Chinese Surname Encyclopedia
A complete dictionary of Chinese family names — from the most popular surnames used by millions to rare and unique ones. Each entry includes the Chinese character, pinyin pronunciation, and cultural origin.
Tip: A complete Chinese name is made of a surname (last name) followed by a given name (first name). Browse the surnames below, then head to our Name Translator Tool or Given Names Directory to find the perfect first name to pair with your surname.
Chinese surnames (姓氏, xìngshì) have a history spanning over 3,000 years. Unlike Western last names, Chinese family names are typically a single character and appear before the given name. For example, in the name 李明远 (Lǐ Míngyuǎn), 李 (Lǐ) is the surname and 明远 (Míngyuǎn) is the given name.
According to the Song Dynasty classic Baijiaxing (百家姓, "Hundred Family Surnames"), there are hundreds of documented Chinese last names. Today, the top 100 Chinese surnames account for over 85% of the population — with 王 (Wáng), 李 (Lǐ), 张 (Zhāng), and 刘 (Liú) being the four most common family names in China.
王
Common Chinese surname with very high usage frequency.
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李
Imperial surname of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the most common surname in China and worldwide.
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施
Originated from the State of Shi, an ancient vassal state.
🔥 4 picks
陶
Descendants of Tao Tang, the legendary emperor Yao.
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洪
Originated from the State of Hong, an ancient vassal state.
翟
Originated from the State of Di, an ancient vassal state.
安
Originated from the State of An, an ancient vassal state.
🔥 5 picks
颜
Surname of Yan Hui, Confucius's most beloved disciple.
倪
Originated from the State of Ni, an ancient vassal state.
庄
Surname of Zhuang Zhou (Zhuangzi), one of the most influential Daoist philosophers.
项
Common Chinese surname with medium usage frequency.
邱
Common Chinese surname with medium usage frequency.
夏
Originated from the Xia Dynasty, the first dynasty in traditional Chinese history (c. 2070-1600 BCE).
凌
Common Chinese surname with medium usage frequency.
缪
Common Chinese surname with medium usage frequency.
葛
Originated from the State of Ge, an ancient vassal state.
莫
Originated from the State of Mo, an ancient vassal state.
查
Common Chinese surname with medium usage frequency.
喻
Common Chinese surname with medium usage frequency.
张
Surname of Hui, the grandson of the Yellow Emperor, credited with inventing the bow and arrow.
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刘
Imperial surname of the Han Dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE), one of the most influential dynasties in Chinese history.
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成
Common Chinese surname with medium usage frequency.
邢
Common Chinese surname with medium usage frequency.
滑
Common Chinese surname with medium usage frequency.
裴
Common Chinese surname with medium usage frequency.
荣
Common Chinese surname with medium usage frequency.
翁
Common Chinese surname with medium usage frequency.
荀
Common Chinese surname with medium usage frequency.
羊
Common Chinese surname with medium usage frequency.
🔥 1 picks
於
Common Chinese surname with medium usage frequency.
惠
Common Chinese surname with medium usage frequency.
甄
Surname of Zhen Ji, famous for her beauty and role in the Three Kingdoms period.
芮
Common Chinese surname with medium usage frequency.
羿
Common Chinese surname with medium usage frequency.
陈
Originated from the State of Chen, a Zhou Dynasty vassal state. Also the surname of Chen Sheng who led the first major rebellion against the Qin Dynasty.
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杨
Imperial surname of the Sui Dynasty (581-618), originated from the State of Yang.
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储
Common Chinese surname with medium usage frequency.
靳
Common Chinese surname with medium usage frequency.
汲
Common Chinese surname with medium usage frequency.
邴
Common Chinese surname with medium usage frequency.
糜
Common Chinese surname with medium usage frequency.
松
Common Chinese surname with medium usage frequency.
井
Common Chinese surname with medium usage frequency.
富
Common Chinese surname with medium usage frequency.
巫
Common Chinese surname with medium usage frequency.
乌
Common Chinese surname with medium usage frequency.
焦
Common Chinese surname with medium usage frequency.
巴
Common Chinese surname with medium usage frequency.
弓
Common Chinese surname with medium usage frequency.
牧
Common Chinese surname with medium usage frequency.
The vast majority of Chinese family names consist of a single character (e.g., 王, 李, 张). There are also rare two-character surnames (复姓) like 欧阳 (Ōuyáng) and 司马 (Sīmǎ). Single-character surnames account for over 99% of all Chinese people.
China's surname distribution is extremely concentrated. The top 10 Chinese last names alone cover roughly 40% of the population. This is very different from Western countries where surname distribution is much more spread out across thousands of family names.
Many Chinese surnames can be traced back to ancient states, fiefdoms, or noble titles. For example, 陈 (Chén) originates from the ancient state of Chen, and 赵 (Zhào) comes from a fiefdom in the Zhou Dynasty. Your Chinese last name carries thousands of years of history.
王 (Wáng) is currently the most common Chinese surname, used by over 100 million people in China. It's followed closely by 李 (Lǐ) and 张 (Zhāng). Together, these three Chinese family names account for over 20% of the entire Chinese population.
The Baijiaxing (百家姓), or "Hundred Family Surnames," is a classic Chinese text from the Song Dynasty (c. 10th century). It's a rhyming poem that lists over 400 common Chinese surnames. Despite its name, it includes more than 100 — the title uses "hundred" in the sense of "many." The first few lines are: 赵钱孙李, 周吴郑王 (Zhào Qián Sūn Lǐ, Zhōu Wú Zhèng Wáng).
There are several approaches: pick a surname that sounds similar to your English last name (phonetic match), choose one based on your Chinese zodiac sign, or simply browse and select one that resonates with you culturally. Our Name Translator Tool can help you find the perfect Chinese surname with phonetic and zodiac matching.
Yes! Many Chinese last names originated from place names, official titles, or descriptive words. For instance, 林 (Lín) means "forest," 山 (Shān) means "mountain," and 金 (Jīn) means "gold." While Chinese people don't usually think of their surname's literal meaning in daily life, the origins and stories behind each family name are deeply rooted in Chinese history and culture.
Pick a surname above, then combine it with a beautiful given name using our free tool.
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