100 Most Common Chinese Surnames with Meanings
China has about 6,000 surnames still in use, but they are remarkably concentrated: the top 100 family names cover roughly 85% of the population, and the top three alone — Wáng, Lǐ and Zhāng — are shared by over 270 million people. That's why a single classroom in Beijing might hold three students named Wáng and two named Lǐ. This list ranks the 100 most common Chinese surnames with their characters, pinyin, and the meaning or origin behind each one.
Reading the names: Chinese surnames come first, before the given name. Many are everyday words — a tree, a color, an ancient kingdom — whose literal meaning is rarely thought about in daily life, much like "Smith" or "Baker" in English. Rankings are approximate and based on mainland China population data.
Want a Chinese name of your own? Try our free Chinese Name Generator — enter your English name and get personalized suggestions with pinyin and meanings.
The Top 10 Chinese Surnames
These ten surnames alone are shared by well over half a billion people.
| # | Surname | Pinyin | Meaning / Origin | Approx. bearers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 王 | Wáng | King — from royal descendants | ~93 million |
| 2 | 李 | Lǐ | Plum (tree); clan of the Tang emperors | ~93 million |
| 3 | 张 | Zhāng | To draw a bow — an archer's name | ~90 million |
| 4 | 刘 | Liú | Battle-axe (archaic); clan of the Han emperors | ~70 million |
| 5 | 陈 | Chén | To display / arrange; the ancient state of Chen | ~60 million |
| 6 | 杨 | Yáng | Poplar / willow tree | ~46 million |
| 7 | 黄 | Huáng | Yellow; the ancient Huang state | ~33 million |
| 8 | 赵 | Zhào | The state of Zhao — first name in the 百家姓 | ~28 million |
| 9 | 吴 | Wú | The ancient state of Wu | ~27 million |
| 10 | 周 | Zhōu | The Zhou dynasty; "complete, all-around" | ~26 million |
Surnames 11–30
| # | Surname | Pinyin | Meaning / Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 徐 | Xú | Slow, calm; the ancient Xu state |
| 12 | 孙 | Sūn | Grandson, descendant |
| 13 | 马 | Mǎ | Horse |
| 14 | 朱 | Zhū | Vermilion red; clan of the Ming emperors |
| 15 | 胡 | Hú | Beard; also referred to northern peoples |
| 16 | 郭 | Guō | Outer city wall |
| 17 | 何 | Hé | To carry; a branch of the Han royal line |
| 18 | 高 | Gāo | Tall, high |
| 19 | 林 | Lín | Forest, woods |
| 20 | 罗 | Luó | A net for catching birds; the Luo state |
| 21 | 郑 | Zhèng | Solemn, serious; the state of Zheng |
| 22 | 梁 | Liáng | Roof beam, bridge; the Liang state |
| 23 | 谢 | Xiè | To thank |
| 24 | 宋 | Sòng | The Song dynasty and ancient state |
| 25 | 唐 | Táng | The Tang dynasty; "grand, boastful" |
| 26 | 许 | Xǔ | To permit, promise; the Xu state |
| 27 | 韩 | Hán | The ancient state of Han |
| 28 | 冯 | Féng | To gallop (archaic) |
| 29 | 邓 | Dèng | The ancient Deng state |
| 30 | 曹 | Cáo | A company / group; clan of warlord Cao Cao |
Surnames 31–50
| # | Surname | Pinyin | Meaning / Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | 彭 | Péng | The sound of beating drums |
| 32 | 曾 | Zēng | "Great-" (as in great-grandparent); the Zeng clan |
| 33 | 肖 | Xiāo | To resemble; a variant of 萧 Xiāo |
| 34 | 田 | Tián | Field, farmland |
| 35 | 董 | Dǒng | To oversee, direct |
| 36 | 袁 | Yuán | A long flowing robe (archaic) |
| 37 | 潘 | Pān | Water used to wash rice |
| 38 | 于 | Yú | In, at; from the Yu state |
| 39 | 蒋 | Jiǎng | A kind of water reed; the Jiang state |
| 40 | 蔡 | Cài | The ancient state of Cai; "great tortoise" |
| 41 | 余 | Yú | Surplus, remaining |
| 42 | 杜 | Dù | Birchleaf pear tree; "to shut out" |
| 43 | 叶 | Yè | Leaf |
| 44 | 程 | Chéng | Procedure; a measured journey |
| 45 | 苏 | Sū | To revive; the perilla herb |
| 46 | 魏 | Wèi | Towering, lofty; the state/dynasty of Wei |
| 47 | 吕 | Lǚ | A musical pitch-pipe; the Lü state |
| 48 | 丁 | Dīng | An able-bodied man; the fourth Heavenly Stem |
| 49 | 任 | Rén | Responsibility; to appoint |
| 50 | 沈 | Shěn | To sink; the ancient Shen state |
Surnames 51–75
| # | Surname | Pinyin | Meaning / Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | 姚 | Yáo | Beautiful, graceful; clan of Emperor Shun |
| 52 | 卢 | Lú | Black; from the Lu place name |
| 53 | 傅 | Fù | A tutor; to assist |
| 54 | 钟 | Zhōng | Bell |
| 55 | 姜 | Jiāng | Ginger; clan of the strategist Jiang Ziya |
| 56 | 崔 | Cuī | High and steep (of a mountain) |
| 57 | 谭 | Tán | To talk; the ancient Tan state |
| 58 | 廖 | Liào | Vast, empty |
| 59 | 范 | Fàn | Model, pattern |
| 60 | 汪 | Wāng | A vast expanse of water |
| 61 | 陆 | Lù | Land, dry ground |
| 62 | 金 | Jīn | Gold; metal |
| 63 | 石 | Shí | Stone |
| 64 | 戴 | Dài | To wear on the head; to honor |
| 65 | 贾 | Jiǎ | A merchant; to trade |
| 66 | 韦 | Wéi | Tanned leather |
| 67 | 夏 | Xià | Summer; the Xia dynasty |
| 68 | 邱 | Qiū | A mound or hill |
| 69 | 方 | Fāng | Square; direction; method |
| 70 | 侯 | Hóu | A marquis (rank of nobility) |
| 71 | 邹 | Zōu | The ancient state of Zou |
| 72 | 熊 | Xióng | Bear |
| 73 | 孟 | Mèng | Eldest child; clan of the sage Mencius (孟子) |
| 74 | 秦 | Qín | The Qin dynasty and ancient state |
| 75 | 白 | Bái | White |
Surnames 76–100
| # | Surname | Pinyin | Meaning / Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76 | 江 | Jiāng | River (especially the Yangtze) |
| 77 | 阎 | Yán | A village gate |
| 78 | 薛 | Xuē | The ancient state of Xue |
| 79 | 尹 | Yǐn | To govern; an ancient official title |
| 80 | 段 | Duàn | A section or segment |
| 81 | 雷 | Léi | Thunder |
| 82 | 黎 | Lí | The multitude (common people); dark |
| 83 | 史 | Shǐ | History; the office of court historian |
| 84 | 龙 | Lóng | Dragon |
| 85 | 贺 | Hè | To congratulate |
| 86 | 陶 | Táo | Pottery; to mould |
| 87 | 顾 | Gù | To care for; to consider |
| 88 | 毛 | Máo | Hair, fur, feather |
| 89 | 郝 | Hǎo | From an ancient place name |
| 90 | 龚 | Gōng | To respectfully offer |
| 91 | 邵 | Shào | From an ancient place name |
| 92 | 万 | Wàn | Ten thousand; a myriad |
| 93 | 钱 | Qián | Money, coin — second name in the 百家姓 |
| 94 | 严 | Yán | Strict, stern |
| 95 | 赖 | Lài | To rely on |
| 96 | 覃 | Qín | Deep, profound |
| 97 | 洪 | Hóng | A flood; vast |
| 98 | 武 | Wǔ | Martial, military; clan of Empress Wu Zetian |
| 99 | 莫 | Mò | Do not; none |
| 100 | 孔 | Kǒng | An opening; clan of Confucius (孔子) |
Bonus: Compound Surnames (复姓 fùxìng)
A handful of Chinese surnames use two characters. They are rare — less than 1% of the population — but instantly recognizable, often with aristocratic or scholarly roots.
| Surname | Pinyin | Meaning / Origin |
|---|---|---|
| 欧阳 | Ōuyáng | "South of Ou Mountain" — the most common compound surname |
| 司马 | Sīmǎ | "Master of horses" — an ancient military office |
| 上官 | Shàngguān | "High official" |
| 诸葛 | Zhūgě | Place-based name; of strategist Zhuge Liang |
| 东方 | Dōngfāng | "Eastern direction" |
| 慕容 | Mùróng | Clan name of a Xianbei royal house |
Look up any surname: Paste a character into our free Chinese translation tool to hear its pronunciation and confirm the pinyin and meaning, or use the Pinyin Chart to perfect the tones.
Frequently Asked Questions
王 Wáng (meaning "king") is the most common surname in mainland China, shared by roughly 93 million people, narrowly ahead of 李 Lǐ ("plum"). Both are among the most common surnames in the entire world.
There are about 6,000 surnames still in use in China, but they are highly concentrated: the top 100 surnames cover roughly 85% of the population, and the top 3 alone — Wáng, Lǐ and Zhāng — account for over 270 million people. The classic "Hundred Family Surnames" (百家姓 Bǎijiāxìng) text lists the best-known ones.
The surname (family name) always comes first in Chinese, followed by the given name. So in 王伟 (Wáng Wěi), 王 Wáng is the family name and 伟 Wěi is the given name. People often reverse the order to Western style when using an English name. See how Chinese names work for the full picture.
Most Chinese surnames are ordinary words whose original meaning is rarely thought about in daily use. They come from many sources: nature (林 "forest", 江 "river"), ancient states and dynasties (陈, 宋, 唐), noble titles and offices (侯 "marquis", 史 "court historian"), and the names of legendary ancestors.
A compound surname (复姓 fùxìng) is a family name made of two characters, such as 欧阳 Ōuyáng or 司马 Sīmǎ. They are rare — less than 1% of the population — and often have aristocratic or historical roots.