Chinese Baby Names - Ancient Nation, New Beginnings

Search 30000 Baby Name Meanings

And get more name ideas later on.

This summer, as the Olympic torch will light at the opening ceremony in Beijing, China will show the world its vast change it has gone through in the last years. Here is a chance to read about this change and its effect on baby naming.

China is a mega force in today's economical world. People from all nations are learning Mandarin in hope to work with Chinese companies, thus the cultural barrier is slowly breaking, allowing people from all nations to learn more about this 2,700 year nation. Along with growing "China-Towns" in every major city in the world, the Chinese culture has sunk in, so much so that a lot of people are calling their babies by Chinese originated names. Over seas Chinese and Chinese immigrants have contributed a lot for the emersion of the Chinese culture and its influence world wide. Actors such as Jackie Chan(changed from Chan Kong Sang), Bruce Lee, Jet lee and directors such as Ang Lee and John Woo became trend setters in Hollywood.
Chinese-Americans such as actress Lucy Liu, fashion designer Vera Wang, best-selling author Amy Tan and cellist Yo-Yo Ma are renowned through out the world for being Chinese ambassadors, even though they were born and raised in the US.

Chinese medicine, acupuncture and tai-chi are now available as part of health plans.
East Asian studies are gaining popularity in universities in the US and England and the Chinese government opens up regions for tourists consistently since the 70's

So, what is so fascinating about Chinese names?

Chinese names are given differentially than in western society. Most evidently is order of the name: in China the surname is written before the given name, thus noted director Zhang Yimou would be referred as Mr. Zhang and not Mr. Yimou.

The Chinese culture is deeply connected to nature. The Taoists worship nature elements. So do the names given are inspired by nature: Lei, a girl's name meaning Flower bud, Lian meaning daughter of the sun, Mulan meaning magnolia blossom and Lien meaning lotus.

Most of the Chinese follow the confusion way of life which puts social and universal order and respect to one another above all qualities. Here are some names reflecting these qualities: Jia, meaning outstanding person, Deshi, a boy's name meaning virtuous man, Tien, which means heaven and is more popular in the US than in China, Yuan, a boy's name meaning round, or whole and An, a girl's name meaning peace.

But maybe the reason for the popularity is the ease in which these names are pronounced. These names are "light", mostly with one syllable and are unique but not wild and don't stand out to much, and even seem common at times.
Jin the boy's name category you may find Jin meaning gold, Li meaning Strong, Yu meaning universe, Chen meaning great. In the girls name department you may find Lin, meaning fine jade, Mei, meaning the youngest of sisters or beautiful and Ling, meaning Delicate.

The Chinese society has come along way since the times of the Cultural Revolution and the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. It is more open to other nations is looking for a bright, free future. Perhaps, this summer, the cultural walls will fall as the delegations will come in the Olympic stadium in Beijing.