Chinese Baby Names

Popular Chinese baby names change with each generation. For boys, characters conveying greatness, vastness and ambition — like 伟 (Wěi), 浩 (Hào) and 轩 (Xuān) — stay evergreen; for girls, poetic characters like 诗 (Shī), 涵 (Hán) and 雨 (Yǔ) are perennial favorites. This page lists the most-picked baby names in our database for both genders.

Chinese parents typically weigh three things: the meaning of the characters, how the full name sounds with the surname, and cultural resonance — many names are drawn from classical poetry or express hopes like wisdom, health and happiness. Family generational characters (字辈) may also decide one of the two given-name characters.

Traditionally some parents choose characters that harmonize with the baby's zodiac animal and birth-year element. It is one factor among many — modern parents often treat it as a fun tiebreaker rather than a rule. Our generator offers zodiac-based surname suggestions if you want to explore it.

Yes — four-character names combining both parents' surnames plus a two-character given name exist, though they remain rare. Most Chinese baby names still follow the classic 2–3 character structure: family surname first, then the given name.

Chinese parents avoid characters with negative meanings and awkward homophones that sound like unlucky words, and usually skip characters too obscure to read. A curated list like ours sidesteps those traps — every entry has been checked for meaning and pronunciation.