Chinese naming guides
Practical guides to choosing a Chinese name.
What Is My Name in Chinese? 3 Ways to Find Yours
Choose between a sound rendering, a meaning translation and a new Chinese name, with examples and a clear request you can take to a teacher.
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181–186 of 258 guides
Murphy in Chinese: 墨 Mò or 莫 Mò?
Murphy has published 墨菲 and 莫菲 spellings. Both 墨 and 莫 are surnames pronounced Mò, so your choice concerns writing and continuity rather than sound.
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Murray in Chinese: 默 Mò, 莫 Mò or a sea connection?
默里 and 莫瑞 give Murray two surnames pronounced Mò: 默 and 莫. 海 Hǎi is a separate option if one sea-related origin is meaningful to you.
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A Chinese surname for Nelson: start with 纳 Nà
纳 Nà follows Nelson’s 纳尔逊, while 那 Nā changes the character and tone. Learn why the proposed surname 那 uses Nā rather than the everyday nà.
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Nguyen in Chinese: why the surname is Ruan, not a new sound-alike
If your family name is Vietnamese Nguyễn, the established Chinese character is 阮, read Ruǎn in Mandarin. That gives you a one-character Chinese surname wit…
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Ortiz in Chinese: 奥 Ào or 欧 Ōu?
奥 Ào keeps the opening of Ortiz’s 奥尔蒂斯; 欧 Ōu changes the vowel and tone. Compare that trade-off before shortening away the stressed ending.
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Owen: choosing a Chinese surname
Keep the opening of 欧文 with 欧, or compare 文 if you prefer its ending. See the sound changes, surname evidence and limits of meaning-based choices.
Read the guideA Chinese name that starts with you.
See how a guided conversation brings your preferences, meaning, and sound together.