Chinese Names

Surnames

The history of Chinese names can be traced far back to the Remote Ages. Their development has been closely related to the progress of China’s society and culture.

One of the sayings is that “姓” (Xing, surname) originates in the matrilineal society of the Remote One of the sayings is that “姓” (Xing, surname) originates in the matrilineal society of the Remote Ages (远古时代,Yuangu shidai ) in Chinese history. Interestingly, experts find that the Chinese characters “姓” itself is made up of “女” (Nv, female) and “生” (Sheng, birth), meaning “the birth of women”. Legend also goes that the two earliest emperors in China have been addressed “炎” (Yan) and “黄” (Huang) and been surnamed respectively “姜” (Jiang) and “姬” (Ji) (Both of the two surnames carry a part of “女” as a component). According to history records, at that time, people have all been surnamed after their mothers, because “姓” has been considered to be related to “human birth” in ancient China. In “说文解字” (Shuowen jiezi, Origin of Chinese Characters, the earliest Chinese dictionary), the explanation is: “姓, 人所生也。” (Xing, ren suo sheng ye. Surnames come into being because of human birth.) That clearly explains why many surnames in the Chinese language are made up with a part of “女.” The other surnames popular at that time were, “姚 (Yao), 姒 (Si), 姞 (Ji), 坛 (Yun), 妊 (Ren), 娀 (Song),” etc.

According to history, a surname was usually used and developed within a certain tribe. However, with the progress of society, labor force gradually became very important. Then men started to act as the main power for social development. So, gradually paternal society replaced maternal society, and newborn babies began to be given their fathers’ surnames to indicate their lineage. Later, the part of “女” in the Chinese character for “surname” was removed. For example, “黄帝” Huangdi, Emperor Huang, surnamed “姬”), the story goes, had 25 sons from 4 wives, but only 12 surnames were used for his 25 sons. These surnames are: “姬 (Ji), 姞 (Ji), 酉 (You), 祁 (Qi), 己 (Ji), 滕(Teng), 箴 (Zhen), 笱 (Gou), 任 (Ren), 僖 (Xi), 儇 (Xuan), 依 (Yi)”. You may have found out that only 2 out of the 12 surnames carry the part of “女” in the Chinese character formation!

According to history, surnames of the Han nationality come mainly from the following aspects:

(1) The Totems That Forebears Worship

In primitive society, people used to worship the totems about natural phenomena or animals. They include, for example, “云 (Yun, cloud), 龙 (Long, dragon), 熊 (Xiong, bear), 牛 (Niu, cattle), 马 (Ma, horse), 鹿 (Lu, deer), 羊 (Yang, sheep), 鱼 (yu fish)”, etc., which soon become the surnames of the people then.

(2) Forebears’ Posthumous Titles

In “周” (Zhou) Dynasty (1100 B. C. - 256 B. C.), for example, there were two emperors, called “文王” (Wenwang, Emperor Wen) and “武王” (Wuwang, Emperor Wu). After their deaths, many of their descendants were surnamed “文” and “武,” though some of them were still surnamed “姬”, the surname of the emperor then.

(3) Names from the Country or the Land

In 1066 B. C., Emperor Wu destroyed the “商” (Shang) Dynasty (1600 B. C. -1100 B. C.) and established the “周” (Zhou) Dynasty. As an emperor, he granted those who surnamed after him the title “Duke” or “Prince” and meanwhile granted those people other names. But later descendants of the Dukes and Princes took the names of the country as their surnames. They were “姜 (Jiang), 秦(Qing), 楚(Chu),齐(Qi), 鲁 (Lu), 吴 (Wu), 越 (Yue), 宋 (Song), 郑 (Zheng), 卫 (Wei), 陈(Chen), 晋 (Jin), 燕 (Yan). In addition, many surnames came into being because of the names of the land granted to the Dukes or Princes by the Emperor. The names for the land include “范 (Fang), 荀 (Xun), 隋 (Sui), 赵 (Zhao), 韩 (Han)” in the State of “晋” (Jin), and “上官” (Shangguan) and “屈” (Qu) in the State of “楚” (Chu),etc.

(4) Names after the Rank (or Title) of Nobility or the Official Positions

Many surnames came into being because of the titles, ranks or official positions the forefathers held, such as “王 (Wang), 公 (Gong), 侯 (Hou), 司马 (Sima), 司徒 (Situ), 上官 (Shangguan), 尉(Wei), 史 (Shi)”, etc.

(5) Names after Forefathers’ Styles or Names

Chinese names in ancient times were usually made up of “姓” (surname), “字” (Zi, style) and “名” (Ming, name). Take “公子偃” (Gongzi Yan) in the State of “郑” (Zheng), for example. He was surnamed “公子,” and his given name was “偃”, but he styled himself “子游” (Ziyou) (for no reasons at all!). Later his descendants took “游” as their surname. Similarly, the descendants of “伍员” (Wuyuan) in the State of “楚” (Chu), took “员” (yuan) as their surname.

(6) Names after the Places that Forefathers Live in

Such names of places include “东门 (Dongmen), 西门 (Ximen), 东部 (Dongbu), 东方(Dongfang), 西部 (Xibu), 南宫 (Nangong), 百里 (Baili), 池 (chi), 江 (Jiang) etc.

(7) Names after the Professions Forefathers Hold

Some names of the professions are “陶 (tao),卜 (bu), 巫 (wu), 师 (shi), 祀 (si), 商 (Shang), 乐 (le), etc.

(8) Names after the Emperor

In early “唐” (Tang) Dynasty, there was a minister named “徐” (Xu). For his excellent achievements, emperor “太宗”, (Taizong, 李世民, Li Shimin, the Emperor's whole name) named the minister “李” (Li), so Xu’s descendants have all named Li afterward.

(9) Out of Taboos or Other Reasons

“邱” (Qiu) is a surname originally coming from “丘” (Qiu), the name of Confucius. To avoid this, “丘” has to be changed to “邱”. “庆” (Qing) is also a surname but is a taboo of the emperor. So “庆” later has to be changed to “贺” (He). In “清” (Qing) Dynasty, to escape misfortunes and disasters, many descendants, who were surnamed “朱” (Zhu), after the surname of “朱元璋” (Zhu Yuanzhang), Emperor of the “明” (Ming) Dynasty had to be surnamed “李” (Li), the surname of “李世民” (Li Shimin ), Emperor of the “唐” (Tang) Dynasty.

(10) Names from Other Minor Nationalities

“呼延” (Huyan), “宇文” (Yuwen), and “慕容” (Murong) are translations from other minor nationalities. So surnames like “金 (Jin), 罗 (Luo), 艾 (Ai), 率 (Shuai), and 洪 (Hong)” are, in fact, from “爱新觉罗”(Aixinjueluo), surname of the “满” (Man) nationality and later the surname of the Qing Dynasty.

Development and Distribution of Different Surnames

(1) Development

Generally speaking, the Han people are the descendants of Emperor and Emperor Huang. As has been mentioned above, “姜” (Jiang) is the surname for Yan, and “姬” (Ji) is for Huang. Both “姜” and “姬” are the two popular names in the Remote Ages. Other surnames like “姒, 姞, 妖, 娀”, etc. carry a part of “女”, too, for the character formation. This phenomenon shows people the power of maternal society in the early period of clan society in Chinese history.

When China was reunited under the Emperor “秦” (Qin, 221 B. C.- 206 B. C. ), surnames gradually developed as a clan expanded. The reason is that members of the same clan take the same surname and then they passed it on from generation to generation.

(2) Surname Distribution

How many surnames have been used among the Han people? Answers are different because different statistical figures have been shown in Dynasties of Song, Ming, and Qing. Recently, even in Taiwan researches are being carried out in this field. According to “杜若甫” (Du Ruofu), a researcher in the Academy of Social Sciences of China, the current surnames being used today in China amount to a total of 3,050.

Based on the statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics of China in 1982 and the “Surname Distribution in Taiwan Area” published in 1970, 19 surnames have been much more widely used among the Han people. These surnames are: “李 (Li), 王 (Wang), 张 (Zhang), 刘 (Liu), 陈(Chen), 杨 (Yang), 赵 (Zhao), 黄 (Huang), 周 (Zhou), 吴 (Wu), 徐 (Xu), 孙 (Sun), 胡(Hu), 朱 (Zhu), 高 (Gao), 林 (Lin), 何 (He), 郭 (Guo), and 马 (Ma)”. Statistics also show that 55. 6% of the Han people are using these 19 surnames, and “李, 王, 张” take up 7.9%, 7.4%, 7.1% respectively and are more popularly used than others. Since “刘, 李, 赵” is the national surnames used in Dynasties of “汉” (Han), “唐” (Tang), and “宋” (Song), they are certainly used by more descendants and spread more quickly than others. So, surname distribution and development in ancient China clearly explain how surnames of the Han people are used in the present day.

(3) Surnames and Given Names

The Han People pay much attention to their surnames, often decided by the clan. They also attach great importance to their given names, because they believe that given names are conducive to the growth and development of personal individuality.

Choosing good names for the offspring is a traditional practice for parents or even grandparents of the Han people. A popular saying is “赐子千金,不如教子一艺;教子一艺,不如赐子好名” (It’s better to grant workmanship than to give tons of gold to the sons. But, it’s even wiser to grant better names than to give workmanship). In ancient times, the Chinese strongly believed that a good name would bring good fate and future to the offspring, so everyone was told to value “fame” more than “wealth”, and to try the best in their life to treasure their names and fame. “名垂青史” (mingchui qingshi, go down in history), “万古流芳” (wangu liufang, be remembered throughout the ages), “人生自古谁无死,留取丹心照汗青” (renshen zigu shui wusi, liuqu danxin zhao hanqing. Everyone must die; let me but leave a loyal heart shining in the pages of history) are popular sayings encouraging people to cherish their names and fame. On the contrary, there are also such sayings as “臭名昭著” (chouming zhaozhu, of ill repute), “身败名裂” (shenbai minglie, lose all standing and reputation), “遗臭万年” (yichou wannian, go down in history as a byword for infamy), “名落孙山” (mingluo sunshan, fail in a competitive examination), etc., which are warnings for people not to bring stains to their names.

Names of ancient Han people usually consist of 3 parts. They are “姓” (surname), “名”(given name), “字” or “号” (zi, hao, style), although some people have “乳名” (ruming, childhood name), the name is given at birth. As for “字” or “号”, one usually styles himself based on his life’s surroundings or personal interests. For example, “诸葛亮,字孔明,号卧龙. (Zhuge Liang, zi Kong Ming, hao Wo Long. Zhuge Liang styled himself, Kong Ming, was also known by his literary name Wo Long-sleeping dragon). “名” is often used on formal occasions while one’s childhood name is only used within family members and relatives. So, in social communication, the formal way of asking “尊姓大名” (zunxing daning) is, in fact, asking for their surname, i. e., the name used on formal occasions. However, one’s complete name, a name with three parts, is usually interrelated with each other.

Cultural Values of Names

(1) Worshiping Ancestors

The Han people think that it is very important to worship their ancestors, and this value orientation is ususally shown in their given names.

Take the words “华夏” (huaxia and “中华”, zhonghua) for example. They are the names representing the Han nationality because the Dynasties of “汉” (han) and “唐” (tang) are the times of greatest prosperity in Chinese history. So, today, “华, 夏, 中, 汉, 唐” are more commonly used among people as names than others.

In addition, the Han People always call themselves “炎黄子孙” (yanhuang zisun, descendents of Emperor Yan and Emperor Huang), because they just want to make known who their ancestors are. To show respect and bring honors to their ancestors, as what the popular saying “光宗耀祖” (guangzong yaozu) means, people name themselves intentionally with this hidden value. That explains why some people choose “光宗” (guangzong), 显祖 (xianz), 耀祖 (yaozu), 祖英(zuying), 祖荣 (zu rong), 宗英 (zongying) etc. for their names.

(2) Worshiping Confucianism

“忠义” (zhong yi, loyal and righteous), “礼让” (li rang, comity), “仁义” (ren yi, kind), “勤俭” (qin jian, hardworking and thrifty), “谦恭” (qian gong , modest and courteous), “贞操( 节)” (zhen cao/jie, loyalty), etc. are the moral principles advocated by Confucius and Mencius. Much influenced by the doctrine, people then choose “仁 (ren”), 义 (yi), 礼 (li), 智 (zhi), 忠 (zhong), 孝 (xiao), 节 (jie), 恭 (gong), 让 (rang), 敬 (jing), 正 (zheng), 恩 (en), 贤 (xian), 善 (shan), 谦 (qian), 勤 (qin), 贞 (zhen), 操 (cao),etc. for names.

 (3) Worshiping Determination and Achievements

“功崇惟志，业广为勤” (gong chong wei zhi,ye guang wei qin. Great achievement lies in strong will and determination, and success comes from hard work.) and “丈夫皆有志，会见立功勋” (zhangfu jie youzhi, huijian li gongxun. Once a man set up his ambitious goals, he will see his achievement.) are famous poetic sayings encouraging men to reach their goals for success. Inspired by this, men usually choose the words expressing “bravery, ambition, administration, career and success”, etc. for their names. These words can be “勇(yowg), 武(wu), 胜(sheng), 刚(gang), 强(qiang),志(zhi), 雄(xiong), 杰(jie), 威(wei), 豪(hao), 才(cai), 业(ye),飞(fei), 治(zhi), 浩(hao), 波(bo), 涛(tao), 虎(hu), 彪(biao), 龙(long), 奋(fen), 进(jin), etc.

(4) Worshiping Honesty, Persistence, Impartiality, and Justice, etc.

Names cherishing that spirit are “坚毅” (jian yi, persistence), “清白”, (qing bai, innocence), “明亮” (ming liang, brightness), “山川” (shan chuan , mountains and rivers), “松柏” (song bai,pine and cork) , etc. So men also choose “坚 (jian), 毅 (yi), 清 (qing), 白 (bai), 明 (ming), 亮 (Jiang), 山 (shan), 川 (chuan), 松 (song), 柏 (bai), 辉 (hui,brightness), 鹏 (peng, a roc - a bright future), etc. for their names.

Women, on the other hand, like to have names that show their “charm, beauty, virtue and elegance, etc. These words are “淑 (shu), 静 (jing), 慧 (hui), 贞 (zhen), 凤 (feng), 娥 (e) ,嫜 (ting) ,娜(na), 娟 (juan), 云 (yun), 秀 (xiu), 娇 (jiao), 婕 (jie), 燕 (yan), 霞 (xia), 雅 (ya), 雪 (xue), 芳 (fang), 莲 (lian), 花 (hua), 芬 (fen), 娴 (xian), 媛 (yuan), 丽 (li), 蓉 (rong), 艳(yan), 哗 (Ye), 曼 (man), 玫 (mei), 琼 (qiong), 珍(zhen), 玉 (yu), 香(xiang), 薇(wei), etc.

(5) Worshiping Clansman

A surname usually tells which clan one is in. A big clan usually consists of many families with large members who are ranked in a way that can tell easily the order of seniority in the clan. It is called “字辈” (zi bei), which is usually expressed with one word in Chinese. A big clan can contain several smaller clans, in which members of the same clan are also ranked to the order of seniority. Take Confucius for example. The word “思” (si) is used in his 54th generation for “字辈”, which tells the order of seniority in that clan. But for his 55th generation, “克” (ke) is used instead. Up to the Qing Dynasty, Emperor “乾隆” (qian long) has granted other 30 words for the Confucius clan. These words are “希(xi), 言(yan), 公(gong), 彦(yan), 承 (cheng),宏(hong), 闻(wen), etc. They can be easily recognized by members of the clan and can tell also how they are positioned hierarchically so that people of the clan (big or small) know how to keep united against other clans. Besides, members of the same clan can easily tell from each other hierarchically by the word used, no matter where and how far away he lives.

In recent years in China, more and more people think of working out a calendar book (族谱, zupu) for the same family clan. The purpose of this prevailing practice is to wish for a closer relationship and stronger tie within the clan.

(6) Worshiping Propitiousness

Expressions about propitiousness usually include “吉祥” (ji xiang, luck), “兴旺 (隆), (xing wang/long, prosperity), “发达” (fa da, development), “昌(茂)盛” (chang/mao sheng, rich and prosperous), “安康” (an kang, peace and health), “长寿” (chang shou, longevity), “松鹤” (song he, longevity), “吉利” (Ji li, auspicious) and “福禄寿喜” (fu lu shou xi, fortune, wealth, longevity and happiness), etc. So “吉 (ji), 祥 (xiang), 福 (fu), 禄 (lu), 兴 (xing), 隆 (long), 昌 (chang), 盛 (sheng), 茂 (mao), 嘉 (jza), 旺 (wang), 发 (fa), 达 (da), 太 (tai), 平 (ping), 健 (jian), 康 (kang), 长 (chang), 寿 (shou), 利 (li), 鹤 (he), 松 (song), 永 (yong), etc. are always chosen for men’s names.

(7) Worshiping Jade

Jade is valuable and expensive because it is rarity unusual texture. So it has been the personal ornaments for the ruling class since ancient time. Jade is also the symbol of power, for example, “玉玺” (yu xi, the imperial jade seal) symbolizes the power of emperors. So it is natural for people to name their children after various kinds of “玉”. In the novel “A Dream of Red Mansions,” Jia Baoyu and his brothers are all named with part of “玉”, such as “链 (lian), 珍 (zhen), 珠 (zhu), 环(huan), 瑞 (rui), 琼 (qiong), 璜 (huang), etc. Many characters related to “玉” are common for female names such as “撲 (fiu), 琪 (qi), 玲 (ling), 讳 (wei), 瑁 (mao), 河 (he), 璐 (lu), 瑗(yuan), 璇 (xuan), 珑 (long), 瑚 (hu), 珏 (jue), 珊 (shan), 玫 (mei), 玺 (xi), etc.

(8) Worshiping Horses

The Han People also worship horses because of their speed and endurance. “骏马” (jun ma), “千里马” (qian li ma) are names for steed, who can run thousands of kilometers a day. So “马” (horse) in Chinese often implies “bright future or splendid prospects”. In this case, “骏 (jun), 驹 (ju), 骥 (ji), 骅 (hua), 驷 (si), 驰 (chi), 骐 (qi)”, etc. have often been chosen for names.

(9) Names of the Times

At the founding of new China in 1949, people chose names implying “love the country, build the country, safeguard the country, and rejuvenate the country, etc. So people born at 1950s often have such names as “建国 (jianguo), 建华 (jianhua), 振华 (zhenhua), 兴华 (xinghua), 卫华 (vueihua), 忠华 (zhonghua), 爱华 (aihua), 光华 (guanghua), 耀华 (yao hua), 国华 (guohua), 振国 (zhengguo), 卫国 (weiguo), 立国 (liguo), 国平 (guoping), 国富 (guofu), 国兴(guoxing), 国发 (guofa)”,etc.

During the Cultural Revolution, however, “革命 (geming, revolution), 红卫兵 (hongweibing, the Red Guards), 东风 (dongfeng, the East Wind), 学军 (xuejun, learn from the army)”, etc. were the popular words used for the political atmosphere. So people born at the time were usually named “志红 (zhihong), 卫红(weihong, 永红 (yonghong), 继红 (jihong), 向红 (xianghong), 卫东(weidong), 继东 (jidong), 向东 (xiangdong), 学红 (xuehong), 学军 (xuejun), 革新 (gexin), 立新 (lixin), 永新 (yongxin), 更新 (gengxin), 永革 (yongge), etc.

At the end of 1970s,people used to have “晓”(xiao), a changed version of  “小” for their names. At the end of 1970s, people used to have “晓” (xiao), a changed version of “小” for their names. For example, men chose “晓青 (xiaoqing), 晓刚 (xiaogang), 晓龙 (xiaolong), 晓康 (xiaokang), 晓东 (xiaodong), 晓明 (xiaoming), etc. for their names, while “晓红 (xiaohong), 晓庆(xiaoqing), 晓光 (xiaoguang), 晓燕 (xiaoyan), 晓丹 (xiaodan), 晓梅 (xiaomei), 晓华(xiaohua), 晓兰 (xiaolan), 晓月 (xiaoyue), 晓霞 (xiaoxia), 晓云 (xiaoyun) etc. were always chosen as girl’s names.