Chinese Surnames: The 30 Most Common Last Names and What They Mean

沉浸 TeamAugust 16, 20265 min read

Chinese surnames are a study in concentration: thousands exist on paper, but the 100 most common cover the vast majority of China's 1.4 billion people, and the top five alone (王, 李, 张, 刘, 陈) account for hundreds of millions. Below are the 30 most common Chinese last names ranked, with pinyin, meanings, and the alternate spellings you've seen on menus and mailboxes, plus where surnames came from and how they're used today.

The 10 most common Chinese surnames

Rankings move around slightly by year and source, but the top of the list is stable:

1. 王 (Wáng): "king." The most common surname in China, roughly 100 million people. Cantonese spelling: Wong.
2. 李 (Lǐ): "plum." Surname of the Tang dynasty emperors. Also spelled Lee.
3. 张 (Zhāng): "to draw a bow." Also spelled Chang or Cheung.
4. 刘 (Liú): surname of the Han dynasty emperors. Also spelled Lau or Liu.
5. 陈 (Chén): from the ancient state of Chen. Dominant in the south and overseas communities. Also spelled Chan or Tan.
6. 杨 (Yáng): "poplar tree." Also spelled Yeung or Yeoh.
7. 黄 (Huáng): "yellow." Also spelled Wong (yes, same as 王 in Cantonese) or Ng.
8. 赵 (Zhào): surname of the Song dynasty emperors, and the first surname in the classic Hundred Family Surnames poem. Also spelled Chiu or Chao.
9. 吴 (Wú): from the ancient state of Wu. Also spelled Ng or Goh.
10. 周 (Zhōu): from the Zhou dynasty. Also spelled Chow or Chau.

Surnames 11 to 30

11. 徐 (Xú): from an ancient state; spelled Hsu or Tsui
12. 孙 (Sūn): "grandchild"; the surname of Sun Yat-sen and Sun Tzu
13. 马 (Mǎ): "horse"; common among Hui Muslim families
14. 朱 (Zhū): "vermilion red"; surname of the Ming dynasty emperors
15. 胡 (Hú): an ancient state name; spelled Woo or Oh
16. 郭 (Guō): "outer city wall"; spelled Kwok or Kuo
17. 何 (Hé): a branch of the ancient Han lineage; spelled Ho
18. 林 (Lín): "forest"; huge in Fujian and Taiwan; spelled Lam or Lim
19. 高 (Gāo): "tall"; spelled Ko or Kao
20. 罗 (Luó): from the ancient state of Luo; spelled Law or Lo
21. 郑 (Zhèng): from the state of Zheng; spelled Cheng or Tay
22. 梁 (Liáng): "bridge, beam"; spelled Leung or Leong
23. 谢 (Xiè): "to thank"; spelled Tse or Chia
24. 宋 (Sòng): from the state of Song; spelled Sung
25. 唐 (Táng): from the Tang lineage; spelled Tong
26. 许 (Xǔ): "to permit"; spelled Hsu, Hui, or Koh
27. 韩 (Hán): from the state of Han; spelled Hon
28. 冯 (Féng): an ancient fief name; spelled Fung
29. 邓 (Dèng): from the state of Deng; the surname of Deng Xiaoping; spelled Tang or Teng
30. 曹 (Cáo): from the state of Cao; famous via the warlord Cao Cao

One thing you'll notice: most surnames trace back to ancient states, fiefs, or dynasties rather than professions. Where English has Smith and Baker, China has the map of the Warring States.

Why so few surnames?

Chinese surnames are among the oldest continuously used family names on earth, in written records for around 3,000 years. Over those centuries, rare names died out, minority groups adopted common Han surnames, and no tradition of inventing new surnames emerged. The result: a billion-plus people drawing from a shallow pool, which is why the word for ordinary people is 老百姓 (lǎobǎixìng), "the old hundred surnames," and why a class of 40 kids can contain five unrelated Wangs.

The Hundred Family Surnames

Schoolchildren once memorized the 百家姓 (Bǎijiāxìng), a Song-dynasty rhyming poem listing over 500 surnames. It opens 赵钱孙李 (Zhào Qián Sūn Lǐ), with 赵 first because it was the Song emperor's own surname. Flattery has a long history.

Two-character surnames

A small set of compound surnames survives: 欧阳 (Ōuyáng), 司马 (Sīmǎ), 上官 (Shàngguān), 诸葛 (Zhūgě, as in the legendary strategist Zhuge Liang). They read as elegant and a little literary, which is why wuxia novelists love them.

Why one surname has five spellings

Romanized spellings vary because they were made at different times, from different Chinese languages. 张 is Zhāng in mainland pinyin, Chang in older Wade-Giles spelling, and Cheung from Cantonese; 李 is Li or Lee; 林 is Lin, Lam, or Lim depending on whether the family romanized from Mandarin, Cantonese, or Hokkien. Same character, same family name, different eras of spelling. Pinyin is the modern standard, and our guide to pronouncing Chinese names decodes the tricky letters.

How surnames are used day to day

Surname comes first: 王小明 is Mr. Wang, not Mr. Xiaoming. The full picture is in our Chinese names guide.
Title + surname is the polite default: 李老师 (Teacher Li), 张经理 (Manager Zhang).
老/小 + surname is the friendly form: 老王 ("old Wang") for an older colleague, 小李 ("young Li") for a junior one.
Surnames never stand alone. You can't address someone as just 王 the way you'd say "Hey, Smith." It needs a title or prefix.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most common Chinese surname?

王 (Wáng), with roughly 100 million bearers, narrowly ahead of 李 (Lǐ). Either would be the most common surname on the planet.

Are Chinese surnames first or last?

First in position: 刘德华 (Liú Déhuá) is surname Liu + given name Dehua. English media sometimes flips the order, which is why you'll see both "Liu Dehua" and westernized forms; when in doubt, the single character up front is the family name.

Do Chinese couples share a surname after marriage?

No. Each spouse keeps their own surname; children usually take the father's, and legally may take the mother's.

Is Wong the same as Wang?

Usually, yes: Wong is the Cantonese spelling of 王. But Wong can also be 黄 (Huáng), so two Wongs may bear entirely different names. The character, not the spelling, is the real surname.

Every surname above links to its character page, with native audio, stroke order, and the other words it lives in. Create a free Chenjin account to save the ones you meet, and you'll never blank on a colleague's name again.