Rare & Common Chinese Last Names With Meanings

Around two thousand Han surnames are in use in China today. However, 19 of them cover about half of Han Chinese people, and Wang and Li each account for 100 million.

List Of Common and Rare Chinese Last Names And Their Meanings:

Wang

王, “King.” A second Wang, 汪, is deep, wide water.

Huai

怀 (懷), bosom, to cherish.

Kong

Kong (孔) has roots in a word for “hole” and “very.” Confucius was a Kong, and James Legge’s 1861 Analects opens: “Is it not pleasant to learn with a constant perseverance and application?”

Cheng

程, a rule, a measure. Cheng Yi and his brother Cheng Hao shaped Neo-Confucian thought.

Lou

娄 (婁), a lunar mansion in star lore, the Bond.

Gou

If.

Nanguo

南郭, south outer wall

Xu

From 徐, slowly. It is pronounced shoo, and another Xu, 许 (許), is to allow.

Zi

Child, son. Zi was the royal clan of Shang kings.

Zhuo

卓: outstanding. Zhuo Wenjun ran off at night with poet Sima Xiangru.

Nian

Year, and in Shuowen the ripening of grain.

Baili

百里 means “a hundred li,” a li being a Chinese unit of distance. Baili Xi was a slave until Duke Mu of Qin paid five black ram skins for him.

E

E (鄂) was a state, and its character is the short form of Hubei today.

Hai

海, sea. Hai Rui bought his coffin before he send the Jiajing Emperor a memorial that made him a prisoner.

Pang

huge

Chinese Surnames That Mean Dragon:

Name	Meaning	Pronunciation
Kui 夔	one-legged dragon	KWAY
Liu 刘	“dragon trainer’s fief”	lee-OH
Gong 龚	dragon on top	GOONG
Huanlong 豢龙	dragon rearer	HWAHN-loong
Ye 叶	Lord Ye’s dragons	YEH
Qiu 虬	curling dragon	CHYOH or JYOH
Fan 范	a dragon cook’s heirs	FAHN
Long 龙	dragon	LOONG
Ao 敖	“Dragon Kings.”	OW
Dong 董	dragon keeper	DOONG
Yulong 御龙	“dragon driver”	YOO-loong

Scroll for more.

Wu

吴 was a state on the lower Yangtze, and Wu Cheng’en (c. 1500-1582) put Journey to the West. A second Wu, 武, is martial.

Li

Li (李) means plum. Laozi was born Li Er, and James Legge’s 1891 version of his book says: “the journey of a thousand li commenced with a single step.”

Zang

臧, ‘good,’ in classical Chinese.

Ximen

西门 (西門), west gate

Fei

费 (費): “fee,” or cost. Save

Wenren

Famous person.

Zhuge

Zhuge, 诸葛 in hanzi, was initially a branch of Ge, kudzu. Strategist Zhuge Liang designed the “wooden ox” supply carts.

Gao

high/tall

Ma

马 (馬), horse. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma was born in Paris to Chinese parents.

Lü

吕 (呂), spine or a musical pitch pipe. Lü Buwei promised a thousand gold to anyone who changed one word from his book..

Chen

陈 (陳): “to set out,” or “to display.” In Hong Kong it is spelled Chan.

Tantai

Confucius found Tantai Mieming unfit to teach and later admitted he had judged by looks. Its characters, 澹台, mean calm water and terrace.

Zhang

Zhang (pronounced jahng) is 张 (張), to draw a bow, or 章, a chapter. In AD 132 Zhang Heng made a bronze seismoscope.

Ni

‘Small child’.

Mo

莫: “do not,” and in its first form.

Chinese Surnames That Mean Fire:

Name	Meaning	Pronunciation
Peng 彭	Zhurong’s grandson	PUNG
Jiao 焦	scorched	jee-OW
Wen 温	warm	WUN
Mi 芈	Chu kings’ clan	MEE
Cuan 爨	“cooking stove”	TSWAHN
Su 苏	of Zhurong’s eight	SOO
Xiong 熊	bear of Chu	shee-OONG
Zhurong 祝融	“god of fire”	JOO-roong
Yun 妘	fire god’s line	YOON
Huo 火	fire	HWAW
Cao 曹	Luzhong’s fifth son	TSOW
Gu 顾	kin of Kunwu	GOO
Lie 烈	“blazing.”	lee-EH
Kunwu 昆吾	eldest of six	KWUN-woo
Gui 炅	sun-bright flame	GWAY or JYOHNG
Jiang 姜	Flame Emperor	jee-AHNG

The lsit continues.

Ouyang

Ouyang (欧阳, Auyeung in Hong Kong) is south of Mount Ouyu. It is China’s most used two-character surname, with over 1.1 million people in a 2020 Ministry of Public Security report.

Tie

Iron.

Huang

黄 (黃), yellow. Huang Gongwang painted Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains.

Sun

Sun (孙, 孫) has origins in the word for grandson. Sun Tzu was a Sun and according to Lionel Giles’ 1910 Art of War: “All warfare is based on deception.”

Moqi

A Xianbei family written 万俟, with 万 the same sign as Wan further on, but pronounced mo-CHEE.

Yang

Poplar, 杨 (楊), and Yang Liwei, China’s first astronaut, flew Shenzhou 5 in October 2003.

Zhai

Long tail feathers of a pheasant.

Gongsun

公孙 (公孫): descendants of dukes. Save

Ba

Ba (巴) was a state in Sichuan. Shuowen defines it as a snake.

Chai

firewood/kindling

Shuang

双 is a pair. Its traditional form, 雙, is two birds in one hand.

Zhou

周, circuit, all around. Writer Lu Xun was born Zhou Shuren.

Xiahou

夏侯, “Marquis of Xia.” General Xiahou Dun lost his left eye to an arrow in battle.

Tao

pottery/kiln

Rui

Sprouting grass, small.

Pi

Skin or hide, and poet Pi Rixiu penned satire in late Tang.

Guo

Guo (郭) is an outer city wall. Astronomer Guo Shoujing made a year of 365.2425 days for the Yuan calendar.

Lin

Forest, drawn as 林, two trees side by side. In 1839 Lin Zexu destroyed over a thousand ton of seized opium at Humen.

Mou

Mou (牟) is meaning the moo of a cow, as defined in the Shuowen dictionary.

Heng

Heng is symbolizing balance.

Zhu

朱, vermilion. Zhu Yuanzhang founded the Ming dynasty.

Dongguo

东郭 (東郭), east outer wall. In a Ming fable, Mr. Dongguo hides a wolf in his book bag.

Xun

From 荀, a grass. Xunzi argued that human nature has to be shaped by ritual and teaching. Save

Shou

Shou (寿, 壽) is from Chinese and has a meaning that I love: “long life.”

Sima

司马 (司馬), master of horses, a title for a minister of war.

Hu

dewlap/beard

Bei

贝 (貝), cowrie shell. Architect I. M. Pei designed the glass pyramid at the Louvre.

Jie

To lift, to lay bare.

He

何: “What?” is the everyday meaning, and its first meaning was to shoulder a load.

Huangfu

Physician Huangfu Mi compiled a classic on acupuncture and moxibustion in the third century. The characters, 皇甫, mean august and father.

Luo

罗 (羅), a net for birds. Luo Guanzhong wrote Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Xian

Fresh.

Zheng

Zheng (郑, 鄭) was a state, and the character means solemn. Admiral Zheng He sailed to the Indian Ocean.

Kuai

rush

Xie

谢 (謝): to thank. Xie Lingyun composed some of China’s first mountains-and-rivers poetry.

Liang

梁, roof beam or bridge. Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai are the Butterfly Lovers.

Song

Song (宋) is symbolizing a dwelling.

Shangguan

上官, “high official.” With about 88,000 people, it is second of the compound surnames.

Dongfang

东方 (東方), east. Dongfang Shuo was a jester at the court of Emperor Wu of Han.

Tang

唐, boastful talk, per Shuowen. Painter Tang Yin is a character in Suzhou folk tales. This is also on my list of Chinese girl names with dark meanings.

Deng

From 邓 (鄧), a state in what is now Henan.

Han

The fence around a well, 韩 (韓).

Yuchi

尉迟 (尉遲), Xianbei in origin.

Xiao

萧 (蕭), mugwort. Xiao He was the first chancellor of Han.

Feng

Feng (FUNG) is 冯, written 馮 in full form with a horse inside.

Pan

潘, water used for rinsing rice.

Tian

田, field

Cai

Cai (蔡) is weeds and a large tortoise. In AD 105 Cai Lun improved papermaking.

Murong

慕容, a Xianbei people. Murong rulers founded the Yan states of the fourth century.

Du

杜, birchleaf pear tree. Du Fu is the Poet Sage.

Wei

Lofty, 魏

Ding

丁, “nail” or “grown man.”

Yuan

袁, a long robe. Yuan Mei wrote a cookbook with over three hundred recipes.

Ren

Duty/appointment.

Shen

沈: to sink. Shen Kuo gave the first account of a magnetic compass needle.

Linghu

Linghu was a fief, and its characters, 令狐, mean command and fox.

Lu

陆 (陸), “land,”. Lu You left over nine thousand poems.

Fu

Tutor.

Yao

姚, beautiful. Basketball center Yao Ming is seven feet six inches tall.

Zhong

钟 (鍾), a bell. Zhong Kui hunts ghosts in folk religion.

Situ

司徒, minister over the masses.

Cui

崔, “towering.” Cui Yingying is the young woman in Romance of the Western Chamber.

Duanmu

Duanmu Ci, a disciple of Confucius, made a fortune in trade. 端木 mean upright and wood.

Tan

To talk.

Jin

金, gold. Many descendants of the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan use Jin, since aisin means gold in Manchu.

Dai

to wear/to put on

Shi

施: to bestow, to spread. Xi Shi was one of the Four Beauties and she was a Shi.

Nangong

南宫 (南宮), south palace.

Jia

Jia (贾, 賈) is meaning merchant. Jia Baoyu is the Chinese boy at the center of Dream of the Red Chamber.

Xia

夏, summer. Xia is the first dynasty in history books.

Fang

Square.

Zou

邹 was a state in Shandong. Mencius came from Zou.

Hou

“Marquis.”

Qin

秦, a state, and in Shuowen a sort of grain. The Qin dynasty unified China in 221 BC.

Bai

白, white

Meng

Meng is from 孟, the eldest. Mencius was Meng Ke, and Legge’s translation says: “The great man is he who does not lose his child’s-heart.”

Xue

薛 grass

Zhangsun

长孙 (長孫), eldest grandson. Empress Zhangsun was the wife of Taizong of Tang.

Duan

‘Section’, a piece.

Yan

颜 (顏), face or countenance.

Yin

尹: to govern, an official. Yin Xi was a border guard who asked Laozi to write down his teaching.

Yuwen

宇文, a Xianbei house. In 557 Yuwen rulers founded the Northern Zhou.

Hao

Hao was a village fief in Shanxi.

Lei

Thunder! 雷 is rain over a field

Shao

From 邵, a fief

Wan

Ten thousand.

Xuanyuan

轩辕 (軒轅), carriage and shaft. Xuanyuan is what myth calls the Yellow Emperor..

Mao

“Hair” or “fur.”

Qian

钱 (錢), coin,. Rocket scientist Qian Xuesen cofounded the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.

Hong

“Flood.”

Xiang

项 (項), nape of a neck.

Lai

to rely/to depend

Chang

Constant.

Niu

Ox.

Ge

葛, kudzu vine. Ge Hong compiled the Baopuzi on elixirs (and an early note on smallpox).

Kang

Healthy and peaceful.

Huyan

呼延, a Xiongnu clan. Huyan Zhuo fights with twin steel whips in Water Margin.

An

安, peace: a woman under a roof. An Lushan launched a rebellion in 755 that nearly end the Tang.

Xing

From Xing, a state of Zhou.

Qi

齐 (齊): even, level. Painter Qi Baishi (1864-1957) is famous for his shrimp.

Qiao

乔 (喬), tall. Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao were sisters and married to Sun Ce and Zhou Yu.

Yi

Change, easy.

Zhuang

庄 (莊): village, solemn. Zhuangzi dreamed he was a butterfly.

Diwu

第五, “fifth.”.

Nie

Nie, 聂, is three ears in its full form, 聶: to whisper. Nie Er (1912-1935) composed the music of China’s national anthem.

Zhan

詹: talkative, in Shuowen. Zhan Tianyou engineered the Beijing to Zhangjiakou railway.

Yue

岳, high mountain. General Yue Fei’s mother tattooed four characters on his back about serving his country.

Geng

bright/honest

Sikong

司空, minister of works. Poet Sikong Tu authored the Twenty-Four Categories of Poetry.

Lan

Blue, and an indigo plant.

Guan

关 (關), mountain pass. Guan Yu is worshipped as a god of war and wealth.

Gan

“Sweet”.

Bao

包: to wrap. Judge Bao Zheng appears with a black face in opera.

Zuo

左, left

Taishi

Grand historian, a court office in Zhou times.

Shang

To esteem.

Ning

Calm

Shu

舒: to stretch or relax. Lao She (1899-1966) was born Shu Qingchun and authored Rickshaw Boy.

Shentu

From Shentu (申屠), a place in Shaanxi. Shentu Jia was chancellor under Emperor Wen of Han.

Ke

Axe handle.

Ruan

阮, a lute

Tong

“child.”

Gongye

Gongye Chang married Confucius’ daughter. The clan, 公冶, came from the courtesy name of Jiye of Lu.

Mei

梅, plum blossom. Mei Lanfang toured the United States in 1930.

Shan

Written 单 (單), the character for single

Ling

Ice.

Bi

Bi (毕, 畢) is a hunting net. Bi Sheng invented clay movable type.

Pei

裴, a trailing gown.

Puyang

North of the Pu River.

Miao

Sprout.

Tu

屠, butcher. Tu Youyou won the Nobel Prize in medicine for artemisinin, a malaria drug.

Sheng

Abundant.

Zhongli

Zhongli (钟离, 鍾離) was a country of the Spring and Autumn era. Zhongli Quan is one of the Eight Immortals and waves a fan that revives the dead.

Weng

Weng (翁) means grandad today.

Che

Cart.

Tuo

庹, arm span, the length of two outstretched arms.

Ran

冉: drooping, slow. Ran Qiu served Confucius as a disciple.

Tuoba

拓跋, a Xianbei clan. Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei changed his clan from Tuoba to Yuan.

Lian

to connect/to link

Mai

麦 (麥), wheat, and I like it as a short, punchy surname.

Dou

窦 (竇), a hole, a burrow.

Cen

Small high hill

Chu

褚, padded clothes, a bag. Chu Suiliang left some of Tang’s most copied calligraphy.

Dang

Under Zhou rules, a dang (党, 黨) was a community of five hundred households.

Helian

Helian Bobo invented this surname, 赫连, for himself, and his capital was Tongwan City in the Ordos.

Bu

卜, divination

Dugu

独孤 (獨孤), “alone.” Empress Dugu Qieluo made the Sui founder promise to have no kids with other women.

Leng

Cold.

Xi

A mat.

Qu

屈: to bend. Qu Yuan drowned himself in the Miluo River.

Quan

Whole, complete.

Zong

Ancestral temple.

Yuezheng

乐正 (樂正), minister of music.

Min

闵 (閔): to pity

Ying

Should, to answer.

Sha

Sha (沙) is meaning sand.

Rong

“glory.”

Bian

卞, hasty.

Kou

寇, bandit. Kou Zhun talked a Song emperor into riding to the front line.

Sang

Mulberry.

Zuoqiu

左丘, left hill. Zuoqiu Ming has the authorship of the Zuo Zhuan.

Lang

郎, young man. Pianist Lang Lang played at the opening of the Beijing Olympics.

Cong

Thicket.

Zhen

A potter’s wheel, to examine.

Qidiao

漆雕, lacquer carving, a trade that became a family title in Zhou times.

Kuang

匡: to correct

Ju

鞠, a leather ball. Cuju, a kicking game, is written with this character.

Man

Full.

Hui

惠, kindness. Hui Shi argued with Zhuangzi on a bridge: how can anyone know that fish are happy?

Nan

South.

Wuma

巫马 (巫馬), “horse shaman,” a court healer for horses. Wuma Shi studied under Confucius.

Ban

班, rank, a class. Ban Zhao finished the Book of Han after her brother died.

Hua

华 (華), splendid, flowery. Hua Tuo used an anesthetic called mafeisan for surgery in the second century.

Qiang

Strong.

Lao

Toil.

Shuai

Commander, handsome.

Piao

朴, unadorned.

Gongyang

公羊, the duke’s sheep, a branch of Gongsun. And the Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals was handed down by this family.

Zhi

Wisdom.

Qing

A minister of high rank.

Zu

祖, ancestor.

Di

狄, a northern tribe. Di Renjie solves crimes as Judge Dee in Robert van Gulik’s novels.

Dongmen

东门 (東門), east gate

Suo

Rope.

Ping

Ping (平) is meaning level and flat.

Xuan

To declare.

Pu

蒲, cattail. Pu Songling collected fox spirit stories in Strange Tales.

Bo

Thin.

Men

Gate, door.

Yong

Harmony.

Zuoren

A left-handed man.

Xiu

To repair, to cultivate.

Na

That. Many Manchu Nara families use Na.

Hang

To ferry over water.

Mu

穆: solemn, reverent. Mu Guiying led the Yang family generals in opera stories.

Yu

Yu (余) is “I” and “surplus” today.

Yangshe

羊舌, “sheep tongue.”

Bin

Guest.

Xin

辛, bitter, and the eighth heavenly stem.

Ji

姬, a princess, a woman of rank. Ji is the Yellow Emperor’s surname in myths.

You

To swim, to roam.

Duangan

From the fief of Duangan (段干). Duangan Mu was a sage in the state of Wei.

Rao

Plenty.

Nong

农 (農), farming, and a common surname with Zhuang people.

Lüqiu

闾丘 (閭丘), village gate hill.

Ai

艾, mugwort. Poet Ai Qing was the father of artist Ai Weiwei.

Luan

Golden rain tree.

Jian

A bamboo slip for writing, simple.

Sui

随 is symbolizing to follow

Ming

明, bright: sun and moon together.

Diao

Sly

Chi

Pond.

Zha

查: to check. Wuxia novelist Jin Yong was born Zha Liangyong.

Teng

Water surging, and a small state of Zhou.

Chao

Morning.

Que

Watchtowers at a palace gate.

Jing

荆 (荊), chaste tree, thorn

Zeng

曾, great-grand, as in great-grandson. Zengzi was a disciple of Confucius.

Kan

To peer at.

Ru

To eat.