Chinese Surnames

Cai is a Chinese surname derived from the Chinese character 蔡 (cài), referring to the ancient state of Cai that existed during the Zhou dynasty (1046–256 BCE). The state of Cai was located in what is now Henan province,...

Cao is a Chinese surname with a rich history dating back to ancient times. It originates from the character 曹 (cáo), which was the name of a state during the Zhou dynasty. The state of Cao (11th century – 487 BC) was lo...

Chai is a Chinese surname with a literal meaning of "firewood," derived from the Mandarin character 柴 (chái). This name originates from an ancient Chinese element that referred to firewood or fuel, reflecting a connecti...

EtymologyChan 2 is a Chinese surname that represents the Hokkien romanization of Zeng. The underlying Chinese character is 曾 (zēng), which originates from the name of a state called Zeng that existed during the Zhou dyn...

Chan 3 is a Chinese surname that serves as a variant of Zhan, transcribed using the Wade-Giles system. Unlike the more familiar Cantonese-based surname Chan (陈/陳), this version corresponds specifically to the Mandarin...

Etymology and OriginChan 1 is a Cantonese romanization of the Chinese surname Chen (陳). Chen is one of the most common surnames in the world, with origins dating back to the state of Chen in ancient China (11th–5th cent...

Chen (陈) is one of the most common Chinese surnames in the world, particularly prevalent among Chinese diaspora communities. With roots stretching back over two millennia, the name carries deep historical and cultural s...

Cheng is a Cantonese romanization of the Chinese surname Zheng. In Mandarin, the surname is commonly romanized as Zheng, but in Cantonese-speaking regions such as Hong Kong, Macau, and Guangdong province, the pronunciati...

Etymology and OriginsCheng 1 is a Chinese surname derived from the character 程 (chéng), meaning "rule, order, regulations." The surname is also linked to the ancient territory of Cheng, situated in what is now Henan pro...

Cheung is the Cantonese romanization of the Chinese surname Zhang, among other origins. It is commonly used in Hong Kong, Macau, and among overseas Chinese communities in Southeast Asia and the West.EtymologyThe most fre...

Chia is the Hokkien romanization of the Chinese surname Xie. It is commonly used among Hokkien and Teochew speaking communities, particularly in Singapore and Malaysia, where it romanized as Chia. Variant romanizations i...

Chiu is a Cantonese romanization of several Chinese surnames, most commonly of Zhao (趙), as well as Zhang (張, via Hokkien), Zhou (周, via Hokkien), Qiu (丘/邱/秋/仇, from Wade–Giles), and others. While the exact surnam...

Chong is a Chinese surname with multiple origins, most commonly serving as a Cantonese and Hakka romanization of Zhang (张), as well as a romanization of other Chinese surnames such as Zhuang (庄) and Zhong (钟). Etymolo...

Chow is a Chinese surname that is an alternate transcription of Zhou, particularly from Cantonese 周 (zau1). The root name Zhou has multiple origins in Chinese characters, including 舟 meaning "boat" or "ship", as well a...

Chu is a Chinese surname that appears in multiple romanization systems, most notably as the Wade–Giles transcription of the Mandarin 朱 (see Zhu). The character 朱 itself means 'vermilion red' or 'cinnabar' and also refe...

邓 (Dèng) is a Chinese surname deeply rooted in ancient history, tracing its origins to the state of Deng, which existed during the Shang (1600–1046 BCE) and Zhou (1046–256 BCE) dynasties. This state was located in what...

Ding is a common Chinese surname. It is the pinyin romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of two distinct Chinese characters: 丁 (dīng), meaning "man" or "person"; and 定, which appears in place names such as Dingzho...

Fan is a Chinese surname with a rich history. It originates from the Chinese character 范 (fàn), which refers to a county in Henan province. The name is common among Chinese communities and has a Vietnamese variant, Phạm...

Feng is a Chinese surname written as 冯 in simplified characters and 馮 in traditional. The name traces its origins to an ancient city in Henan province, which was granted as a fief during the Zhou dynasty. The character...

Feng 2 (凤 or 鳯) is a Chinese surname derived from the character 凤, meaning "phoenix, fire bird, fenghuang". The phoenix (fenghuang) is a legendary bird in Chinese mythology, often associated with fire, the sun, and im...

Gao is a Chinese surname (高) meaning "tall, high" in Mandarin. The character 高 is a common surname in China, ranking among the top 20 most frequent surnames in the country. It originates from the Chinese element gāo, w...

Guan is a Chinese surname that originated from multiple Chinese characters, most commonly from 关 (guān) meaning "frontier pass" as mentioned in the name's meaning. According to Wiktionary, it can also stem from other ch...

韩 (Han) is a Chinese surname that originated from the ancient state of Han (韩), a major state during the Warring States period (5th–3rd centuries BC) in what is now Shanxi and Henan provinces. The state of Han was one...

Ho is a surname with multiple origins. As a Chinese surname, it is the Cantonese and Min Nan romanization of He (Hé), which itself derives from various Chinese characters: 河 meaning "river, stream", 和 meaning "harmony,...

Hou is a Chinese surname with a rich historical and cultural background. It is most commonly derived from the Chinese character 侯 (Hóu), which means "lord, nobleman", reflecting its origins as a title of nobility during...

Hsieh is a Chinese surname, serving as an alternate romanization of Xie, particularly used in Taiwan (using Wade–Giles). It ranks 13th most common in Taiwan as of 2016 and 23rd in mainland China. The surname originates f...

Hsu 1 is a Chinese surname. It is an alternate transcription of the Chinese character 徐 (see Xu 1). The character 徐 means "slowly, calmly" and its use as a surname derives from the ancient state of Xu, which existed un...

Hsu (also romanized as Xu) is a Chinese surname, an alternate transcription of the character 许 (xǔ). It is one of the most common surnames in China, ranking among the top 30 by population. The name originates from the a...

Hu is a common Chinese surname, romanized as Wu in certain contexts. It originates from the Chinese character 胡 (hú), which carries a range of meanings including "beard, whiskers, recklessly, wildly, barbarian." The sur...

Jiang 2 is a Chinese surname, written as 姜 in Chinese characters, which means "ginger". The character consists of jiāng (ginger) as the phonetic component, while the semantic component is nǚ (woman), indicating that it...

Jiang 3 is a very rare Chinese surname. It is an alternative romanization of the Chinese character 蒋 (jiǎng), which refers to the ancient state of Jiang. This state was located in present-day Henan province during the Z...

Jiang the most common transliteration of the Chinese surname 江, which means "river" or specifically the Yangtze River. It ranks among the top ten most populous surnames in China and is particularly prevalent in the sout...

Jin (晉 or 晋, Jìn, the latter being the simplified form) is a Chinese surname with deep historical roots, stemming from a Zhou-dynasty state and its territory rather than immediately from the Chinese phrase for "gold" (...

Ko is a Chinese surname that represents the Cantonese and Min Nan romanization of Gao. The root name Gao is derived from the Chinese character 高 (gāo), meaning "tall, high".Etymology and Linguistic VariationsThis surnam...

Kuang is a Chinese surname with two distinct origins. The primary origin is from the Chinese character 邝 (kuàng), which refers to a clan of the same name. According to historical records, the surname K’uang (邝) origina...

Kwan is a Chinese surname that represents the Cantonese romanization of Guan (關, 官, 管, or 灌). In Mandarin, the name is primarily spelled Guan, but in Cantonese dialects, it is romanized as Kwan (or alternative forms...

Kwok is a Cantonese romanization of the Chinese surname Guo, a name that ranks among the most common in China. The character 郭 means "the wall that surrounds a city," reflecting an ancient association with defensive for...

Lee 2 is a Korean surname derived from the i element, written as 李 in Sino-Korean characters. It is the Korean form of the Chinese surname Li 1, which has various original meanings including "reason, logic" (理), "stand...

Leong is a Cantonese romanization of the Chinese surname Liang, written with the character 梁 (liáng). This character originally referred to a bridge or a beam, and the surname is derived from the ancient state of Liang...

Leung is a Cantonese romanization of the Chinese surname Liang, also written as Leong in some regions. It is one of the most common surnames in Hong Kong and Macau, as well as among overseas Chinese communities in Southe...

Liang is a common Chinese surname, derived from the character 梁 (liáng), which refers to the ancient state of Liang. This state existed from the 8th to 7th centuries BC in what is now Shaanxi province, and was initially...

EtymologyLiao is a Chinese surname with multiple origins. The most common derivation is from the Chinese character 廖 (Liào), which refers to an ancient state named Liao that existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is no...

Lin ([lǐn]; Chinese: 林; pinyin: Lín) is the Mandarin romanization of the Chinese surname written 林, meaning "forest". It is one of the most common Chinese surnames, currently ranked 18th in mainland China and listed 14...

Liu (simplified Chinese: 刘; traditional Chinese: 劉) is a Chinese surname that ranks among the most common in the world. It derives from the Chinese character 刘 (liú), which originally meant "kill, destroy" or denoted...

Lu is a Chinese surname with multiple origins. One of the most common derivations is from the Chinese character 吕 (lǚ), which originally meant "musical note" and also referred to an ancient state. The state of Lu was lo...

Lu 2 is a Chinese surname that originates from the character 卢 (lú), which carries the meanings of "rice bowl" and "black." This surname also traces back to a minor ancient territory located in what is now Shandong prov...

Luo is a Chinese surname of ancient origin. It derives from the Chinese character 罗 (luó), which refers to a minor state named Luo that existed during the Zhou dynasty, from the 11th to 7th centuries BC, in what is now...

Ma is a common Chinese and Korean surname, derived from the Chinese character 马 (mǎ), meaning "horse". This surname is widely distributed across East Asia, particularly in China and Korea. In Chinese, the character 马 c...

Mah is a Chinese surname and the alternate transcription of Ma, derived from the Chinese character 马 meaning "horse." This surname is common among Chinese communities worldwide.Cultural SignificanceWhile Mah is primaril...

Man is a Chinese surname (a Cantonese romanization of Wen). It is common among Cantonese-speaking communities, particularly in southern China and overseas Chinese populations. The character 文, from which it derives, mea...

Mei is a Chinese surname with a deep cultural and literary resonance. Meaning "plum" or "apricot", it is written with the character 梅 (méi), which is one of the most beloved symbols in Chinese culture. The plum blossom...

Ng 2 is a Chinese surname romanized from Min Nan (Southern Min), corresponding to Huang in Mandarin. The character 黃 (huáng) meaning "yellow" is the most common source, though other characters like 煌 (huáng) "bright" o...

Ng is a Cantonese romanization of the Chinese surname Wu 1, which originates from the ancient state of Wu in present-day Jiangsu province. The character 吴 (wú) is used to write this surname. Due to migration and diaspor...

Ong is a Chinese surname commonly found among Min Nan (Hokkien) and Teochew communities. It is a romanization of the Han characters 王 (meaning 'king') and 汪 (meaning 'vast' or 'pond'), and in some instances, it also co...

EtymologyPan (潘) is a Chinese surname with a rich etymological background. The character 潘 originally meant "water in which rice has been rinsed" and also referred to a specific river, the Pan River, which flows into t...

Pei is a Chinese surname with origins dating back to antiquity. It is most commonly associated with the character 裴 (péi), which itself may have originated from the name of an ancient city. According to traditional Chin...

Shen is a common Chinese surname with multiple origins. One primary origin is from shēn (申), referring to the ancient state of Shen, which existed during the Zhou dynasty. Another major origin is from Shen (沈), the nam...

Etymology and HistoryThe surname Song (宋) is one of the most common Chinese surnames, with its origin tracing back to the ancient state of Song and later the illustrious Song dynasty, which ruled China from 960 to 1279....

Origin and EtymologySu (苏) is a Chinese surname. The character 苏 originally referred to the perilla plant, an herb used in traditional medicine and cuisine. In ancient times, it also designated a minor state called Su...

Etymology & Historical BackgroundSuen is a Cantonese romanization of the Chinese surname Sun, which itself has multiple origins, including a Korean transcription of Seon. However, the name Suen holds deeper ancient roots...