Chinese Names

Chinese Names

Chinese names are a vast and diverse group, coming from one of the world most populated countries, with over 300 native spoken languages.

Chinese girl names include Mei and Lian, while Chinese boy names include Tai, Kija, and Jun.

Browse all of our Chinese baby names here, ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.

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  1. Mei
    • Origin:

      Chinese; Hawaiian
    • Meaning:

      "beautiful; plum"
    • Description:

      Homophonous with Mae and May, the beautiful (literally) Mei is poised to climb the charts. The hero of the 2022 Disney/Pixar film Turning Red is a Chinese-Canadian teen named Meilin "Mei" Lee, which may boost the name ever further.
  2. Tai
    • Origin:

      Chinese
    • Meaning:

      "great extreme"
    • Description:

      Tai, which rhymes with Kai, is a unisex name with a range of international references. It means the equivalent of "too much" in Chinese but is also used as a Maori name meaning "the tide" and in Romanian means "yours." While it's only ever ranked in the U.S. Top 1000 as a girls' name, during the height of the popularity of Olympic skater Tai Babilonia, Tai makes a simple intriguing modern choice for either gender.
  3. Xin
    • Origin:

      Chinese
    • Meaning:

      "beautiful, elegant, mind, soul, joyous"
    • Description:

      A lovely name with many possible meanings depending on the characters used. A common feature of Chinese names for both sexes.
  4. Xia
    • Origin:

      Chinese dynastic name
    • Description:

      This name of the first recorded dynasty of ancient China is short and simple enough to make a possible Asian-American alternative to Mia and Tia. British-Filipino child star Xia Vigor has invigorated the name in the Philippines.
  5. Kija
    • Origin:

      Chinese or Aboriginal, meaning unknown
    • Description:

      Kija was a legendary king who brought Chinese civilization -- including rice and writing -- to the Korean people, probably in the 2nd century BC. Kija is also the name of a group of Aboriginal people in Australia. Though the original Kija was male, this name would work better for girls in the modern Western world.
  6. Jun
    • Origin:

      Chinese, Korean
    • Meaning:

      "ruler, talented, handsome"
    • Description:

      A simple and charismatic Chinese and Korean name, also spelled Joon.
  7. Qirin
    • Origin:

      Invented name
    • Description:

      Actor Terrence Howard and wife Miranda created this name for their son inspired by the Chinese mythological creature called the Qilin, a good omen predicting the arrival of a sage or ruler. Pronunciation is like the Irish name Kieran.
  8. Yu
    • Origin:

      Chinese
    • Meaning:

      "shining brightly"
    • Description:

      Yu the Great founded China's first dynasty, but in this country "Hey, you!" would make this name utterly confusing, in an Abbott and Costello way.
  9. Yinuo
    • Origin:

      Chinese
    • Meaning:

      "Promise"
    • Description:

      Yinuo is a Chinese female name meaning "promise." It is part of an idiomatic expression "Yinuo Qianjin" (一诺千金), which means "one promise; one thousand gold" or "keep your word." This Chinese name has the advantage of being relatively easy to pronounce for non-Chinese speakers. People called Yinuo include Yinuo Mu, principle harpist in the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Yinuo Chen, a Chinese actress who starred in Empresses in the Palace.
  10. Sharpay
    • Origin:

      Chinese
    • Meaning:

      "sand skin"
    • Description:

      This name of the glamorous mean girl in "High School Musical" is a euphonic spin on the dog breed Shar Pei, a brilliant name joke skewering the practice of picking a name for its sound without considering what it means.
  11. Tai
    • Origin:

      Chinese
    • Meaning:

      "great extreme"
    • Description:

      Skater Tai Babilonia brought this sleek modern name to the world's attention. Pronounced "tie."
  12. Lian
    • Origin:

      Chinese
    • Meaning:

      "graceful willow"
    • Description:

      Could be confused with the much less captivating Leanne.
  13. Chen
    • Origin:

      Chinese
    • Meaning:

      "great, tremendous"
    • Description:

      Asian name with positive meaning.
  14. Ushi
    • Origin:

      Chinese
    • Meaning:

      "the ox"
    • Description:

      In China, the ox represents patience and determination, a commendable combination.
  15. Ye
    • Origin:

      Chinese
    • Meaning:

      "leaf"
    • Description:

      Ye is a name with a lovely meaning, which is probably just a bit short for usage outside the Chinese community. Paired with Mei, however, it could work. Ye-Mei would mean beautiful leaf, a lovely name for an autumnal daughter.
  16. Quon
    • Origin:

      Chinese
    • Meaning:

      "bright"
    • Description:

      A well-used name in China that has some potential for assimilation.
  17. Long
    • Origin:

      Chinese and Vietnamese
    • Meaning:

      "dragon"
    • Description:

      An Asian name that may be thought of as an English word name, for better or worse.
  18. Pei
    • Origin:

      Chinese surname
    • Description:

      For admirers of modernist architect I. M.
  19. Min
    • Origin:

      Chinese
    • Meaning:

      "quick"
    • Description:

      Puts the -min in diminutive.
  20. Bai
    • Origin:

      Chinese
    • Meaning:

      "outgoing"
    • Description:

      Attractive middle name option.