures from the Land of Dragons.
Illustration: MomJunction Design Team
Are you looking for an offbeat baby name for your child? How about exploring some Chinese baby names? Like the years-old Chinese heritage and culture, even Chinese names symbolize virtue, ancient treasures, and serenity. There's an extreme diversity in Chinese names due to the different dynasties, religions like Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism, and, of course, Mandarin and Cantonese dialects. Chinese names are mainly made up of a few characters. The family name is the first character, followed by the given name. The characters should combine in such a way that it brings prosperity and good luck to the child, as the meanings of names are very significant to the Chinese people. They believe that a good name brings fame and respect to the bearer and a name with a bad meaning brings a hard life. Traditional Chinese male names connote prosperity, strength, and characteristics parents hope their babies inherit. On the other hand, baby girl names skew towards nature, beauty, and grace. Chinese naming convention follows a different order than the Western tradition. They add their given name after their surname or family name. And women typically do not alter their surnames after marriage (1). The titles often feature one or two characters with deep symbolic meaning and ideal characteristics that Chinese parents highly value, including beauty, intelligence, compassion, and strength. When naming their children, they adhere to this practice. Baby girls are frequently given delicate feminine names with calming overtones to complement their naturally masculine family names. Another historic naming custom in China is the milk name or small name, which is given to the child at birth (2). If you've decided to choose a Chinese name for your child, you've stumbled upon the perfect place. Our post has a rich resource of Chinese baby names with meanings. Have a look!
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| Name | Gender | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  Boy | Sea; Keeper of the keys; Shell; Pier; From the sea | |
| | Boy | Little seal; Masterless samurai; Anaconda | |
| | Boy | Son of; Great; Horse; Border; Guard; Screen; Curtain | |
| | Boy | Rock; Sharp; Silk | |
| | Boy | Clearing; Meadow | |
| |  Girl | Famous ruler; Snow-capped; High cliff; Evening; Knowledge | |
| | Boy | Ocean; To rejoice; Triumph; Victory | |
| | Girl | Forgiveness; Yew tree; Pure; Elegant | |
| |  Unisex | High cliff; Snow-capped; Promise; Knowledge; Rule; Ruler | |
| | Unisex | Weary; Reason; Beautiful; Power | |
| | Boy | Oak tree; Torch; Light; Beautiful orchid | |
| | Unisex | Adornment; Strength; Life; Holy fairy; First | |
| | Boy | Intelligent; Big army | |
| | Unisex | Absorption; Meditative state | |
| | Boy | Gold; Compassionate | |
| | Girl | Beautiful; Chinese plum | |
| | Unisex | Very; Extreme; Talent; Ability; Tide; Large; Calm; Abandon; Enduring | |
| | Boy | Yahweh is gracious; Heart; Ethics; Beautiful | |
| | Girl | Wisdom; Illuminated; Victory | |
| | Girl | Church; Lotus; Graceful willow tree | |
| | Girl | Jasmine; Industrious; Beloved; Bitter; Of Magdala; High tower; Vigorous; Brave; Ruler; Beautiful horse; The firstborn son; Strong; Queen | |
| | Boy | Pure; Clean; Truth; Talented; Handsome; Ruler; King | |
| | Unisex | Nonexistent; Nothing; Ink; Parrot | |
| | Unisex | Expected savior; Deliverer | |
| | Girl | Young person; Born in June | |
| | Boy | Praiser; Poet; Light beam; One who praises; Sacred creature representing beauty, grace, and knowledge | |
| | Unisex | Blue; Green; Young | |
| | Boy | Magnolia | |
| | Girl | Keeper of the keys; Pure; Narrows; Channel; Strait | |
| | Girl | Always; The only one; Grace; Favor; Scene; Sight; Mirror; Difficult birth; Elegant love; Chaste | |
| | Unisex | Big; Large; Beautiful; Lovely | |
| | Unisex | Life; Wisdom; Beautiful | |
| | Boy | Great army | |
| | Boy | God is gracious; Beautiful; Gorgeous; Cliffs; Rocks | |
| | Girl | Hawthorn flower; Greater; Jade | |
| | Unisex | To regain consciousness, ancestor; Red water; Harmony; Glory | |
| | Boy | Build; Establish; Strong | |
| | Boy | Hey!; Wagon; Chariot; Guy | |
| | Unisex | Magnolia | |
| | Boy | King; Monarch; Ruler; Military; Talented; Handsome; | |
| | Unisex | Sweet; Sky; Calm; Quiet; Tranquil; Peaceful; Add; Increase | |
| | Boy | Light; From Lucania; Famous warrior; Thunder | |
| | Girl | Bird; Light; Pasture; Greens; Kindness; Elegance | |
| | Boy | God has given; Exalted house; Honor; Dwell with; Rock; Stone | |
| | Girl | Fawn; Orchid; Mountain mist | |
| | Boy | One who was born to counsel; Sunshine; Protecting hands; Thunder | |
| | Boy | Present; String; First; Elegant; Virtuous; Admire | |
| | Girl | Mountain mist; Graceful; Elegant; Precious; Awakening | |
| | Boy | Great; Exalted; Superior; Glory; Peaceful; Good; Very; Extreme; Many crystals | |
| | Unisex | Swallow; Jewel; Friend; Lover; Companion; Vegetable | |
| | Unisex | Someone whose star sign is Aries; From Hadria; Noble | |
| | Unisex | Evil; Malevolence; To come; Swallow | |
| | Girl | Porch; Open-sided veranda; Orchid love | |
| | Boy | Lotus; Ice | |
| | Boy | Vastness of sky; Straightforward; Open minded; Good; Perfect | |
| | Boy | First; Chief; Leader; Precious; Funny; Strange | |
| | Boy | South | |
| | Boy | Contraction Of St. Denys; One who hears everything; Victory; Hearing; Listening; Summer; Great; Rosy clouds | |
| | Unisex | Sun; Ocean; Light | |
| | Girl | Apricot; Beautiful dawn; Clearing; Vine | |
| | Boy | Awakened to emptiness | |
| | Boy | Trustworthy; Reliable; Beloved; Second and beautiful; My people; My nation; Flatter and honey; Hunt; Lovable | |
| | Boy | Time; Era; Season; Real; Stone; History; Tranquil | |
| | Unisex | Large waves; The way; Path | |
| | Unisex | Suitable; Harmony; Ceremony; Lustre; To laugh | |
| | Girl | Moon; Blessing; Pearl; Tall mountain; Fertile | |
| | Unisex | Blessed; Blessing; Convenience | |
| | Girl | Living; Sea; Ocean | |
| | Boy | Branch; God; Spiritual being; Will | |
| | Boy | One who is like a phoenix; Maple | |
| | Unisex | Beautiful; Gracious; Kinsman | |
| | Unisex | Asia; Inferior; Forest | |
| | Unisex | Fairy queen; Help; Support; Elegance | |
| | Girl | Downy-bearded; Summer; Rosy clouds; Elegant | |
| | Unisex | Suicide | |
| | Boy | Orchid; Achieve; Great; Oaktree; Arrive at; Intelligent | |
| | Boy | Gold; Metal; Tapestry; Ferry | |
| | Boy | Abundant; Prosperous; Hibiscus; Lotus; Man | |
| | Unisex | You; That; Those; Beautiful jade; Gem | |
| | Boy | Expanse of water; Female phoenix; Bright; Yellow | |
| | Boy | Poppy flower | |
| | Boy | Spring; Fountain; Power; Whole; Fine cloth; Army | |
| | Unisex | Jade; Precious stone; Pleasant; The elegant one; To oppose | |
| | Unisex | Control; In charge of; Rule; Govern; Year; Record | |
| | Unisex | Military; Martial | |
| | Boy | Rainbow; Enlarge; Wild Swan; Chicken | |
| | Boy | To be healthy; Thank; Apologize | |
| | Boy | Brilliant; Courageous; Ambitious | |
| | Girl | A narrow strait of a water | |
| | Boy | Gentle; Virtuous; Chaste; Goblet | |
| | Boy | Unique thinkers; Beekeepers | |
| | Unisex | White; Rising Sun; Dawn | |
| | Boy | Holder of the heel; Supplanter; Amber; Tall or high | |
| | Boy | Honor; Hero | |
| | Boy | A sign; Remarkable; Marked man; Distinct; Fluttering of flag; Romantic; Coral | |
| | Girl | Love; Affection; Indigo; Friendly | |
| | Girl | Mansion; Large building | |
| | Unisex | White silk; Quiet; Calm | |
| | Girl | To live; Exist; Reside; Wave | |
| | Unisex | Yahweh is gracious; Beautiful jade; Deep black; Day lily | |
As one of the most populous nations in the world, China has a lot to offer when it comes to beautiful and thoughtful baby names. Shaped by their rich historical culture and philosophies, Chinese baby names are a fine balance of refinement and aspired human attributes combined with their reverence towards their ancestor. These names are coupled with modern influence and are vibrant examples of symbolic meanings, historical traditions, and the contemporary social fabric of Chinese society.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Which are some classic Chinese names?
Modern Chinese names have a mono-symbolic surname. It is followed by a given name with two characters. Some classic names are Xiu, meaning elegant, Zihan, meaning child, Shi, meaning honest, and Tao, meaning large waves.
2. Which Chinese names mean beautiful and elegant?
Many sweet names in Chinese imply beauty and elegance. Fang, a girl's name, means beautiful. Mei also means beauty. Xiù means elegant and beautiful. Wan is another short name that implies grace.
3. Which Chinese names mean flower and rose?
Many pretty Chinese names symbolize flowers and roses. Li Mei is a Chinese name that means 'pretty rose.' Hua means 'flower,' while Lan means 'orchid flower. Sai also means 'a friend and a flower.'
4. Which Chinese names mean lucky?
There are not many names that mean lucky in Chinese. Jiayi, pronounced as CHYA-EE, means auspicious.' Wei Qi is a male name in Chinese that means 'very lucky.'
5. Which Chinese names mean love?
Many Chinese names are symbolic of love. For example, Aibing means love, Ài means love and affection, and Mei is another name that means love.
6. Which Chinese names mean moon and star?
Many names in China refer to celestial bodies. The popular Chinese name Yue means moon, Sying means star, and Mei xing means beautiful star. You can use them for little girls.
7. How do Chinese names differ from Western names?
Chinese names are different from Western ones as they start with the family name. It is followed by the given name. The family name consists of one syllable. When deciding the name of a child, you will often find that males of the same generation in a traditional family have the first character of their given names in common (1).
Infographic: Delightful Chinese Baby Names With Meanings
Chinese baby names are symbols of the country’s vibrant culture and long history. They often reflect vital virtues such as power, beauty, and wisdom. Western and traditional naming cultures have been combined in recent years, radiating a special fusion of tradition and modernity in their naming patterns. Go through the infographic below for some highly adored Chinese names for your baby.
Illustration: Momjunction Design Team
References
- A basic guide to Chinese names.
https://www.asiamediacentre.org.nz/features/explainer-chinese-names - T. Leo Schmitt; (2019); The Practice of Mainland Chinese Students Adopting English Names and Its Motivations.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4210&context=gc_etds
Look Up For Many More Names
Do you have a name in mind and want to know more about it? Or want to find names belonging to a particular origin, religion, or having a specific meaning? Use our search tool below to explore more baby names with different combinations.
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