Chinese Names

Since quite some time ago, Chinese people have adopted English first names to accompany their family names, resulting in the likes of Charles Wang, John Lee and many others. Only recently, Westerners are reciprocating in this cultural exchange by seeking Chinese names of their own. Though there is a big difference between Western and Chinese names, certain methods have been developed to translate alphabetical names to Chinese characters according to the personality-type desired by the name seeker.

A full Chinese name can either be made up of two or three characters, and in some cases, even up to four. The family name is positioned as the first character, followed by a middle name and then the given name. Therefore in a name such as Li Xiao Lung, the surname is Li and the given name is Lung. To a foreigner, it seems that all Chinese names begin with either a Li or a Zhang, mainly because these are the most popular surnames in China. Other more common family names include Chen, Lin, Huang, Wu, Wang, Cai and Liu. These nine major names are enough to account for the identities of half the population of the country. A total of one billion Chinese are represented by merely 50 different surnames.

Family names are mostly derived from the names of the ruling dynasties in history while others are developed by populous dialects. The people of the same surname are usually tied together by some form of cultural coincidences whether in terms of language or ancestral lineage. When a child is born, the middle and given names can be determined according to the parents’ wishes, but the family name cannot be changed because it ensures that the continuation of the family lineage. That is why a son is more valuable in the Chinese family: a son belongs to the family, while a daughter belongs to the family of the in-laws.

In a full Chinese name, the given name is used to represent the basic individuality of a person, as deemed fit by the parents. It is accorded more importance than the middle name because the character of a person is supposed to be shaped according to its meaning. The most widely used given name is Wen, which means ‘culture and writing’, followed by Zhi (will and passion), Yi (cheerfulness), Ya (elegance), Ming (brightness and understanding), Hui (intelligence and wisdom) and Hong (greatness). Nicknames are also given according to given names, for instance, a person by the name of Chen De Hua is also called A-Hua among his peers. Some endearing nicknames such as Xiao Nai (Little Milk) or Xiao Bao (Little Precious) are also used for babies and children.

Chinese and Western names are different in many ways. Western names are usually derived from historical or biblical characters, and they are not particularly meaningful words in their own rights. On the other hand, Chinese names, with the exception of certain surnames, are made up of characters used in the language. Every part of a Chinese name, whether first, middle or last name, is usually monosyllabic, but there are rare ones such as family names of Sze-tu or Au-yang. Western names, however, can be multi-syllabic, from family to given name.

There are a few significant factors involved in the translation of Western names into Chinese names. First of all, the translated name has to sound as close as possible to the original name. But since the pronunciations of both languages are very different, often only a slight resemblance can be achieved which usually applies at the initial letters. And different personalities and Chinese horoscopes also affect the outcome of the translation. For example, if the translated name is to reflect personal character and skill for a person born in the Year of the Ox, a name such as Michael Jordan will translate to Jiang Mao Kai which means dense, talented and generous. Notice that the family name also begins with the sound of a ‘J’, while Mao Kai rather sounds similar to Michael. However, for the same name, but for one born in the Year of Horse with wealth and fortune as the desired representations, the result will be Jin Mu Shi, meaning gold, desire and lifetime. Again, the first initial of the surname is similar and the second and given names are quite close too. Depending on your preference of characterization and horoscope, this system of translation is able to give you a meaningful name that is most appropriate for you.

Since Chinese culture is becoming more popular to Westerners and other foreigners, many people are making effort to understand the culture and even learn the language. And as this cultural expansion continues, Chinese influence will be quite widespread throughout the world in the years to come. Getting a Chinese name will be a good starting point for this great cultural melding.

There are a couple online websites which offer automated means to translate your English name into a Chinese name. This are good for novelty uses, however, if you are considering a Chinese name for long-term use in China it is highly recommended you get help from a native Chinese-speaker, to make sure the selected name fits your personality and does not have any surprise meanings!