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China is one of the heavily populated country the world. Chinese names are interesting in that there are virtually infinite given names and a relatively small set of family names. However some names are still widely used around China. Below are top 50 most popular Chinese names for men and women.
Rankings; Chinese Names; Pinyin, Given Name Meaning; Gender ; No. of people with the same name
1 张伟 Zhang Wei (Great) – Male 290607
2 王伟 Wang Wei (Great) -Male 281568
3 王芳 Wang Fang (aromatous) – Female 268268
4 李伟 Li Wei (Great) -Male 260980
5 王秀英 Wang Xiu Ying (Elegant & brave) – Female 246737
6 李秀英 Li Xiu Ying (Elegant & brave) – Female 244637
7 李娜 Li Na (elegant) – Female 244223
8 张秀英 Zhang Xiu Ying (Elegant & brave) – Female 236266
9 刘伟 Liu Wei (Great) -Male 234352
10 张敏 Zhang Min (Quick) – Female 233708
11 李静 Li Jing (Quiet) – Female 232686
12 张丽 Zhang Li (Beautiful) – Female 232533
13 王静 Wang Jing (Quiet) – Female 231914
14 王丽 Wang Li (Quiet) – Female 226724
15 李强 Li Qiang (Strong) -Male 223950
16 张静 Zhang Jing (Quiet) – Female 221483
17 李敏 Li Min (Quick) – Female 213606
18 王敏 Wang Min (Quick) – Female 213603
19 王磊 Wang lei (Rock pile) -Male 209757
20 李军 Li Jun (Army) -Male 199772
21 刘洋 Liu Yang (Ocean) – Female 199642
22 王勇 Wang Yong (Brave) -Male 198720
23 张勇 Zhang Yong (Brave) -Male 197859
24 王艳 Wang Yan (Glamorous) – Female 194371
25 李杰 Li Jie (Hero) -Male 191759
26 张磊 Zhang Lei (Rock pile) -Male 191065
27 王强 Wang Qiang (Strong) -Male 190266
28 王军 Wang Jun (Army)-Male 189999
29 张杰 Zhang Jie (Hero)-Male 189117
30 李娟 Li Juan (Beautiful) – Female 187701
31 张艳 Zhang Yan (Glamorous) – Female 181752
32 张涛 Zhang Tao (Wave)-Male 177993
33 王涛 Wang Tao (Wave) -Male 177978
34 李明 Li Ming (Bright) -Male 177898
35 李艳 Li Yan (Glamorous) – Female 176676
36 王超 Wang Chao (Overtake) -Male 174891
37 李勇 Li Yong (Brave) -Male 173615
38 王娟 Wang Juan (Beautiful) – Female 171785
39 刘杰 Liu Jie (Hero)-Male 166929
40 王秀兰 Wang Xiu Lan (Elegant orchid) – Female 166111
41 李霞 Li Xia (Red clouds) – Female 165189
42 刘敏 Liu Min (Quick) – Female 164133
43 张军 Zhang Jun (Army) -Male 162773
44 李丽 Li Li (Beautiful) – Female 162497
45 张强 Zhang Qiang (Strong)-Male 159914
46 王平 Wang Ping (Peaceful)-Male 155617
47 王刚 Wang Gang (Hard)-Male 154600
48 王杰 Wang Jie (Hero) -Male 154113
49 李桂英 Li Gui Ying (Cassiabarktree Hero) – Female 153218
50 刘芳 Liu Fang (Fragrant) – Female 152189
Besides the above 50 common Chinese names, there are also a lot of other popular Chinese names. You may find the Wikipedia article to learn more about Chinese names.
Careful, in China the last name is the first name and the first name is the last name, right? Let’s stick with family name and given name.
In general, in the US given names are few and family names are many. In China it’s the opposite; family names are few and given names are many. In Chinese the word for “common people” is “old hundred names” and there are literally only about a hundred surnames in use; there is an actual book listing (almost) all family names. In practical terms almost everyone you meet has one of only a couple dozen surnames.
When I was an English teacher in China way back and I wanted to divide the class in half for an exercise, I would say, “OK, if your [family] name is Wang, Liu, Zhang, Chen or Li, go over to that side of the room. If not, go to the other side.” That would usually do it. Sometimes I had to add Zhao.
For given names, Chinese does not really have “names” (e.g. Jason, Jennifer) the way European languages do – Chinese people can and do name their kids all kinds of things, sometimes with an obvious meaning and sometimes just for a nice sound. Having said that, there are characters that are usually only encountered in names. Sometimes a name makes it obvious if the bearer is male or female; sometimes not.
I know a Chinese married couple with the exact same name, family and given, same characters and everything. This led to all sorts of amusing horrific anecdotes when they moved to the US and tried to apply for green cards…