Chinese NameGenerator

There are three common ways: transliterate your name by sound (Emily becomes 艾米丽 Àimǐlì), choose a real Chinese name with a common surname and a meaningful given name, or ask a teacher or Chinese friend. This free generator does the second: it matches a real surname to your last name and a real given name to your first.

There are two answers. A phonetic transliteration writes the sound of your name with Chinese characters — Michael becomes 迈克尔 (Màikè'ěr), Emily becomes 艾米丽 (Àimǐlì). A real Chinese name instead has a Chinese surname and a meaningful given name, like the ones this generator suggests. Chinese media use transliterations for foreign names, but a real Chinese name sounds natural in everyday life.

It builds your name from two real parts. The surname is one of the 100 most common Chinese surnames, chosen because its sound is close to your last name. The given name comes from a curated list of real Chinese given names, picked by the style you choose (female, male or neutral), the meaning you like, and how close its first sound is to your first name.

Yes. Many foreigners who study, work or do business with Chinese speakers use a Chinese name, and it is generally seen as a friendly, respectful gesture. Choose a name that sounds like a real Chinese person’s name, with a common surname first, rather than a string of characters picked for their meanings alone.

A natural Chinese name usually has a common surname, a one- or two-character given name used by real people, characters with positive meanings, and no awkward sound or homophone. Every name in this generator meets the first two tests; before using a name on a tattoo or official document, ask a native speaker to check it.

Say 我叫 (wǒ jiào) followed by your full name: 我叫石文静 (Wǒ jiào Shí Wénjìng), "My name is Shi Wenjing." To give just your surname, say 我姓石 (Wǒ xìng Shí), "My surname is Shi." To ask someone’s name, say 你叫什么名字？ (Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?).

Most Chinese names have three characters: a one-character surname and a two-character given name, like 石文静 (Shí Wénjìng). Two-character names, such as 李娜 (Lǐ Nà), are also common. Compound surnames have two characters; the most common one, 欧阳 (Ōuyáng), is used by about 1.1 million people.

The five most common Chinese surnames are 王 (Wáng), 李 (Lǐ), 张 (Zhāng), 刘 (Liú) and 陈 (Chén). Together they account for 30.8% of China’s registered population, according to the 2020 National Name Report from China’s Ministry of Public Security. This generator draws on the 100 most common surnames.

Yes. Chinese names put the surname first and the given name second, so Emily Smith could become 石文静 (Shí Wénjìng), with 石 as the surname. Most Chinese names are two or three characters long.

Yes. Generating names is free and instant, with no sign-up. Click "Show more names" for new suggestions, tap a surname to swap it, and share your name as an image card.

Please ask a native speaker to check any name before it becomes permanent. Characters can have several meanings, and a name that reads well on screen may look different in a particular font or calligraphy style.

Each name comes with pinyin, the official romanization, including tone marks, and a Listen button. Click "Type it" to type the name with pinyin right on the page. To learn to read, type and pronounce the characters properly, start the free first chapter of our course What's in a Chinese Name, which teaches naming culture through typing practice with native audio.