Understanding Chinese Naming Conventions

Joyce Wang

West Point Military Academy

In Western cultures, people normally get their first names from a ready-made name pool, (that’s why we often see two persons having the same first name in a small class) and inherit their last names from the father’s side. Most ready-made first names have no special meanings and the meanings of last name don’t count. When we see a name, usually we may obtain, at least, two pieces of information: first: gender; second: the family origins. The more we know the language and culture, the more information we can derive from a name. Nowadays, we see more and more Chinese names, such as Mao, Ze Tong, Deng Xiao Ping, Lei Feng, Li Hui Fen. People find these names hard to pronounce, and have no clue as to their significance. In theory, every Chinese has his/her unique name and each name contains much information regarding the person and their family. This paper will focus on the following:

1. How are Chinese names constructed;

2. The traditional way to name a newborn baby and the information we may obtain from the name;

3. Trends in naming after 1966;

4. How to give a Chinese name to a foreigner.