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. 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. Jun
    • Origin:

      Chinese, Korean
    • Meaning:

      "ruler, talented, handsome"
    • Description:

      A simple and charismatic Chinese and Korean name, also spelled Joon.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Sharpay
    • Origin:

      Popular culture
    • Meaning:

      "sand skin"
    • Description:

      The name of the glamorous mean girl in "High School Musical", Sharpay is a spin on the dog breed Shar Pei, which means "sand skin" in Chinese. As such, it's a brilliant name joke skewering the practice of picking a name for its sound without considering what it means.
  7. Lian
    • Origin:

      Chinese
    • Meaning:

      "graceful willow"
    • Description:

      Could be confused with the much less captivating Leanne.
  8. Tai
    • Origin:

      Chinese
    • Meaning:

      "great extreme"
    • Description:

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

      Chinese
    • Meaning:

      "universe"
    • Description:

      Yu the Great founded China's first dynasty and the name went on to become one of the most popular boy names in its native country during the 2000s. In more recent years, it has been used as an element of other popular names, such as Haoyu, Yuxuan, Yuze, and Yutong.
  10. 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.
  11. Typhoon
    • Origin:

      Chinese
    • Meaning:

      "great wind"
    • Description:

      Might be asking for trouble, especially when your son reaches the Terrible Twos.
  12. Ushi
    • Origin:

      Chinese
    • Meaning:

      "the ox"
    • Description:

      In China, the ox represents patience and determination, a commendable combination.
  13. 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.
  14. Zhen
    • Origin:

      Chinese
    • Meaning:

      "a treasure"
    • Description:

      A striking choice, but might possibly be taken for Jen.
  15. Chang
    • Origin:

      Chinese
    • Meaning:

      "smooth, free, unhindered"
    • Description:

      An Asian favorite.
  16. Baojin
    • Origin:

      Mandarin
    • Meaning:

      "precious gold"
    • Description:

      Baojin, sometime hyphenated to Bao-Jin, has a luxurious meaning making it a relatively common choice for Mandarin-speaking parents. Baojin can be used for girls and boys. But this meaning also means that baby Baojin will also share his/her name with a mining company, an expressway and a housing policy.
  17. 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.
  18. Yinuo
    • Origin:

      Chinese
    • Meaning:

      "one promise; follow, promise"
    • Description:

      Yinuo is a Chinese female name meaning "promise" and originated as part of an idiomatic expression "Yinuo Qianjin" (一诺千金), which means "one promise; one thousand gold" or "keep your word.". Additionally, when spelled with different characters, it may be interpreted as "follow + promise" instead.
  19. Quon
    • Origin:

      Chinese
    • Meaning:

      "bright"
    • Description:

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

      Chinese
    • Meaning:

      "great, tremendous"
    • Description:

      Asian name with positive meaning.

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