200+ Chinese Baby Names With Beautiful Meanings

This post contains affiliate links.

Chinese names work differently than most Western ones: instead of picking a name off a list, parents choose or combine individual characters, each carrying its own sound, history, and meaning. Two characters that sound exactly alike on paper can mean “morning light” or “brilliant fire” — the pronunciation is only half the story. That’s why this list isn’t really about finding a name that sounds nice; it’s about finding the right characters, the ones whose meaning you’d want your child to carry.

🔍 Curious how popular a name is?

Check any name's popularity trend since 1880 with our free Baby Name Popularity Checker.

Popularity below is calculated from Social Security Administration data through 2024, the most recent year on record.

Here’s what’s in store –

Names That Mean Light, Brightness, and Radiance

Names Drawn from Nature — Flowers, Water, and Sky

Girls’ Names for Grace, Joy, and Inner Virtue

Boys’ Names for Power, Ambition, and Vision

Classical and Literary Names With Deep Roots

Names Meaning Peace, Harmony, and Calm

Two-Character Names That Tell a Story

Modern Chinese Names Gaining Global Currency

What makes Chinese names so rich is the layering. Most modern Chinese names use one or two characters after the family name, and those one or two characters do serious work: they evoke nature, philosophy, classical literature, personal aspiration, and family lineage simultaneously. A grandmother might recognize a character from a Tang dynasty poem. A child might grow into the meaning of their name the way you grow into a piece of furniture that was slightly too big when you bought it.

This list gathers 200+ real Chinese names — single characters and two-character combinations — organized by theme and feeling rather than alphabetically. Each name includes its pinyin romanization, the character’s meaning, and a note on its cultural weight or contemporary use. Whether you’re looking for a name for a Chinese-heritage baby, a name that honors a specific lineage, or simply a name with a sound and meaning unlike anything in the Western canon, this is a starting place.

A note on romanization: pinyin is the standard system for spelling Chinese sounds in Latin letters. Tones matter enormously in Mandarin (the same syllable in different tones means completely different things), but for written purposes here, we’re following the standard pinyin without tone marks since most name registrations in English-speaking countries drop them.

Names That Mean Light, Brightness, and Radiance

Light is one of the most beloved themes in Chinese baby naming — it speaks to hope, intelligence, and illuminated futures. These names use characters that evoke everything from flickering candlelight to the full blaze of the sun.

Ming

Origin: Chinese
Pronunciation: MING · ˈmɪŋ
Meaning: bright, brilliant
Popularity: #9,549 and rising (#11,824 → #9,549, 2024)

Hui

Origin: Mandarin (romanizes 回 ‘Hui ethnicity’, 徽, or 惠 ‘gracious’, among others, character-dependent)
Pronunciation: HWAY · hweɪ
Meaning: Intelligent, brilliantly bright
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

More than just smart — this character implies a kind of luminous inner wisdom that shines outward.

Jing

Origin: Chinese
Pronunciation: JING · ˈdʒɪŋ
Meaning: Crystal clear, sparkling like gemstone
Popularity: #11,538 and falling (#11,515 → #11,538, 2024)

Often used in girls’ names; the character shows three suns stacked, which visually says everything about its radiance.

Xia

Origin: Chinese (Mandarin pinyin, meaning depends on the character used)
Pronunciation: SHYAH · ˈʃjɑː
Meaning: Rosy clouds at sunrise or sunset
Popularity: #5,125 and falling (#5,116 → #5,125, 2024)

One of the most poetic light characters, evoking the way sky glows at the edges of the day.

Can

Origin: Vietnamese (given name, from Cần)
Pronunciation: KUHN · kən
Meaning: Dazzling, brilliant
Popularity: #4,324 and rising (#4,904 → #4,324, 2024)

Usually paired in two-character names; alone it carries an almost excessive brightness — like something that stops you mid-sentence.

Wei

Origin: Chinese
Pronunciation: WAY · ˈweɪ
Meaning: great, impressive
Popularity: #9,637 as of 2017 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Warmer and more amber than the cold shimmer of Jing; popular in boys’ names.

Hao

Origin: Chinese (Mandarin pinyin romanization)
Pronunciation: HOW · ˈhaʊ
Meaning: represents several distinct Chinese characters (e.g. 浩 ‘vast’, 昊 ‘vast sky’, 豪 ‘heroic, grand’); the meaning depends on which character is used
Popularity: #12,796 as of 2021 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Liang

Origin: Mandarin Chinese (ambiguous, common surname/given-name romanization)
Pronunciation: LYAHNG
Meaning: often intended as ‘bright,’ though this isn’t confirmed by the available source
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Unpretentious and strong; this character means what it says without flourish.

Yue

Origin: Chinese (character-dependent, no given-name-specific entry found)
Pronunciation: YWEH · ˈjweɪ
Meaning: Radiant celestial body, dazzling
Popularity: #8,387 and rising (#12,138 → #8,387, 2024)

Used for heavenly objects that shine — sun, moon, stars; a name that reaches upward.

Ying

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese surname/historical place name)
Pronunciation: YEENG · iŋ
Meaning: a historical Chinese surname and place name (including the ruling clan name of the Qin dynasty)
Popularity: #17,230 as of 2009 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The glow from within rather than the blaze from without; associated with the particular sheen of fine green jade.

Xuan

Origin: Old Occitan/Asturian (variant of John); also a common Mandarin romanization
Pronunciation: SWUN · swən
Meaning: God is gracious (as a variant of the name John); as a Chinese name, the meaning depends on the character it represents
Popularity: #13,730 as of 2019 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Less common than other light characters, which gives it a distinctive, slightly mysterious feel.

Rui

Origin: Portuguese; Japanese; Chinese (three distinct, unrelated origins)
Pronunciation: RWAY · ˈrweɪ
Meaning: Wise and farsighted, illuminated mind
Popularity: #2,297 and rising (#2,763 → #2,297, 2024)

Popular in contemporary Chinese naming; the character implies a brightness that sees further than ordinary intelligence.

Zhao

Origin: Mandarin (surname / ancient place name)
Pronunciation: JOW · dʒaʊ
Meaning: Brilliant, illustrious
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Classical and dignified; Zhao Jun was a famous Han dynasty beauty whose name became part of Chinese cultural vocabulary.

Zhuo

Origin: Mandarin
Pronunciation: JWOH · dʒwɔː
Meaning: outstanding and eminent
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Used in both male and female names; the character suggests a kind of elevated brightness.

Haoyu

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese given name)
Pronunciation: how-YOO · xaʊ.y
Meaning: Luminous universe
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

A two-character name combining white radiance with the infinite cosmos; currently popular for boys in mainland China.

Canhui

Origin: Mandarin Chinese
Pronunciation: tsahn-HWAY · tsʰan.xweɪ
Meaning: Brilliantly wise
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Jingming

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese given name)
Pronunciation: jeeng-MEENG · dʒɪŋmɪŋ
Meaning: Crystal-clear brightness
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Doubled brightness; a name that communicates translucent clarity of mind and spirit.

Mingzhu

Origin: Mandarin Chinese
Pronunciation: MING-joo
Meaning: bright pearl, an idiom also used affectionately for a cherished daughter
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

A classic and beloved combination; pearls are culturally precious in ways that overlap with the Western tradition.

Mingxia

Origin: Mandarin Chinese
Pronunciation: MING-shyah · miŋ̌.ɕjâ
Meaning: bright, paired with the rosy glow of sunrise or sunset clouds (明 + 霞)
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Poetic and feminine, combining the clarity of Ming with the warm glow of dawn or dusk light.

Xuanyi

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese given name)
Pronunciation: SHWEN-yee · ɕɥɛ́n.í
Meaning: Brilliant and artistically gifted
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

A contemporary-feeling name that marries radiance with creative skill.

Canrui

Origin: Mandarin Chinese
Pronunciation: tsahn-RAY · tsʰan.ʐweɪ
Meaning: Brilliantly wise and farsighted
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

A strong pairing for boys; combines two distinct kinds of brightness — visible and intellectual.

Yingying

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese given name)
Pronunciation: YING-ying · jɪŋ.jɪŋ
Meaning: Doubly lustrous, twice jade-bright
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Reduplicated names like this carry affectionate softness; historically used as milk names (pet names) for girls.

Zhe

Origin: Mandarin
Pronunciation: JUH · dʒʌ
Meaning: wise and philosophical
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Bridges brightness and wisdom; a scholar’s name with old bones.

Guangrui

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese given name)
Pronunciation: GWANG-rway · ɡwɑːŋˈʐweɪ
Meaning: Auspiciously bright, glowing omen
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The combination of light and blessing makes this a name families choose when they want a name that announces good fortune.

Names Drawn from Nature — Flowers, Water, and Sky

Chinese literary and naming traditions are deeply rooted in the natural world. Mountains, rivers, seasonal flowers, and weather phenomena appear throughout classical poetry, and they translate beautifully into names that feel alive and grounded.

Mei

Origin: Chinese (Mandarin)
Pronunciation: MAY · ˈmeɪ
Meaning: beautiful
Popularity: #1,960 and rising (#2,325 → #1,960, 2024)

The ‘plum blossom’ half is a mix-up: it belongs to a separate, similarly-sounding character (梅) used mostly as a surname, not the root of the given name, which is 美 (‘beautiful’).

Lan

Origin: Vietnamese (also used in Chinese contexts)
Pronunciation: LAHN · ˈlɑːn
Meaning: orchid
Popularity: #8,670 and rising (#13,349 → #8,670, 2024)

Orchids represent nobility, purity, and friendship in Chinese culture — the four noble plants (with plum, bamboo, and chrysanthemum) anchor classical Chinese aesthetics.

Lian

Origin: Chinese
Pronunciation: lee-AHN · liˈɑːn
Meaning: lotus or water lily
Popularity: #514 and rising (#584 → #514, 2024)

Rises from muddy water to bloom clean and pure; a name about transformation and inner virtue that dates back thousands of years.

Origin: Mandarin Chinese (pinyin, underlying character uncertain)
Pronunciation: JYOO · tɕy
Meaning: possibly ‘chrysanthemum’
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Blooms in autumn when everything else is dying — a symbol of longevity, resilience, and a refusal to fade easily.

Origin: Chinese (meaning depends on the character used)
Pronunciation: HUH · xɤ
Meaning: depends on the character: a surname (何, no independent meaning), “harmony/peace” (和), or “lotus” (荷)
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

A softer character for lotus than Lian; carries more of the water and stillness than the upward-reaching aspiration.

Gui

Origin: Mandarin (historical surname 媯, distinct from the osmanthus sense 桂)
Pronunciation: GWAY · ɡweɪ
Meaning: Osmanthus blossom
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The sweet-scented osmanthus blooms in autumn and is closely associated with the moon; a name of quiet, intoxicating beauty.

Feng

Origin: Chinese
Pronunciation: FUNG · fəŋ
Meaning: depends on the character used — options include ‘phoenix,’ an old place name/surname, or (with a different character) ‘maple’
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Autumn maple leaves burning red and orange; a name with fire in its nature, unexpected and vivid.

Zhu

Origin: Mandarin
Pronunciation: JOO · dʒuː
Meaning: bamboo
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Song

Origin: Mandarin
Meaning: name of a major Chinese imperial dynasty (960-1279 AD)
Popularity: #13,912 and falling (#10,595 → #13,912, 2024)

The ‘pine tree’ meaning belongs to a different character pronounced the same way (松) — Song is best attested as the name of a major Chinese imperial dynasty.

Tao

Origin: Chinese (Mandarin)
Pronunciation: TOW · ˈtaʊ
Meaning: the Way, the path (Taoist concept, from 道 dào)
Popularity: #9,733 and falling (#7,246 → #9,733, 2024)

In Chinese mythology, the peach is the fruit of immortality; Tao gardens appear throughout Daoist stories as paradise.

Qian

Origin: Mandarin (shared by unrelated Chinese characters)
Pronunciation: CHYEN · tʃjɛn
Meaning: Lush, dense green growth
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Evokes a field of thick grass or abundant young plants; a name that feels fresh and generative.

Rong

Origin: Chinese (Mandarin pinyin romanization)
Pronunciation: RAWNG · ˈrɔːŋ
Meaning: Lotus flower, hibiscus
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

More relaxed than Lian; widely used in girls’ names across the 20th century and still carried elegantly by contemporary bearers.

Xin

Origin: Chinese (Mandarin pinyin, represents multiple distinct characters)
Pronunciation: SHIN · ɕin
Meaning: Heart of a flower, essential core
Popularity: #17,480 as of 2023 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The innermost part; a name about the concentrated essence of something — not the bloom but the seed at its center.

Baihe

Origin: Mandarin Chinese
Pronunciation: BYE-huh · baɪ.xɤ
Meaning: Lily — literally “hundred unities”
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

A name whose characters carry more meaning than the flower alone; it speaks to wholeness and many things coming together.

Meilan

Origin: Mandarin Chinese
Pronunciation: may-LAHN · meɪˈlɑːn
Meaning: beautiful orchid
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

A classic pairing of two noble flowers; Mei Lanfang, the legendary Peking opera performer, made this combination famous.

Yulian

Origin: Mandarin
Pronunciation: yoo-LYAHN · ɥ.ljɛn
Meaning: jade and lotus blossom
Popularity: #2,360 and rising (#2,608 → #2,360, 2024)

Combines two of the most esteemed natural symbols in Chinese culture; a formal name with genuine grace.

Hanmei

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese given name)
Pronunciation: hahn-MAY · xæn.meɪ
Meaning: Cold-weather plum, winter plum
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Specifically the plum that blooms in frost — a name about beauty that appears precisely where you least expect it.

Chunhua

Origin: Chinese (Mandarin)
Pronunciation: choon-HWAH · tʃʊnhwɑː
Meaning: Spring flower
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Warm and unambiguous; a name that puts a whole season’s promise into two simple characters.

Shanhu

Origin: Mandarin (specific characters uncertain)
Pronunciation: shahn-HOO · ʂɑn.xu
Meaning: Coral
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Rare and precious; coral was historically considered one of the seven Buddhist treasures and appears in poetry as a symbol of refined beauty.

Zhuyun

Origin: Mandarin
Pronunciation: joo-YOON · dʒuːˈjuːn
Meaning: bamboo and cloud
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Tianhe

Origin: Mandarin
Pronunciation: tyen-HUH · tjɛn.xɤ
Meaning: the Milky Way, literally ‘heaven’s river’
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Yunshan

Origin: Mandarin
Pronunciation: YOON-shahn · jynˈʃɑːn
Meaning: cloud-wreathed mountains
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The classical Chinese landscape scroll in two characters; a name with vast visual imagination built in.

Qinghe

Origin: Mandarin
Pronunciation: ching-HUH · tɕʰiŋ.xɤ
Meaning: combines the words for ‘blue-green’ and ‘river’; also used as a Chinese place name
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Combines purity with the lotus’s particular grace; sounds cool and clean aloud.

Fengling

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese given name)
Pronunciation: fung-LING · fəŋˈlɪŋ
Meaning: Maple spirit
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

A slightly more magical reading of the maple; less common and more poetic than Feng alone.

Xueying

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese given name)
Pronunciation: SHWEH-ying · ɕɥɛ́.íŋ
Meaning: Snow-lustrous, gleaming like snow
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The cool brightness of snow paired with the jade-glow of Ying; a winter name for a baby who arrives in the cold months.

Haibo

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese given name)
Pronunciation: HY-bwoh · haɪ.bwoʊ
Meaning: Ocean waves
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Large and rhythmic; a name with the expansiveness of open water.

Liuying

Origin: Mandarin Chinese
Pronunciation: LYOH-ying · ljoʊˈjɪŋ
Meaning: willow tree paired with oriole, a classical poetic image pairing
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

A compound from classical poetry — the image of a yellow bird singing in weeping willow branches on a spring morning is one of Chinese literature’s sweetest pictures.

Linghe

Origin: Mandarin Chinese
Pronunciation: LING-huh · lɪŋ.xɤ
Meaning: spirit/soul paired with lotus (likely 灵 + 荷)
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Adds a layer of sacred or otherworldly quality to the lotus; a name for a child you feel has arrived with something special about them.

Hanxue

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese given name)
Pronunciation: hahn-SHWEH · xæn.ɕy̯ɛ
Meaning: Cold snow
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

A name about austere beauty; not immediately warm but breathtaking in the right light.

Ziyun

Origin: Chinese (Mandarin)
Pronunciation: zuh-YOON
Meaning: purple cloud
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Purple clouds were considered auspicious omens in Chinese cosmology — a sign that something blessed was about to arrive.

Girls’ Names for Grace, Joy, and Inner Virtue

These characters have been used in girls’ names for centuries because they describe qualities families have always hoped to see: elegance without fragility, joy without shallowness, virtue grounded in genuine character rather than performance.

Ting

Origin: Chinese (character-dependent)
Pronunciation: TING · ˈtɪŋ
Meaning: meaning depends on the Chinese character used; often associated with ‘graceful, elegant’ (婷) when written with that character
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The character combines “woman” with “court” — the carriage of someone who stands well in any space they enter.

Wan

Origin: Mandarin (specific character uncertain)
Pronunciation: WAHN · wɑːn
Meaning: Gracious, gently agreeable
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

A quality harder to name in English — the warmth of someone whose natural mode is to make others feel welcome.

Juan

Origin: Spanish
Pronunciation: WAHN · ˈwɑːn
Meaning: Spanish form of John, meaning ‘God is gracious’
Popularity: #137 and rising (#140 → #137, 2024)

Yan

Origin: Chinese (pinyin romanization, meaning depends on the character used)
Pronunciation: YEN · jɛn
Meaning: Enchantingly beautiful, captivating smile
Popularity: #2,902 and falling (#2,890 → #2,902, 2024)

The character suggests a beauty that catches people mid-thought; associated historically with famous court beauties.

Rou

Origin: Germanic (Old High German)
Pronunciation: ROH · roʊ
Meaning: quiet, calm
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Not weakness — Daoism celebrates the soft overcoming the hard, and this name carries that philosophical depth.

Man

Origin: ambiguous (English word, Chinese given-name romanization, or the place name Isle of Man)
Pronunciation: MAN · ˈmæn
Meaning: Graceful, flowing, elongated
Popularity: #16,738 and falling (#10,835 → #16,738, 2024)

The long vowel matches the meaning; a name that sounds exactly like what it describes.

Shu

Origin: Chinese (romanization of several unrelated characters/surnames); unrelated Egyptian god name
Pronunciation: SHOO · ˈʃuː
Meaning: Virtuous, refined, gently good
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

One of the most traditional girls’ name characters; appears in the classic Book of Songs in lines describing an ideal woman.

Jiao

Origin: Mandarin (romanizes 焦 ‘surname/scorched’ or 郊 ‘outskirts’, distinct from the ‘delicate’ sense 娇)
Pronunciation: JYOW
Meaning: Delicate, charming, endearingly precious
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Has a slightly indulgent quality — the charm of something small and tender that you want to protect.

Xiu

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese given name)
Pronunciation: SHYOH · ɕjoʊ
Meaning: Graceful, elegant, outstanding
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Bridges beauty and achievement; the character originally described the beautiful flowering of a grain plant.

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese given name)
Pronunciation: YEE · i
Meaning: Joyful, contented, at ease
Popularity: #7,207 and rising (#7,271 → #7,207, 2024)

Not the loud happiness of celebration but the steady happiness of someone who is genuinely all right with where they are.

Wen

Origin: Chinese
Pronunciation: WEN · ˈwɛn
Meaning: culture, refinement
Popularity: #17,834 as of 2019 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Qing

Origin: Mandarin
Pronunciation: CHING · tɕʰiŋ
Meaning: clear, pure — also the name of China’s last imperial dynasty (1644-1912)
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The feeling of a morning after a storm when everything is washed and bright; a name that carries relief and renewal.

Yao

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese surname)
Pronunciation: YOW · jaʊ
Meaning: primarily a Chinese surname; also the name of an ethnic group in China
Popularity: #14,105 as of 2023 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

A beautiful jade-class character with an elevated, almost fairy-tale quality; appears in Chinese myths as the material from which celestial palaces are built.

Ling

Origin: Chinese
Pronunciation: LING · ˈlɪŋ
Meaning: meaning depends on the underlying character — e.g. ‘clever spirit’ or ‘tinkling of jade’
Popularity: #12,865 and rising (#13,531 → #12,865, 2024)

A sound name as much as a visual one; the name itself rings like a small bell.

Fang

Origin: Mandarin (place-name/surname romanization, coincides with the unrelated African Fang ethnonym)
Pronunciation: FAHNG · fɑːŋ
Meaning: Fragrant, virtuous
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Fragrance as virtue is a recurring image in classical Chinese poetry; a good person literally smells good in this symbolic register.

Hong

Origin: East Asian (Chinese/Vietnamese, meaning depends on the character used)
Pronunciation: HAWNG · ˈhɔːŋ
Meaning: red (紅), or vast/grand (洪, 宏, 鴻), depending on the character
Popularity: #9,020 as of 2006 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

One of the most joyful name characters; rainbows in Chinese cosmology signify transformation and the bridge between earthly and celestial realms.

Zhen

Origin: Chinese (romanized, character-dependent)
Pronunciation: JEN · ˈdʒɛn
Meaning: ambiguous – depends on which Chinese character is used
Popularity: #12,288 and falling (#4,879 → #12,288, 2024)

Direct in the most loving way; a name that announces from the start that this child is considered priceless.

Qiong

Origin: Mandarin (specific character uncertain)
Pronunciation: CHYOONG
Meaning: Fine jade, exquisitely beautiful
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

More elevated and literary than plain jade names; appears in poetry about celestial palaces and divine women.

Die

Origin: Mandarin
Pronunciation: DYEH · djɛ
Meaning: Butterfly
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Zhuangzi’s famous butterfly dream — not knowing if he was a man dreaming of being a butterfly or a butterfly dreaming of being a man — gives this simple name enormous philosophical resonance.

Cai

Origin: Chinese
Pronunciation: KY · ˈkaɪ
Meaning: colorful, or to gather/pick
Popularity: #1,902 and falling (#1,849 → #1,902, 2024)

The character shows colors flying; a name that suggests vivid presence rather than quiet grace.

Hua

Origin: Chinese
Pronunciation: HWAH · ˈhwɑː
Meaning: flower (or ‘splendid’, depending on the character used)
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

One of the characters for China itself (Zhonghua); a name carrying national pride alongside personal meaning.

Origin: Chinese (Mandarin)/Vietnamese — romanization ambiguous
Pronunciation: NAH · nɑː
Meaning: Graceful, elegant
Popularity: #12,620 as of 2004 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Simple and lovely; widely used across Chinese-speaking communities and easy to carry in any language context.

Bingyao

Origin: Mandarin Chinese
Pronunciation: bing-YOW · bɪŋˈjaʊ
Meaning: Ice and precious jade
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Pairs two cool, translucent beautiful things; a winter name with a formal, almost mythological quality.

Yurong

Origin: Mandarin
Pronunciation: YOO-rawng · jyˈrʊŋ
Meaning: a jade-like, beautiful countenance
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Qingwan

Origin: Mandarin (specific characters uncertain)
Pronunciation: CHING-wahn · tʃɪŋˈwɑːn
Meaning: Pure and graceful
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Combines cleanliness of spirit with the gentle elegance of Wan; a two-character name that functions as its own aesthetic standard.

Meiyao

Origin: Mandarin Chinese
Pronunciation: may-YOW · meɪˈjaʊ
Meaning: beautiful, paired with a fine jade or precious gem (likely 美 + 瑶)
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Doubles down on the beautiful in a way that feels confident rather than excessive.

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese given name)
Pronunciation: SHEE · ɕi
Meaning: most commonly ‘west,’ though the same spelling stands for several unrelated Chinese characters
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Short, sweet, and carries the whole concept of longing and wishing into a single syllable.

Yin

Origin: Chinese (romanization shared by several unrelated characters)
Pronunciation: YEEN · in
Meaning: To chant, to hum, the sound of poetry
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

A name for someone whose life will be musical or literary; poets in classical China were called yinren, chanters.

Origin: Chinese (Mandarin)/Vietnamese — romanization ambiguous
Pronunciation: ROO · ruː
Meaning: Like, as tender grass
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

A classical feminine particle in poetry; gentle and almost invisible in meaning but soft and flowing in sound.

Origin: Mandarin Chinese
Pronunciation: NEE · ni
Meaning: a colloquial word for ‘girl/lass’
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Warm diminutive energy; often used as a nickname structure but carries genuine charm as a given name.

Boys’ Names for Power, Ambition, and Vision

Chinese boys’ names traditionally reach for large things — dragons, vast skies, great waves, soaring birds. These names aren’t shy about ambition, but many carry it alongside virtue.

Long

Origin: Chinese (Mandarin)/Sino-Vietnamese; unrelated English surname also exists
Pronunciation: LAWNG · lɒŋ
Meaning: dragon
Popularity: #3,845 and rising (#8,037 → #3,845, 2024)

Peng

Origin: Mandarin Chinese
Pronunciation: PUHNG · pʰəŋ
Meaning: the Peng, a mythical giant bird from the Zhuangzi said to soar across the entire sky, symbolizing vast ambition
Popularity: #11,852 as of 2001 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Zhuangzi’s great Peng bird flies 90,000 li on a single wing-beat; this name is specifically about world-altering ambition.

Jun

Origin: Japanese (also used in Korean and Chinese naming traditions)
Pronunciation: JOON · dʒuːn
Meaning: Talented and handsome
Popularity: #2,965 and rising (#3,083 → #2,965, 2024)

One of the most popular boys’ name characters of the last century; carries an implicit confidence without arrogance.

Kai

Origin: Chinese
Pronunciation: KY · ˈkaɪ
Meaning: triumphant, victorious
Popularity: #76 and falling (#61 → #76, 2024)

Crossed over into widespread English usage to the point where many parents don’t know its Chinese origins; the original meaning is genuinely about joyful victory.

Lei

Origin: Chinese
Pronunciation: LAY · ˈleɪ
Meaning: thunder
Popularity: #16,590 and falling (#12,874 → #16,590, 2024)

Origin: Scandinavian (Danish/Swedish, from Old Norse ‘búa, ‘ to dwell/live); the same spelling is also an established Chinese given name (a separate, unrelated origin), and occasionally a variant of Beau
Pronunciation: BOH · ˈboʊ
Meaning: to dwell, to live (the Scandinavian sense)
Popularity: #451 and rising (#479 → #451, 2024)

The generalist’s name; Bo suggests someone who has read everything and remembers all of it.

Fei

Origin: Chinese
Pronunciation: FAY · ˈfeɪ
Meaning: To fly, soaring
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Simple and kinetic; a name that implies not just reaching up but having already left the ground.

Jian

Origin: Chinese
Pronunciation: JYEN · ˈdʒjɛn
Meaning: Strong, robust, healthy
Popularity: #6,608 and falling (#5,148 → #6,608, 2024)

Grounded physical strength rather than spiritual aspiration; a name parents choose when they want their son to simply thrive.

Xiang

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese place name)
Pronunciation: SHYAHNG · ʃjɑːŋ
Meaning: the Xiang River and the Hunan region of China (also used as a surname)
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

A softer kind of flight than Fei; the flight of something at ease in the air rather than straining for altitude.

Yang

Origin: Chinese (and Korean)
Pronunciation: YAHNG · jɑŋ
Meaning: To rise, to spread, to raise up
Popularity: #12,243 and falling (#10,759 → #12,243, 2024)

Movement upward and outward; a name with momentum built into its meaning.

Cheng

Origin: Mandarin (surname romanization, character ambiguous)
Pronunciation: CHUNG · tʃʌŋ
Meaning: Sincere, honest, wholehearted
Popularity: #11,148 and falling (#11,117 → #11,148, 2024)

A virtue name; in a culture that prizes social harmony, genuine sincerity is considered rare and worthy of naming after.

Sheng

Origin: Chinese (Mandarin pinyin romanization)
Pronunciation: SHUNG · ʂəŋ
Meaning: Flourishing, prosperous, at full bloom
Popularity: #13,888 as of 2016 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The name of something at its peak; carries an optimism about the child’s future that’s hard to argue with.

Tian

Origin: Chinese (Mandarin)
Pronunciation: TYEN
Meaning: heaven, sky
Popularity: #4,398 and falling (#4,202 → #4,398, 2024)

The canopy above everything; a name that frames a life against the largest possible backdrop.

Zhuang

Origin: Mandarin
Pronunciation: JWAHNG · dʒwɑːŋ
Meaning: strong and in one’s prime
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Physical prime; the word for a man in his most capable years is zhuangnian — this name borrows that energy.

Xiong

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese surname)
Pronunciation: SHYONG · ɕjʊŋ
Meaning: bear (the animal); also a common Chinese surname
Popularity: #10,781 as of 1997 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Direct about its aspirations; a name with nothing hedged about it.

Gang

Origin: Mandarin
Pronunciation: GAHNG · ɡɑːŋ
Meaning: Firm, unyielding, hard-edged
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The steel of a person’s character rather than the warmth; a name that implies someone who will not be moved from what they know to be right.

Yong

Origin: Chinese
Pronunciation: YOONG · ˈjʊŋ
Meaning: Brave, courageous
Popularity: #12,017 as of 2006 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The simplest courage name; no elaboration needed — brave is enough.

Jie

Origin: Mandarin — Wiktionary documents 羯, an ancient ethnonym, for this romanization; 杰/傑, ‘outstanding,’ is a different character.
Pronunciation: JYEH
Meaning: Outstanding, heroic, a great man
Popularity: #11,457 as of 2012 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Used in豪杰 (háojié, heroes and great men) throughout Chinese history; a name that steps into a large tradition.

Longfei

Origin: Mandarin Chinese
Pronunciation: LONG-fay · lʊŋˈfeɪ
Meaning: dragon in flight, evoking ambition and rising fortune
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Combines China’s most auspicious creature with the freedom of flight; a name with genuine grandeur that parents have been choosing for centuries.

Junwei

Origin: Mandarin Chinese
Pronunciation: JOON-way · dʒwɪnˈweɪ
Meaning: outstanding/talented paired with great or impressive (likely 俊 + 伟)
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Pairs aesthetic and intellectual excellence (Jun) with sheer magnitude (Wei); a name that expects a lot.

Haoqian

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese given name)
Pronunciation: how-CHYEN · xaʊ.tɕʰjɛn
Meaning: Vast heaven, boundless sky
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Both characters reach upward in different registers; the combination feels almost cosmological.

Tianyu

Origin: Mandarin (specific characters uncertain)
Pronunciation: tyen-YOO · tjɛn.y
Meaning: Heavenly universe
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Popular in contemporary mainland China; places the child within the largest conceivable frame.

Zheng

Origin: Mandarin (surname / ancient state name)
Pronunciation: JUNG · dʒʌŋ
Meaning: The sound of metal striking, upright and clear
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Implies a person whose character rings clean and true — no hollow notes, no counterfeit virtue.

Xionghao

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese given name)
Pronunciation: shyong-HOW · ɕjʊŋ.xaʊ
Meaning: Heroic and vast
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

For parents who want both kinds of strength — the sharp edge of Xiong and the breadth of Hao.

Classical and Literary Names With Deep Roots

Some Chinese names are essentially quotations — pulled from Tang poetry, Song dynasty essays, Confucian texts, or Daoist philosophy. These names announce that their bearers come from a family with books in the house.

Yuan

Origin: Chinese (documented mainly as a surname, doublet of Yuen, and as the Yuan dynasty name, character-dependent as a given name)
Pronunciation: yoo-AHN · juˈɑːn
Meaning: Deep pool, profound depth
Popularity: #6,430 and rising (#12,196 → #6,430, 2024)

Zhi

Origin: Chinese (romanized, character-dependent)
Pronunciation: JEE · ˈdʒiː
Meaning: Sacred mushroom, the lingzhi of immortality
Popularity: #12,289 and rising (#14,106 → #12,289, 2024)

Daoist tradition linked the lingzhi fungus to immortality; this character carries that otherworldly, timeless quality.

Qin

Origin: Mandarin
Pronunciation: CHIN · tɕʰin
Meaning: name of an ancient Chinese state and the dynasty that first unified China (221-207 BC)
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Naming a child after an instrument is an aspiration toward cultivation; the guqin is the most literati of instruments.

Origin: Mandarin (shared by several unrelated Chinese characters)
Pronunciation: CHEE · tʃiː
Meaning: Beautiful jade, extraordinary
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

A jade-variant that implies rarity; the finest, most unusual kind of beautiful — the jade that doesn’t look like anything else.

Mengdie

Origin: Mandarin Chinese
Pronunciation: mung-DYEH · məŋˈdjɛ
Meaning: dream of a butterfly, evoking the Zhuangzi’s famous ‘butterfly dream’ parable
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Directly from Zhuangzi’s most famous story; choosing this name is a philosophical statement about the nature of identity and reality.

Lingzhi

Origin: Mandarin Chinese
Pronunciation: LING-jur
Meaning: the reishi mushroom, literally ‘numinous/spirit fungus,’ long linked to immortality in Chinese folklore
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The immortality plant of Daoist tradition; a name that arrives draped in mythology and the aspiration to outlast ordinary time.

Tianyuan

Origin: Mandarin (specific characters uncertain)
Pronunciation: tyen-YWEN · tjɛn.ɥɛn
Meaning: Heaven’s origin, celestial source
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

In Chinese chess (weiqi/Go), Tianyuan is the name for the central point of the board — the name of everything from which everything else flows.

Yunhe

Origin: Mandarin
Pronunciation: YOON-huh · jynˈxɤ
Meaning: cloud and crane
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Yanxi

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese given name)
Pronunciation: yen-SHEE · jɛ́n.ɕí
Meaning: Swallow’s joy
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

From a classical ode in the Book of Songs celebrating swallows and the joy of new life; a name with three thousand years of literary history.

Qilin

Origin: Mandarin (specific characters uncertain)
Pronunciation: CHEE-lin · ˈtʃiː.lɪn
Meaning: Mythical auspicious creature, the Chinese unicorn
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Said to appear only in the reign of virtuous rulers or at the birth of great men; Confucius’ birth was reportedly heralded by a qilin.

Bolin

Origin: Mandarin Chinese
Pronunciation: boh-LEEN · bwoʊˈliːn
Meaning: Broad forest
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Forest as a metaphor for wide learning; a name that imagines the mind as an ecosystem rather than a single tree.

Shuyi

Origin: Mandarin (specific characters uncertain)
Pronunciation: SHOO-yee · ʃuːˈiː
Meaning: The spirit of books, literary meaning
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

A name that dedicates the child to the life of learning; bookish in the most aspirational sense.

Qiuyin

Origin: Mandarin (specific characters uncertain)
Pronunciation: chyoh-YEEN
Meaning: Autumn’s chant, autumn poem
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Autumn is the season of Chinese classical melancholy — not sadness, but the beautiful ache of impermanence; a deeply literary mood in name form.

Beixing

Origin: Mandarin Chinese
Pronunciation: BAY-shing · beɪ.ɕiŋ
Meaning: North Star
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The fixed point that everything else orients around; Confucius compared a virtuous ruler to the North Star in the Analects — everything turns toward it while it remains still.

Wanqing

Origin: Mandarin (specific characters uncertain)
Pronunciation: wahn-CHING · wɑːnˈtɕiŋ
Meaning: Ten thousand clear skies
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

A name of almost excessive optimism; the hyperbolic wanwan (ten thousand) is a classical rhetorical device for infinity.

Daqian

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese given name)
Pronunciation: DAH-chyehn · dɑːˈtɕjɛn
Meaning: Great thousand, the infinite Buddhist universe
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

From Buddhist cosmology; the trichiliocosm (great-thousand-world) is a universe of billions of worlds — a name that puts a child at the center of an unfathomably large existence.

Suiyu

Origin: Mandarin (specific characters uncertain)
Pronunciation: SWAY-yoo · sweɪˈjuː
Meaning: The year’s words
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

An unusual literary name; the idea that a year speaks — through seasons, through events, through what endures — carries the weight of time and attention.

Ziwei

Origin: Mandarin
Pronunciation: zuh-WAY
Meaning: the crape myrtle flower, also the name of an imperial constellation
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Wenshan

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese given name)
Pronunciation: WEN-shahn · wən.ʂan
Meaning: Literary mountain
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Wen Tianxiang, the Song dynasty patriot whose poem “Song of Righteousness” is one of the most memorized poems in Chinese culture, bore this as part of his name.

Chunlei

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese given name)
Pronunciation: choon-LAY · tʃʊnleɪ
Meaning: Spring thunder
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The first thunder of spring in classical Chinese poetry signals awakening and renewal; a name for a child whose arrival feels like the world waking up.

Yanqiu

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese given name)
Pronunciation: yen-CHYOH · jɛ́n.tɕʰjóʊ
Meaning: Swallow and autumn
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

An image-pairing from classical poetry; swallows migrate south in autumn, and the sight of them leaving was one of the canonical images of seasonal melancholy.

Ziqi

Origin: Mandarin
Pronunciation: zuh-CHEE
Meaning: an auspicious purple mist
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

According to legend, when Laozi (the philosopher of the Dao) was about to leave China, a purple cloud appeared; this name is literally about the arrival of wisdom.

Names Meaning Peace, Harmony, and Calm

Not every parent is naming toward ambition or brilliance. Some of the most beloved Chinese names simply want a good life — a peaceful one, a harmonious one, a life where things hold together.

One of the foundational values of Chinese civilization; a name that chooses community over individual glory.

Ping

Origin: Chinese (Mandarin)
Pronunciation: PING · pɪŋ
Meaning: level, peaceful, even
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The groundedness of a flat road — not dramatic, but reliable; a name that promises stability over excitement.

Origin: Vietnamese (Sino-Vietnamese 安)
Pronunciation: AHN · ˈɑːn
Meaning: peace, safety
Popularity: #4,313 and rising (#4,610 → #4,313, 2024)

Shows a woman under a roof in its classical form; the safety of being sheltered and still.

Ning

Origin: Chinese (Mandarin)
Pronunciation: NING · niŋ
Meaning: peaceful, calm
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The particular peace of a mind that isn’t restlessly seeking; associated with Daoist ideals of non-striving.

You

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese given name)
Pronunciation: YOH · joʊ
Meaning: Leisurely, unhurried, far-reaching
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The quality of taking the long view; unhurried not from laziness but from confidence that there is enough time.

Shan

Origin: Chinese
Pronunciation: SHAHN · ˈʃɑːn
Meaning: mountain
Popularity: #9,704 and falling (#9,597 → #9,704, 2024)

Origin: Mandarin Chinese (likely 穆)
Pronunciation: MOO · muː
Meaning: dignified, solemn, and reverent
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The quietness of someone who takes things seriously without taking themselves too seriously.

Origin: English, pet form of Sue/Susan
Pronunciation: SOO · suː
Meaning: lily (via Susan/Susannah)
Popularity: #17,307 as of 2023 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Chun

Origin: Chinese (given name); also a Korean-derived surname
Pronunciation: CHUHN · ˈtʃʌn
Meaning: spring (as a Chinese given-name element); alternatively ‘field’ or ‘whole/complete’ in its surname use
Popularity: #10,650 as of 2000 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Simplicity of character rather than simplicity of circumstance; a name for someone who is genuinely one thing, not performing several.

Dan

Origin: Hebrew (biblical)
Pronunciation: DAN · ˈdæn
Meaning: judge
Popularity: #1,917 and falling (#1,698 → #1,917, 2024)

Kuan

Origin: Mandarin Chinese (also found in Cantonese/Hokkien romanization)
Pronunciation: KWAHN · kwɑːn
Meaning: broad, tolerant, and generous-spirited
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Generosity of spirit; a name about interior spaciousness — room for many things.

Anran

Origin: Mandarin Chinese (安然)
Pronunciation: AHN-rahn · an ɻan
Meaning: calm and at ease
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

A two-character name meaning something like “at peace as a matter of course”; not achieved peace but native peace.

Ningjing

Origin: Mandarin Chinese
Pronunciation: ning-JING · niŋ.tɕiŋ
Meaning: deeply peaceful and tranquil, a standard descriptive word as well as a given name
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Anxin

Origin: Mandarin Chinese
Pronunciation: ahn-SHEEN · ɑːnˈʃiːn
Meaning: Peaceful heart, settled mind
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The feeling of having nothing to worry about; what you say to someone to put them at ease — this name makes that reassurance a permanent quality.

Pinghe

Origin: Mandarin (specific characters uncertain)
Pronunciation: PING-huh · pʰiŋ.xɤ
Meaning: Peacefully harmonious
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The phrase used to describe a person who creates calm in their surroundings; a diplomat’s name and a healer’s name.

Yuanhe

Origin: Mandarin
Pronunciation: yoo-EN-huh
Meaning: origin and harmony
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Not harmony restored but the first harmony, before things went wrong; a name about beginnings.

Youran

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese given name)
Pronunciation: YOH-rahn · joʊ.ʐan
Meaning: Leisurely and naturally
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Tao Yuanming, the great pastoral poet, used youran in one of the most famous lines in Chinese poetry (“leisurely I see the southern mountain”); this name has his spirit in it.

Jingan

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese given name)
Pronunciation: jeeng-AHN · dʒɪŋɑːn
Meaning: Serene peace
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

A compound that doubles the stillness; Jing’an is also a district in Shanghai, which gives the name contemporary resonance alongside its classical depth.

Yining

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese place name)
Pronunciation: ee-NING · iːˈnɪŋ
Meaning: a place name (Yining, a city in Xinjiang, China) that includes a character meaning ‘peace’
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Shanhe

Origin: Mandarin (specific characters uncertain)
Pronunciation: SHAHN-huh · ʂɑn.xɤ
Meaning: Mountains and rivers — the land itself
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

In Chinese writing about the nation, shanhe means the homeland in its physical wholeness; a name about being deeply rooted in place.

Tong

Origin: Chinese surname; also an English place name
Pronunciation: TAWNG · tɒŋ
Meaning: Connected, unobstructed, understanding
Popularity: #13,940 as of 2019 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The smooth flow between things; a name for someone who will be a bridge-builder, a translator, a connector.

Hengling

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese given name)
Pronunciation: hung-LING · xɤŋ.liŋ
Meaning: Enduring peace
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Two characters of long-term thinking: Heng (constancy, forever) + Ning (tranquil); peace not as a moment but as a lifelong practice.

Muchen

Origin: Mandarin Chinese (character combination uncertain)
Pronunciation: MOO-chen · muːˈtʂʰən
Meaning: Wooden calm, quietly settled
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

An unusual pairing; the solidity of wood (not stone, not metal — wood’s particular warmth) combined with deep stillness.

Qingchun

Origin: Mandarin (specific characters uncertain)
Pronunciation: CHING-choon · tʃɪŋˈtʃuːn
Meaning: Purely clear, innocently simple
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The freshness of something uncomplicated and unspoiled; a name that holds onto the early chapters.

Two-Character Names That Tell a Story

Two-character Chinese names are where the art of naming really opens up. By combining two meaningful characters, parents can write a tiny poem — an image, a virtue, an aspiration compressed into four syllables.

Chenxi

Origin: Mandarin Chinese
Pronunciation: chun-SHEE · tʃənˈʃiː
Meaning: Morning’s first light, dawn glow
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

One of the most beloved contemporary Chinese girl names; the moment just before full sunrise when the sky turns luminous gold.

Yunfei

Origin: Mandarin
Pronunciation: YOON-fay · jynˈfeɪ
Meaning: clouds soaring upward
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Xiyue

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese given name)
Pronunciation: SHEE-yweh
Meaning: Joy and delight
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Directly the phrase for happiness in Mandarin; naming a child this is like naming them Happiness itself.

Minghui

Origin: Mandarin Chinese
Pronunciation: MING-hway · miŋ̌.xwéi
Meaning: bright or clear-minded, paired with wisdom (明 + 慧)
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

A popular combination; two distinct kinds of intellectual light — the clarity of Ming and the interior luminance of Hui.

Meiling

Origin: Mandarin Chinese
Pronunciation: may-LING · meɪˈlɪŋ
Meaning: beautiful, paired with a second element that varies by character (often ‘tinkling jade sound, ‘ sometimes ‘years/age’)
Popularity: #12,962 and rising (#14,562 → #12,962, 2024)

The name of Soong Mei-ling, the enormously influential Madame Chiang Kai-shek, who brought the name global recognition.

Jiaming

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese given name)
Pronunciation: jyah-MEENG
Meaning: Family brightness
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

A name about the light one brings to their lineage; popular in Cantonese-speaking communities, particularly in Hong Kong.

Wenxi

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese place name)
Pronunciation: WUN-shee · wənˈɕiː
Meaning: a place name built from characters meaning roughly ‘hear’ and ‘joy’ (from Wenxi County in Shanxi, China)
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Literary (Wen) plus radiance (Xi); a name for the child you hope will be both thoughtful and luminous.

Xinyi

Origin: Chinese (Mandarin pinyin, meaning depends on the characters used)
Pronunciation: SHIN-yee · ɕin.i
Meaning: Joyfully happy
Popularity: #11,030 as of 2020 — not currently in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Pairs two happiness characters with slightly different emotional registers; popular for contemporary baby girls in mainland China and Taiwan.

Yixuan

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese given name)
Pronunciation: EE-shwahn · iː.ɕɥɛn
Meaning: Joyful and bright
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Xuan here refers to the daylily (also a forgetting-sorrow flower in Chinese tradition); the name pairs joy with the forgetting of grief.

Qianmo

Origin: Mandarin (specific characters uncertain)
Pronunciation: CHYEN-moh · tʃjɛnˈmwɔː
Meaning: Thousand ink strokes
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

A name for someone who will write a lot — or be written about; the weight of a thousand documents, a thousand arguments, a thousand paintings.

Muyun

Origin: Mandarin Chinese
Pronunciation: moo-YOON · muːˈjʊn
Meaning: evening or dusk, paired with clouds (暮 + 云)
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The other end of Chenxi; where dawn clouds carry promise, evening clouds carry reflection — a quieter, more contemplative arrival.

Yufei

Origin: Mandarin
Pronunciation: YOO-fay · juː.feɪ
Meaning: jade taking flight
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Zhuoer

Origin: Mandarin
Pronunciation: JWOH-er · ˈdʒwɔː.ɑːr
Meaning: standing out distinctly from the crowd
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

A classical phrase meaning to stand head and shoulders above; a name that expects singularity.

Tianbao

Origin: Mandarin (specific characters uncertain)
Pronunciation: tyen-BOW · tjɛn.paʊ
Meaning: Heaven’s treasure
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Direct and exuberant; you are the best thing the sky has dropped.

Yiqing

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese given name)
Pronunciation: EE-ching · iː.tɕʰiŋ
Meaning: One pure clarity
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The single quality of being unclouded; a name that finds sufficiency in one precise virtue.

Zhiyuan

Origin: Mandarin
Pronunciation: jur-YWEN
Meaning: far-reaching ambition
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Classical compound meaning “high aspirations” — the kind of name a grandfather might have chosen deliberately to plant a direction.

Yunxuan

Origin: Mandarin
Pronunciation: yoon-SHWEN
Meaning: cloud paired with a fine jade stone
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Leilei

Origin: Mandarin Chinese (reduplicated)
Pronunciation: LAY-lay · leɪˈleɪ
Meaning: open-hearted and upright, from rocks piled upon rocks, echoing the idiom for ‘frank and forthright’
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Reduplication intensifies meaning in Chinese; this name says: upright twice over, integrity without exception.

Xuyue

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese given name)
Pronunciation: shyoo-YWEH
Meaning: Rising sun and moon
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The sun climbs, the moon witnesses; a name about being seen across the full range of time.

Zimo

Origin: Mandarin
Pronunciation: ZEE-mwoh · tsiːˈmwɔ
Meaning: child of ink, evoking calligraphy and scholarship
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Nuanyang

Origin: Mandarin Chinese
Pronunciation: nwan-YAHNG · nwɑnˈjɑŋ
Meaning: warm sunshine
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Precisely the feeling of sunlight on a cool day — not blazing heat but the warmth that makes you stop walking and close your eyes for a moment.

Jiawei

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese given name)
Pronunciation: jyah-WAY
Meaning: Auspiciously beautiful, fine rose
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Wei here refers to climbing plants and roses; a name about delicate beauty that spreads and climbs.

Mengxi

Origin: Mandarin Chinese
Pronunciation: mung-SHEE · məŋˈɕiː
Meaning: dreaming, paired with morning sunlight or dawn glow (likely 梦 + 曦)
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

A name that suggests the future is something beautiful you’re moving toward in sleep and in waking.

Anqi

Origin: Mandarin Chinese (安琪)
Meaning: peace and fine jade; sounds like ‘Angel/Angie’
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

This double resonance (classical jade character + phonetic echo of angel) made Anqi enormously popular in Chinese-speaking communities with Christian influence.

Zhiyu

Origin: Mandarin
Pronunciation: jee-YOO · dʒiːˈjuː
Meaning: aspiration or wisdom paired with rain
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Modern Chinese Names Gaining Global Currency

These names are widely used by contemporary parents in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Chinese diaspora communities worldwide. Some have crossed into English-language naming circles; others are on their way.

Now used so widely in English-speaking countries that many parents don’t know its Chinese origins; the original meaning — the joyful song sung after a military victory — is worth recovering.

Lin

Origin: Mandarin Chinese (also Gan, Wu, character 林)
Pronunciation: LIN · lɪn
Meaning: forest or grove, from a doubling of the character for ‘tree/wood’
Popularity: #13,399 and falling (#8,644 → #13,399, 2024)

Clean and direct; sounds neutral enough to move between languages without translation loss, while keeping its full Chinese meaning intact.

Bao

Origin: Vietnamese
Pronunciation: BOW · ˈbaʊ
Meaning: precious treasure
Popularity: #6,487 and rising (#7,799 → #6,487, 2024)

Chen

Origin: Chinese (surname 陈, unclear as given name)
Pronunciation: CHUN · tʃən
Meaning: Morning, dawn
Popularity: #9,110 and rising (#10,014 → #9,110, 2024)

Pairs the concrete imagery of early morning with a slight wistfulness; popular across China and in diaspora communities as both a given name and family name.

Jin

Origin: Korean
Pronunciation: JIN · dʒɪn
Meaning: Gold
Popularity: #2,602 and falling (#2,203 → #2,602, 2024)

Gold in Chinese culture is associated with wealth, permanence, and the highest quality; a one-character name that doesn’t overthink.

Ren

Origin: Japanese (kanji-dependent)
Pronunciation: ruh-NAY · rəˈneɪ
Meaning: Benevolence, the highest Confucian virtue
Popularity: #1,145 and falling (#1,081 → #1,145, 2024)

Confucius considered Ren the master virtue from which all others flow; a name that sets an entire ethical direction.

Zhiwen

Origin: Mandarin
Pronunciation: jur-WUN
Meaning: ambition paired with culture and learning
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Will (Zhi) paired with literary cultivation (Wen); a name that wants both the drive and the humanism.

Yuning

Origin: Mandarin
Pronunciation: yoo-NING · ɥ.niŋ
Meaning: cosmic peace
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Yiran

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese given name)
Pronunciation: EE-rahn · iː.ʐan
Meaning: Still, as always, constant
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

The name means something like “still the same, enduringly so”; an unusual name choice that carries a philosophical commitment to constancy.

Ziyuan

Origin: Mandarin
Pronunciation: zee-yoo-AHN · tsiːˈjɛn
Meaning: the everyday word for ‘resources’ (though as a given name, different characters are likely intended)
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Zi as the honorific child/noble person, Yuan as garden or park; a name about cultivated, tended beauty.

Yinghao

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese given name)
Pronunciation: YING-how · jɪŋ.xaʊ
Meaning: Brilliantly vast
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

English (a different Ying, 英, meaning hero, talent, Britain) plus Hao; popular name with the energy of someone destined to be recognized.

Zimei

Origin: Mandarin
Pronunciation: zee-MAY · ziːˈmeɪ
Meaning: a noble purple hue paired with beauty
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Du Fu — arguably China’s greatest poet — had the courtesy name Zimei; a name that carries 1,300 years of literary legacy.

Boyuan

Origin: Mandarin Chinese
Pronunciation: boh-yoo-EHN
Meaning: Broadly far-reaching
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings

Knowledge (Bo) + distance (Yuan); a name for someone who will learn from many places and travel far in mind if not always in body.

Jingyi

Origin: Mandarin (Chinese given name)
Meaning: Serenely joyful
Popularity: Not in the U.S. Social Security rankings