55+ Common & Ancient Chinese Surnames

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Plus, learn fun facts about Chinese surnames

Co-authored by Raven Minyard, BA

Last Updated: October 23, 2025 Fact Checked

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Most Common

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Ancient

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Nature-Inspired

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Fun Facts

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China may have one of the highest populations in the world, but there are only about 4000 surnames used by native Chinese people. In this article, we’ve compiled a list of the most common Chinese last names, including ancient names and names inspired by nature. We’ll also provide some fun facts and statistics about these surnames, so keep reading to learn more.

The Top 5 Most Common Chinese Surnames

Wang (王): Means “king”
Li (李): Means “plum”
Zhang (张/張): Means “archer”
Liu (刘/劉): Means “kill”
Chen (陈/陳): Means “exhibit”

Section 1 of 4:

Most Common Chinese Last Names

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In the United States, there are millions of surnames. In China, however, there are only about 4000. Some of these are much more rare than others, though, as the top 100 Chinese surnames make up the majority of the population. Here are some of the most common Chinese last names you might come across:
- Wang (王): “king”^{[1]
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- Li (李): “plum”^{[2]
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- Zhang (张/張): “archer”^{[3]
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- Liu (刘/劉): “kill”^{[4]
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- Chen (陈/陳): “exhibit”
- Yang (杨/楊): “willow”
- Huang/Wong (黄/黃): “yellow”
- Zhao (赵/趙): “exceeding”
- Wu (吴/吳): “military”
- Zhou (周): “circumference”
- Jin (金): “gold”
- Gong (龚/龔): “respectful”
- Long (龙/龍): “dragon”
- Hong (洪): “flood”
- Liang (梁): “bridge”^{[5]
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- Tang (唐): “hall”
- Feng (冯/馮): “gallop”
- Chang (常): “constant”
- Mo (莫): “none”
- Dai (戴): “wear”

Section 2 of 4:

Ancient Chinese Last Names

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Many Chinese surnames have ancient origins, dating back to early dynasties such as the Qin dynasty and the Han dynasty. Here are some ancient last names that are still in use today:
- Xu (徐): “gentle, slow”
- Guo (郭): “outer city wall”
- Zheng (郑/鄭): “journey”^{[6]
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- Song (宋): “pine”
- Wei (魏): “height”
- Han (韩/韓): “Han State”
- Qin (秦): “Qin State”
- Fu (傅): “tutor”
- Xiao (萧/蕭): “mournful”
- Kong (孔): “opening”
- Zeng (曾): “ancestor”
- Cai (蔡): firewood
- Zhong (钟/鐘): “bell”
- Hao (郝): “brightness, an ancient place”
- Guan (关/關): “mountain pass”
- Peng (彭): “sound of drums”
- Zou (邹/鄒): “district”
- Lu (吕/呂): “spine”

Section 3 of 4:

Chinese Last Names Inspired by Nature

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A lot of Chinese surnames are inspired by natural elements or things associated with nature, like colors or directions. Here are some common names inspired by water, earth, animals, and other elements of nature:
- Lin (林): “forest”^{[7]
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- Jiang (江): “river”
- Tian (田): “field”
- Shi (石): “stone”
- Xia (夏): “summer”
- Ye (叶/葉): “leaf”
- Fang (方): “square, place, border”
- Bai (白): “white”
- Pan (潘): “water basin”
- Ma (马/馬): “horse”
- Du (杜): “birchleaf pear tree”
- Xiong (熊): “bear”
- Mao (毛): “hair, fur, feathers”
- Lei (雷): “thunder”
- Ai (艾): “wormwood plant”
- Lu (陆/陸): “land”
- Qiu (邱): “hill”
- He (何): “grain”
- Cui (崔): “mountain high”

Section 4 of 4:

Fun Facts About Chinese Last Names

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There are just over 4000 Chinese surnames. In the United States, there are over 150,000 surnames held by more than 100 people, and in total, the U.S. has over 6 million surnames.^{[8]
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United States Census Bureau
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Go to source} In contract, there are just over 4000 surnames used by native Chinese people in China. Here are some other fun facts about Chinese surnames:
- Zhang Wei (张伟) is the most common full name in mainland China.
- The top 5 surnames in China—Wang, Li, Zhang, Liu, and Chen—are also the top 5 surnames in the world, each with over 70-100 million worldwide.
- All together, the top 100 surnames account for 87% of China’s population.^{[9]
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- Chinese names also form the basis for many Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Cambodian surnames.
- Want to learn about other common Asian surnames? Check out our Common Japanese Last Names and Korean Surnames articles!