Characters & tones
Chinese names commonly put the family name first. Characters, rather than unmarked romanization alone, identify the meaning shown here.
ASIA / CN COLLECTION
Names in China
A character carries the meaning.
Explore character-specific examples, Mandarin pinyin and family-name-first previews.
Make the shortlist personal
Keep the chosen characters and tone-marked pinyin together. Enter the complete given name, and use the no-space preview for a Chinese-script full name.
A few names to begin with
Editorial selection · Explore each name’s reference and written form.
Chinese
Ming
明Míng · example form
Bright; clear, for 明
Neutral
Chinese
Mei
美Měi · example form
Beautiful, for 美
Feminine
Chinese
Jun
俊Jùn · example form
Talented; handsome, for 俊
Masculine
What this guide covers
Single-character given-name examples with Mandarin readings. They are not full-name recommendations or coverage of all Chinese languages.
Country collections are not rankings. A name absent from this selection may still be used in this country. Meanings describe the specific entry, not every name with the same spelling.
Go closer to the source
W3C · name order and spacing ↗Context for Chinese name structure.Behind the Name · Ming ↗Different characters can share a romanized spelling.References checked October 16, 2026. Statistics are external; no live rankings are imported.