What is in a Chinese Name, anyway? I mean, a LOT of thought goes into naming a child. How do they select their names? Well, here is a great article written and seen on a great new group I am on,China Names.
A Brief Introduction to Chinese Names
The Chinese name is made up of a family name, which is always placed first, followed by a generation name and personal name as part of the given name. In addition to the given name, many Chinese have various kinds of nicknames.
Family Names
There are more than 700 different Chinese family names, but as few as twenty cover a majority of Chinese people. The variety in Chinese names therefore depends greatly on given names rather than family names. The great majority of Chinese family names have only one character, but there are a few with two characters.
Chinese family names are written first, something which often causes confusion among those from cultures where the family name usually comes last. Thus, the family name of Mao Zedong is Mao, and his given name is Zedong.
Chinese married women usually retain their maiden name as their family name, rather than adopt the name of their husband, and children usually inherit the father's family name. It is often considered taboo to marry someone with the same family name, even if there is no direct relationship between those concerned.
**Note: As a rule, the children being adopted are either given a family name relating to the orphanage (SWI) that they live in, a family name relating to the city they live in or possibly the family name of the Director of the SWI.
Given Names
Chinese given names have one or two characters, and are written after the family name. When a baby is first born parents often give it a "little name," such as Little Treasure. The given name is then chosen somewhat later: in China, parents have a month before having to register the child. The parents may continue to use the nickname.
With a limited supply of family names, Chinese depend on using given names to introduce variety in naming. Almost any character with any meaning can be used. However, it is not considered appropriate to name a child after someone else, whether a family member or a famous figure.
Given names resonant of qualities which are perceived to be either masculine or feminine are frequently given, with males being linked with strength and firmness, and females with beauty and flowers. Females sometimes have names which repeat a character, for example Xiuxiu or Lili. This is less common in males, although Yoyo Ma is a well-known exception.
In some families, one of the two characters in the personal name is shared by all members of a generation and these generational names are worked out long in advance, historically in a poem listing the names. Also, siblings' names are frequently related, for example, a boy may be named pine (considered masculine) while his sister may be named plum (considered feminine).
Chinese personal names also may reflect periods of history. For example, many Chinese born during the Cultural Revolution have "revolutionary names" such as strong country or eastern wind. In Taiwan, it used to be common to incorporate one of the four characters of the name "Republic of China" into boys' names.
Alternative Names
Nicknames are usually an alteration of the given name, sometimes based on the person's physical attributes, speaking style, or even their first spoken word. In Hokkien- or Cantonese-speaking areas, a nickname will often consist of the diminutive Ah, followed by part of the given name (usually the last character). Nicknames are rarely used in formal or semi-formal settings. One exception to this is Chen Shui-bian (leader of Taiwan from 2000-2008), who is commonly known as A-bian even by himself and in newspaper articles.
In former times, it was common for educated males to acquire courtesy names. The two most common forms were a zi, given upon reaching maturity, and a hao, usually self-selected and often somewhat whimsical. Although this tradition has lapsed, authors' use of pen names is still a common phenomenon.
For prominent people, posthumous names have often been given, although this is uncommon now. Sun Yat-sen was given the posthumous name of Guófù (Father of the Nation), the name by which he is most frequently known in both the mainland and in Taiwan. Rulers were also ascribed temple names.
Regional Variations
Many Chinese who live or work in Western cultures have a Western name in addition to their Chinese name. For example, the Taiwanese politician Soong Chu-yu is also known as James Soong.
Among Chinese Americans, it is common practice to be referred to primarily by the Western name and to use the Chinese given name as a middle name. In a more recent effort to combine Western names for those with native Chinese names, the Western name is placed directly in front of the Chinese name so that both the Chinese and Western names can be easily identified. The relative order of family name-given name is also preserved. Using this scheme, Soong Chu-yu would be James Soong Chu-yu.
Another variation is whether the form used in romanization is the Mandarin (pinyin) form or the one from the local dialect. In general, ethnic Chinese in Mainland China and Taiwan will romanize the Mandarin (pinyin) form of their name, and those in southeast Asia and Hong Kong will romanize the local dialect form. Chinese from Mainland China are generally recognizable from the Hanyu pinyin romanization used which includes "x", "zh" and "q" which are not found in other romanization systems, and which does not use hyphens.
Forms of Address
Within families, adults are rarely referred to by their given names. Rather, the relationship is emphasized, so each member is known by this connection. Thus, there is big sister, second sister, third sister and so on. These connections are also distinguished by what side of the family they are on (mother or father's side) and the generation gap between the two family members.
Generally speaking though, the family title is only used when the relative being called is older than caller. Younger relatives are normally only called by their relational title in formal situations. Children can be called by their given name, or their parents may use their nickname.
When speaking of non-family social acquaintances, people are generally referred to by a title, for example Mother Li or the Wife of Chu.
Personal names are used when referring to adult friends or to children. It is common to refer to a person as lao (old) or xiao (young) followed by their family name, thus Lao Wang or Xiao Zhang.
So, there you have it...everything you wanted to know about Chinese names. We have chosen an English name for P3 as her first name but will wait until our referral or until we get her to decide on her middle name. Most likely it will be some form of her Chinese name. Stay Tuned!
A Brief Introduction to Chinese Names
The Chinese name is made up of a family name, which is always placed first, followed by a generation name and personal name as part of the given name. In addition to the given name, many Chinese have various kinds of nicknames.
Family Names
There are more than 700 different Chinese family names, but as few as twenty cover a majority of Chinese people. The variety in Chinese names therefore depends greatly on given names rather than family names. The great majority of Chinese family names have only one character, but there are a few with two characters.
Chinese family names are written first, something which often causes confusion among those from cultures where the family name usually comes last. Thus, the family name of Mao Zedong is Mao, and his given name is Zedong.
Chinese married women usually retain their maiden name as their family name, rather than adopt the name of their husband, and children usually inherit the father's family name. It is often considered taboo to marry someone with the same family name, even if there is no direct relationship between those concerned.
Given Names
Chinese given names have one or two characters, and are written after the family name. When a baby is first born parents often give it a "little name," such as Little Treasure. The given name is then chosen somewhat later: in China, parents have a month before having to register the child. The parents may continue to use the nickname.
With a limited supply of family names, Chinese depend on using given names to introduce variety in naming. Almost any character with any meaning can be used. However, it is not considered appropriate to name a child after someone else, whether a family member or a famous figure.
Given names resonant of qualities which are perceived to be either masculine or feminine are frequently given, with males being linked with strength and firmness, and females with beauty and flowers. Females sometimes have names which repeat a character, for example Xiuxiu or Lili. This is less common in males, although Yoyo Ma is a well-known exception.
In some families, one of the two characters in the personal name is shared by all members of a generation and these generational names are worked out long in advance, historically in a poem listing the names. Also, siblings' names are frequently related, for example, a boy may be named pine (considered masculine) while his sister may be named plum (considered feminine).
Chinese personal names also may reflect periods of history. For example, many Chinese born during the Cultural Revolution have "revolutionary names" such as strong country or eastern wind. In Taiwan, it used to be common to incorporate one of the four characters of the name "Republic of China" into boys' names.
Alternative Names
Nicknames are usually an alteration of the given name, sometimes based on the person's physical attributes, speaking style, or even their first spoken word. In Hokkien- or Cantonese-speaking areas, a nickname will often consist of the diminutive Ah, followed by part of the given name (usually the last character). Nicknames are rarely used in formal or semi-formal settings. One exception to this is Chen Shui-bian (leader of Taiwan from 2000-2008), who is commonly known as A-bian even by himself and in newspaper articles.
In former times, it was common for educated males to acquire courtesy names. The two most common forms were a zi, given upon reaching maturity, and a hao, usually self-selected and often somewhat whimsical. Although this tradition has lapsed, authors' use of pen names is still a common phenomenon.
For prominent people, posthumous names have often been given, although this is uncommon now. Sun Yat-sen was given the posthumous name of Guófù (Father of the Nation), the name by which he is most frequently known in both the mainland and in Taiwan. Rulers were also ascribed temple names.
Regional Variations
Many Chinese who live or work in Western cultures have a Western name in addition to their Chinese name. For example, the Taiwanese politician Soong Chu-yu is also known as James Soong.
Among Chinese Americans, it is common practice to be referred to primarily by the Western name and to use the Chinese given name as a middle name. In a more recent effort to combine Western names for those with native Chinese names, the Western name is placed directly in front of the Chinese name so that both the Chinese and Western names can be easily identified. The relative order of family name-given name is also preserved. Using this scheme, Soong Chu-yu would be James Soong Chu-yu.
Another variation is whether the form used in romanization is the Mandarin (pinyin) form or the one from the local dialect. In general, ethnic Chinese in Mainland China and Taiwan will romanize the Mandarin (pinyin) form of their name, and those in southeast Asia and Hong Kong will romanize the local dialect form. Chinese from Mainland China are generally recognizable from the Hanyu pinyin romanization used which includes "x", "zh" and "q" which are not found in other romanization systems, and which does not use hyphens.
Forms of Address
Within families, adults are rarely referred to by their given names. Rather, the relationship is emphasized, so each member is known by this connection. Thus, there is big sister, second sister, third sister and so on. These connections are also distinguished by what side of the family they are on (mother or father's side) and the generation gap between the two family members.
Generally speaking though, the family title is only used when the relative being called is older than caller. Younger relatives are normally only called by their relational title in formal situations. Children can be called by their given name, or their parents may use their nickname.
When speaking of non-family social acquaintances, people are generally referred to by a title, for example Mother Li or the Wife of Chu.
Personal names are used when referring to adult friends or to children. It is common to refer to a person as lao (old) or xiao (young) followed by their family name, thus Lao Wang or Xiao Zhang.