Overview
Did you know that many Chinese people also have English names? They get to pick the name they like or get assigned one in school.
They choose English names because foreigners have a difficult time pronouncing or remembering their Chinese names.
Some Chinese like Chow Yun Fat became famous even while using their traditional Chinese names. But most, like Jacky Chan (born Chan Kong-sang) and Bruce Lee (born Lee Jun-fan), used their English names.
Still, many non-Chinese families pick Chinese names for their children, too. Some were inspired by “Mulan” or other movies featuring Chinese characters.
If you’re interested in one for your baby, you can find our top 100 popular Chinese boy names below.
Popular Chinese Baby Names for Boys
Plenty of Chinese baby names are unisex and are also used as surnames. Most of the names have meanings related to nature, patriotism, or moral values.
What Are Basic Chinese Names?
- Liu
- Chen
- Li
- Wang
- Zhang
The following are our top 100 choices for the most interesting and popular Chinese male names and their meanings:
Aiguo
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Nationalistic or patriotic
- Variations/Synonyms: Country, nation, affection, or love
- Description: It directly translates to “love of country.”
Bai
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Pure
- Variations/Synonyms: Many, one hundred, white, cypress tree, or cedarwood
- Description: It’s also a Chinese surname with roots in Mongolian culture.
Bao
- Origin: Mongolian, Vietnamese, and Chinese
- Meaning: Precious treasure
- Variations/Synonyms: Bundle, package, or guarantee
- Description: You can also opt to use “Pao” as the alternate spelling for this unisex name.
- “Bao” is the short form of the Mongolian surname “Borjigin.”
Bengt
- Origin: Chinese and Latin
- Meaning: Blessed
- Variations/Synonyms: Precious
- Description: It’s a primarily masculine name with Latin influence.
Bingwen
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Bright
- Variations/Synonyms: Cultivated
- Description: It’s a name typically used only for boys.
Bo
- Origin: Old Norse and Chinese
- Meaning: Ocean wave
- Variations/Synonyms: Wave or precious
- Description: It’s a common surname in China.
Bohai
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Elder brother sea
- Variations/Synonyms: Sea waves
- Description: It’s the name of the innermost gulf of China’s Yellow Sea.
Bojing
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Admiration
- Variations/Synonyms: Win admiration
- Description: It can also be spelled as “Bo-jing.”
Bolin
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Elder brother rain
- Variations/Synonyms: Gentle rain or farmer
- Description: It may have some ties to the Swedish version, with elements “bo” (farm) and “lin” (common Swedish surname prefix).
Bowen
- Origin: Welsh, Irish, and Chinese
- Meaning: Literate and rich
- Variations/Synonyms: Generation or abundant
- Description: Because of its spelling, it’s often mistaken for a non-Chinese name.
- It shares the same spelling with the Irish/Welsh name “Bowen” (son of Owen).
Chang
- Origin: Old Chinese
- Meaning: Prosperous or flourishing
- Variations/Synonyms: Often, constant, smooth, good, unhindered, long, free, or sunlight
- Description: It’s among the most popular girl names and is also a common surname.
Changpu
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Simple
- Variations/Synonyms: Forever simple or flourishing vine
- Description: It’s a popular name for boys and girls.
Chao
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Surpass
- Variations/Synonyms: Nest, excellent, or tide
- Description: It’s a common Chinese family name but also used as a unisex first name.
- You can also opt to spell this as “Zhao.”
Chen
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Dawn or morning
- Variations/Synonyms: Loveliness, ancient, great, and to describe
- Description: It’s a gender-neutral name.
Cheng
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Succeed and accomplish
- Variations/Synonyms: Sincere, honest, true, and finished
- Description: It’s a variant of “Zheng” and commonly used as a surname, too.
- The name originated from the state of Cheng, known in the Shang and Zhou dynasties. Two high-ranking officials who were granted authority to this state during these dynasties took the place name as their family name. Their descendants subsequently used the surname.
Cheung
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Good luck
- Variations/Synonyms: Lucky
- Description: It can also be spelled as “Chiang” or “Jiang.”
Chia-Hao
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: One with a great objective in life
- Variations/Synonyms: Home, family, brave, heroic, chivalrous, or orchid
- Description: You can also spell this name as “Zhihao” or “Zhi-Hao.”
Chih-Cheng
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Accomplishing one’s goals in life
- Variations/Synonyms: Finished, succeeded, completed, support, sustain, or build
- Description: It’s from “Chih” (to support or build) combined with “Cheng” (succeeded or completed).
Chih-Ming
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Having a clear goal in life
- Variations/Synonyms: Build, sustain, support, clear, or bright
- Description: It’s also spelled as “Tsz-ming” or “Chi-ming.”
- The name comes from “Chih” (to support or build) combined with “Ming” (bright or clear).
Chun-Chieh
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Spring (season)
- Variations/Synonyms: Life or youthful
- Description: It also means “someone who seeks new adventures.”
Da
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Intelligence
- Variations/Synonyms: Great, big, vast, high, and attainment
- Description: It also means “good time.”
De
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Virtue
- Variations/Synonyms: Morality, merit, inherent character, royal, royalty, integrity, virtuous deeds, or inner power
- Description: It’s also written as “Te.”
- Because of its relevance to integrity and moral character, “De” is considered a key concept in Chinese philosophy. That makes it a nice name for your baby boy.
Delun
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Virtuous order
- Variations/Synonyms: Religious
- Description: It’s a given name primarily used by boys.
What Is A Unique Boy Name? Deming
- Origin: Chinese and Old English
- Meaning: Bright virtue
- Variations/Synonyms: Inherent character, inner power, or integrity
- Description: It can also mean “judgment.”
Dong
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: East
- Variations/Synonyms: Beam, to supervise, to manage, from the east, or pillar
- Description: It’s related to “Donghai,” which means “eastern sea.”
- According to Chinese legend, Emperor Shun’s adviser was given this name for his ability to train and supervise dragons.
Duyi
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Whole
- Variations/Synonyms: Independent wholeness
- Description: It’s primarily used as a name for boys.
Fai
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Beginning
- Variations/Synonyms: Growth or brilliant light
- Description: It’s one of the most common Chinese surnames in Singapore.
Fang
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Virtuous and beautiful
- Variations/Synonyms: Pleasant, wind, fragrant, or square
- Description: It pays homage to Fang, the ancient Chinese state that’s now Henan province.
Feng
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Phoenix
- Variations/Synonyms: Maple or summit
- Description: It’s a common unisex name and surname.
Fu
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Good luck or fortune
- Variations/Synonyms: Man, father, wealthy, lotus, begin, origin, or hibiscus (a tropical flower)
- Description: It’s popular in Chinese culture because Fu is one of the three so-called “star gods” (Fu, Lu, and Shou).
- The Chinese character 福 (Fu) is displayed in most Chinese home entrances. The symbol is also associated with the Chinese New Year celebration.
Gan
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Adventure
- Variations/Synonyms: Clean, dry, to concern, to interfere, stem, tree trunk, shield, to manage, to work, or capable
- Description: It’s among the most commonly used surnames in China.
Guang
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Glory
- Variations/Synonyms: Bright or light
- Description: It can also mean “someone from the light.”
Gui
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Noble
- Variations/Synonyms: Expensive, precious, or rare
- Description: It’s an ancient Chinese surname now more popularly used as a given name.
Hai
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Ocean or sea
- Variations/Synonyms: Prosperous or flourishing
- Description: It’s both a boy’s given name and a common Chinese surname.
Hao
- Origin: Vietnamese and Chinese
- Meaning: Straightforward and open-minded
- Variations/Synonyms: Good, perfect, pride, heroic person, or the vastness of the sky
- Description: It’s a unisex name.
Haoran
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Grand in manner
- Variations/Synonyms: Expansive, overwhelming, integrity, vast, positive, or awe-inspiring righteousness
- Description: It also means “a person who has a great goal.”
He
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Eternal
- Variations/Synonyms: Harmony, peace, river, or stream
- Description: In feminine form, it also means “lotus or water lily.”
Heng
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Constant or permanent
- Variations/Synonyms: Eternal
- Description: It’s also a common surname.
- The name is related to the Chinese surnames “Xing” and “Wang.”
Hong
- Origin: Vietnamese and Chinese
- Meaning: Rainbow
- Variations/Synonyms: Expand, wide, big, vast, water, flood, pink, red, rosy, or wild swan
- Description: It’s also among the top 100 most commonly used surnames in mainland China.
Hu
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Tiger
- Variations/Synonyms: Long-lasting, far-reaching, butterfly, and part of a dagger-ax
- Description: It shares the same Chinese character for “why,” “how,” and “what.”
Huan
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Joyous or happy
- Variations/Synonyms: Pleased, satisfied, imperial official, court eunuch, Chinese soapberry, pillar, model, or pattern
- Description: It’s also a common surname.
Huang
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Phoenix
- Variations/Synonyms: Yellow, bright, shining, or luminous
- Description: It’s not just a given name but is also used as a traditional Chinese surname.
Hui
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Benevolent
- Variations/Synonyms: Brightness, wise, intelligent, clever, splendor, benefit, or favor
- Description: It’s a gender-neutral name.
Jia
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Outstanding person
- Variations/Synonyms: Kin, family, home, or good
- Description: This is a name that’s used for both boys and girls.
Jian
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Healthy and strong
- Variations/Synonyms: Establish, build, simple, or tiger
- Description: It’s a popular name for baby boys because it means “man of strength.”
Jiang
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: River
- Variations/Synonyms: Yujiang (the god of water in Chinese mythology)
- Description: This unisex name relates to “Qiang” and “Chiang.”
Jianyu
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Universe
- Variations/Synonyms: Building the universe
- Description: This name is primarily used for boys.
Jie
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: One who surpasses the rest
- Variations/Synonyms: Outstanding, clean, heroic, prominent, successful, or military governor
- Description: It’s a short form of the traditional Chinese name “Jiédùshi” (regional commander or military commissioner).
Jin
- Origin: Japanese and Chinese
- Meaning: Gold
- Variations/Synonyms: Beautiful or bright
- Description: It can also be used as a girl’s name.
Jinhai
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Golden sea
- Variations/Synonyms: Bright, beautiful, or ocean
- Description: It can also be written as “Jin-Hai.”
Jun
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Genuine
- Variations/Synonyms: Talented, pure, clean, truth, ruler, or king
- Description: It’s a gender-neutral name with a nice meaning.
Kai
- Origin: Japanese, Hawaiian, and Chinese
- Meaning: Victory
- Variations/Synonyms: Origin, start, food, meal, autumn, hill, mound, ocean, shell, recovery, or restoration
- Description: It’s also a popular name in other languages. For example, in Hawaiian, it means “sea.”
Kang
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Healthy
- Variations/Synonyms: Abundant or peaceful
- Description: It’s a modern-day name for boys but also one of the historical Chinese surnames.
Kong
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Sky
- Variations/Synonyms: Bright sky, void, or empty
- Description: It’s among the traditional surnames and can be spelled as “Kung.”
Lei
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Flower bud
- Variations/Synonyms: Thunder or pile of stones
- Description: This given name is also a common Chinese surname.
Li
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Beautiful
- Variations/Synonyms: Reason, logic, dawn, black, or establish
- Description: It can also mean “powerful,” but only when used in masculine form.
Li Qiang
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Power and reason
- Variations/Synonyms: Dawn, logic, establish, beautiful, strong, black, energetic, or powerful
- Description: It comes from “Li” (reason or logic) combined with “Qiang” (strong and powerful).
Li-jun
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Ruler
- Variations/Synonyms: Logic, talented, handsome, or king
- Description: This traditional Chinese name is primarily used for boys.
Liang
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Brilliant or bright
- Variations/Synonyms: Elevation, mast, beam, bridge, fine, bright one, or good
- Description: This Chinese given name is also a common surname across China.
Ling
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Dawn
- Variations/Synonyms: Spirit, the sound of the dawn, chime, bell, delicate, or jade (gemstone)
- Description: This first name is a common Chinese surname, too.
Liu
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Destroy
- Variations/Synonyms: Kill
- Description: This can also be written as “Liú” or “Liao.”
- The name began with a character that originally meant “kill.” It was used by Han dynasty Chinese emperors to make them feel braver. Today, it’s widely used as a given name for boys.
Liwei
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Greatness
- Variations/Synonyms: Profit, reason, or logic
- Description: It can also mean “attractive rose” and “beautiful” when used in feminine form.
Lok
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Happiness
- Variations/Synonyms: Joy
- Description: It’s a common surname among overseas Chinese communities.
Longwei
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Great dragon
- Variations/Synonyms: Dragon greatness
- Description: It’s related to the first name “Longxu.”
Manchu
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Pure
- Variations/Synonyms: Clear or refined
- Description: It also means “a person from Manchuria (a historical region in ancient China).”
Ming
- Origin: Vietnamese, Korean, and Chinese
- Meaning: Bright
- Variations/Synonyms: Clear, light, engrave, inscribe, shining bright, tomorrow, and enlightening
- Description: It’s a unisex given name and a common surname.
Minsheng
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Voice of the people
- Variations/Synonyms: Flourishing, prosperous, or bright
- Description: It’s a variant for “Min-Shing.”
Ning
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Peaceful
- Variations/Synonyms: Calm or serene
- Description: It’s a popular gender-neutral name.
Ping
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Stable
- Variations/Synonyms: Peaceful or level
- Description: This is a unisex name.
Qi
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Enlightenment
- Variations/Synonyms: Vapor or air
- Description: It can also be spelled as “Chi” or “Ki.”
Qiang
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Powerful
- Variations/Synonyms: Rose (flower), energetic, or strong
- Description: This primarily masculine name also means “red rose” when used as a girl’s name.
Qiao
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Skillful
- Variations/Synonyms: Handsome
- Description: It’s a gender-neutral name that means “pretty” in feminine form.
Qiu
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Season of fall or autumn
- Variations/Synonyms: Mound or hill
- Description: It’s the given name of the famous Chinese philosopher Confucius.
Qu
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Interesting
- Variations/Synonyms: Bend, flex, or bow
- Description: It originated from a place called “Quwo.”
Rong
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Prosperous
- Variations/Synonyms: Harmonious, glory, appearance, form, fuse, martial (military), honor, or thriving
- Description: Boys usually use this gender-neutral name.
Ru
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Bright
- Variations/Synonyms: Scholar
- Description: It’s a popular name used for boys and girls.
Shan
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Pure
- Variations/Synonyms: Mountain or virtuous
- Description: It’s a traditional Chinese surname, too.
Shen
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Heart
- Variations/Synonyms: Spirit, god, deity, or community
- Description: Baby girls can also use this name.
Shilin
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Intellectual
- Variations/Synonyms: Congregation of scholars and talents
- Description: It can be a brilliant name for your baby boy.
Shoi-ming
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Sunshine
- Variations/Synonyms: Life of sunshine
- Description: This unisex name is also popularly used by baby girls.
Syaoran
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: One who’s a little wolf
- Variations/Synonyms: Expressive or strong
- Description: It directly translates to “little wolf.”
Sying
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Star
- Variations/Synonyms: Moon
- Description: It can also be a pretty name for baby girls.
Tài Sun
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Fast-growing bamboo shoot
- Variations/Synonyms: Nature, walks on the fragrant grass, start, origin, great extreme, or victory
- Description: It also means “trampling down or winning over disease” in Chinese culture.
Taio
- Origin: Vietnamese and Chinese
- Meaning: A distinguished person
- Variations/Synonyms: Great, peach, long life, talented, a gift of God, or large waves
- Description: It can also mean “from Thailand.”
Tao
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Long life
- Variations/Synonyms: Peach or large waves
- Description: It’s a popular unisex name.
Tengfei
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Soaring high
- Variations/Synonyms: Lofty, to display, to narrate, or luxurious
- Description: It’s primarily used as a boy’s name.
Tu
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Intelligent
- Variations/Synonyms: Earth, suddenly, or soil
- Description: It can also be spelled as “Du.”
- It’s an adaptation of the characters (Zou and Tu) from the ancient Chinese city of Zoutu. Both have become popular given names and common surnames in China.
Wang
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Wish
- Variations/Synonyms: Prince or king
- Description: It can also be spelled as “Wong.”
Wei
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Mighty
- Variations/Synonyms: High, towering, lofty, robust, powerful, brilliant, great, or extraordinary
- Description: It also means “fern (a plant),” “small,” or “rose (flower)” when used in feminine form.
Wen
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Culture
- Variations/Synonyms: Writing or literature
- Description: It’s also a common Chinese surname.
Wu
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Martial or military
- Variations/Synonyms: Business affairs
- Description: It’s one of the Song Dynasty’s classic “Hundred Family Surnames.” Like other Chinese family names, it’s also commonly used as a given name.
Xiang
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Lucky
- Variations/Synonyms: Good luck, fragrant, soars above others, or soars like a bird
- Description: It’s both a unisex given name and a surname in China.
What’s A Good Chinese Name? Xing
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Star
- Variations/Synonyms: Prosperous
- Description: It’s used for both boys and girls.
Yang
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: The universe’s male principle
- Variations/Synonyms: Male, light, sunny, or ocean
- Description: “Yang” is the male principle of the “Yin Yang” Chinese philosophy and is balanced by “Yin,” the female principle.
Ying
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Brave
- Variations/Synonyms: Intelligent, clever, brave, hero, answer, cause, flower, or petal
- Description: It originated as a family name but is now more commonly used as a given name.
Yuze
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Friend
- Variations/Synonyms: Pool, brilliance, high house, or rain
- Description: It can also mean “generation.”
Zhang Yong
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Brave archer
- Variations/Synonyms: Extend, eternal, perpetual, or stretch
- Description: It’s from “Zhang” (archer or extend) combined with “Yong” (brave or eternal).
Zhao
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Excellent
- Variations/Synonyms: Someone from Zhao (an ancient city in China that’s now Shanxi province)
- Description: According to Chinese myth, King Mu rewarded the city to his chariot driver, who subsequently took its name as his surname.
Zhou
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Ship or boat
- Variations/Synonyms: Royalty
- Description: This unisex name has roots in the Zhou dynasty.
- It’s also a family name related to “Chow” or “Chou.”
Zihan
- Origin: Chinese
- Meaning: Child
- Variations/Synonyms: Whiteness, courtesy, or brightness
- Description: It’s a Chinese first name that also means “generation.”
