A Hànzi reference · 姓氏 xìngshì
Chinese surnames,
in order.
Chinese names put the family name first. This page lists the 100 surnames you are most likely to meet, with the character, its Mandarin reading, what the character literally means, and where the surname is usually said to come from.
Why the surname comes first
A Chinese full name is written family name first, then given name: 林知远 is Lín (surname) + Zhīyuǎn (given name). The word for a full name is 姓名, literally “surname-name”, which makes the hierarchy explicit.
Two things follow from that. First, Western forms can mislead you: writing “Zhīyuǎn Lín” is only for international contexts, not for Chinese. Second, when someone introduces themselves formally, they may name their family first as a matter of course, not as emphasis.
A small number of surnames use two characters — 欧阳, 司马, 诸葛. Never split them into a surname and a given name.
Before you read the table: two cautions
Character meaning is not surname origin. 王 literally means “king”, but the surname does not mean “someone was a king”; it is generally traced to descendants of royal lines. The table below separates the character’s literal meaning from the commonly cited origin, and leaves the origin blank where the account is disputed.
Rankings are approximate. Population rankings differ by source, survey year and whether Taiwan, Hong Kong and overseas communities are counted. Treat the order after the top few as indicative, not exact.
The 100 most common Chinese surnames
| Surname | Literal meaning | Commonly cited origin |
|---|---|---|
| 王 Wáng | king | Royal descent |
| 李 Lǐ | plum | Imperial house of the Tang dynasty |
| 张 Zhāng | to open, to stretch | Often linked to archery — 弓 “bow” sits inside the character |
| 刘 Liú | — | Imperial house of the Han dynasty |
| 陈 Chén | to lay out; old | The ancient state of Chen |
| 杨 Yáng | poplar | The ancient state of Yang |
| 黄 Huáng | yellow | The ancient state of Huang |
| 赵 Zhào | — | The state of Zhao; imperial house of the Song dynasty |
| 吴 Wú | — | The state of Wu, in the lower Yangtze |
| 周 Zhōu | circuit, around | The Zhou dynasty |
| 徐 Xú | slowly | The ancient state of Xu |
| 孙 Sūn | grandson | The state of Sun; also a kinship term |
| 马 Mǎ | horse | — |
| 朱 Zhū | vermilion | Imperial house of the Ming dynasty |
| 胡 Hú | an old term for northern peoples | Etymology disputed; also a place name |
| 郭 Guō | outer city wall | From a place or office near the wall |
| 何 Hé | what; to carry | — |
| 高 Gāo | tall | — |
| 林 Lín | forest | — |
| 罗 Luó | net; to spread out | The ancient state of Luo |
| 郑 Zhèng | — | The ancient state of Zheng |
| 梁 Liáng | beam; bridge | The ancient state of Liang |
| 谢 Xiè | to thank | The ancient state of Xie |
| 宋 Sòng | — | The state and dynasty of Song |
| 唐 Táng | — | The state and dynasty of Tang |
| 许 Xǔ | to allow | The ancient state of Xu |
| 韩 Hán | — | The ancient state of Han |
| 冯 Féng | to gallop | — |
| 邓 Dèng | — | The ancient state of Deng |
| 曹 Cáo | group; office | The ancient state of Cao |
| 彭 Péng | drum sound | The ancient state of Peng |
| 曾 Zēng | formerly | The ancient state of Zeng |
| 萧 Xiāo | mugwort; desolate | — |
| 田 Tián | field | From an official title over land |
| 董 Dǒng | to supervise | From an official title |
| 袁 Yuán | long robe | — |
| 潘 Pān | — | A place name |
| 于 Yú | at, in | — |
| 蒋 Jiǎng | a water plant | The ancient state of Jiang |
| 蔡 Cài | wild grass | The ancient state of Cai |
| 余 Yú | surplus | — |
| 杜 Dù | pear tree; to stop | — |
| 叶 Yè | leaf | From the state of Ye |
| 程 Chéng | rule, measure | From an office |
| 苏 Sū | to revive | The ancient state of Su |
| 魏 Wèi | — | The state of Wei |
| 吕 Lǚ | pitch pipe; spine | The ancient state of Lü |
| 丁 Dīng | fourth; strong | — |
| 任 Rèn | to bear, responsibility | — |
| 沈 Shěn | to sink; deep | The ancient state of Shen |
| 姚 Yáo | — | The ancient state of Yao |
| 卢 Lú | black; vessel | — |
| 姜 Jiāng | ginger | An ancient clan name |
| 崔 Cuī | tall | From a place name |
| 钟 Zhōng | bell | From an office or place |
| 谭 Tán | deep | The ancient state of Tan |
| 陆 Lù | land | — |
| 汪 Wāng | vast water | — |
| 范 Fàn | mould, model | From a place name |
| 金 Jīn | gold | — |
| 石 Shí | stone | — |
| 廖 Liào | empty, sparse | The ancient state of Liao |
| 贾 Jiǎ | merchant | — |
| 夏 Xià | summer | The Xia dynasty |
| 韦 Wéi | leather | — |
| 付 Fù | to give | A modern simplification of 傅 |
| 方 Fāng | square | — |
| 白 Bái | white | — |
| 邹 Zōu | — | The ancient state of Zou |
| 孟 Mèng | eldest of siblings | A birth-order prefix used as a surname |
| 熊 Xióng | bear | — |
| 秦 Qín | — | The state and dynasty of Qin |
| 邱 Qiū | mound | A variant of 丘 |
| 江 Jiāng | river | — |
| 尹 Yǐn | to govern | From an official title |
| 薛 Xuē | — | The ancient state of Xue |
| 闫 Yán | village gate | A variant of 阎 |
| 段 Duàn | segment | — |
| 雷 Léi | thunder | — |
| 侯 Hóu | marquis | From a noble title |
| 龙 Lóng | dragon | — |
| 史 Shǐ | history | From the office of court historian |
| 陶 Táo | pottery | From an office or place |
| 黎 Lí | multitude; black | — |
| 贺 Hè | to congratulate | — |
| 顾 Gù | to look back | The ancient state of Gu |
| 毛 Máo | hair | — |
| 郝 Hǎo | — | A place name |
| 龚 Gōng | to respect | The ancient state of Gong |
| 邵 Shào | — | A place name |
| 万 Wàn | ten thousand | — |
| 钱 Qián | money | The state of Qian; also a coin |
| 严 Yán | strict | — |
| 覃 Tán (also Qín) | deep | Regionally common in Guangxi |
| 武 Wǔ | martial | — |
| 戴 Dài | to wear | — |
| 莫 Mò | none; do not | — |
| 孔 Kǒng | hole | The clan of Confucius |
| 向 Xiàng | towards | — |
| 常 Cháng | constant | — |
Why the same surname has several English spellings
Mainland Chinese names use Hanyu Pinyin: 张 is Zhang, 陈 is Chen. But many overseas Chinese families left Guangdong, Fujian or Hong Kong generations ago, and their documents carry Cantonese or Hokkien romanisations instead. That is why one surname family can appear under several English forms.
| Surname | Pinyin | Common overseas spelling |
|---|---|---|
| 张 | Zhāng | Cheung, Chang |
| 陈 | Chén | Chan |
| 吴 | Wú | Ng |
| 黄 | Huáng | Wong |
| 王 | Wáng | Wong |
| 李 | Lǐ | Lee |
| 刘 | Liú | Lau |
| 林 | Lín | Lam |
| 何 | Hé | Ho |
| 周 | Zhōu | Chow |
| 梁 | Liáng | Leung |
| 罗 | Luó | Law, Lo |
| 杨 | Yáng | Yeung |
| 谢 | Xiè | Tse |
| 曾 | Zēng | Tsang |
| 蔡 | Cài | Choi |
| 赵 | Zhào | Chiu |
| 邓 | Dèng | Tang |
| 冯 | Féng | Fung |
| 钟 | Zhōng | Chung |
If you are writing to someone whose documents came from Hong Kong, Malaysia or an older diaspora community, ask which spelling they use rather than converting it to pinyin.
Two-character surnames
A small set of surnames use two characters. They are rare but well documented, and they are never split:
- 欧阳 Ōuyáng
- 司马 Sīmǎ
- 上官 Shàngguān
- 诸葛 Zhūgě
- 东方 Dōngfāng
- 皇甫 Huángfǔ
- 慕容 Mùróng
- 令狐 Línghú
Questions about Chinese surnames
What is the most common Chinese surname?
王 (Wáng) is usually ranked first in population surveys, with 李 (Lǐ) and 张 (Zhāng) close behind. Exact rankings shift between sources and years, so treat any precise order beyond the top few as approximate.
Why does the surname come first in Chinese names?
Chinese names are ordered family first, then individual, so a full name reads as surname plus given name. The word for full name is 姓名, literally “surname-name”, which shows the same priority.
How are Chinese surnames written in English?
Mainland Chinese names are romanised in Hanyu Pinyin, for example 张 as Zhang and 陈 as Chen. Many overseas Chinese families use older dialect spellings instead, so the same surname appears as Cheung, Chan, Wong or Ng depending on family history.
Are there two-character Chinese surnames?
Yes. A small number of compound surnames use two characters, such as 欧阳 (Ōuyáng), 司马 (Sīmǎ), 上官 (Shàngguān) and 诸葛 (Zhūgě). They are uncommon but well documented and should never be split.
Is the Hundred Surnames poem a popularity ranking?
No. The classic 百家姓 text was composed in the Song dynasty, and its opening — 赵钱孙李 — reflects political favour at the time rather than population. Use a modern survey if you need actual frequency.