How Chinese names work
Family name first, often flipped for foreign readers, sometimes with an English name added. Here is how to tell which part to use.
The order: family, then given
A Chinese name is a family name, almost always one syllable, followed by a given name of one or two syllables: Wang Xiaoming, Li Na. There are no middle names. In mainland Chinese pinyin the given name is written as one word (Xiaoming); in Taiwan and Hong Kong it is often hyphenated or split (Chen Shui-bian, Chan Tai Man).
Three ways you will see the same person
| As written | Family name | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Wang Xiaoming | Wang | Chinese order |
| Xiaoming Wang | Wang | Flipped to Western order |
| WANG Xiaoming | Wang | Family name marked in capitals |
| Kevin Wang Xiaoming / Kevin Wang | Wang | English name added |
The practical test is where the common family name sits. A few hundred family names cover almost the whole population, so if Wang, Li, Zhang, Chen or Liu is the last word, the name has probably been flipped.
Some names stay genuinely ambiguous: in Xu Han or Li Jin, both syllables can be family names. Then look at the signature, the email address or how colleagues write it.
How to address someone
In English email, write Dear Mr. Wang or Dear Ms. Li: the title goes with the family name. Writing Mr. Xiaoming is a common mistake. If you cannot tell which title fits, the full name is polite: Dear Wang Xiaoming.
A given name of two syllables is used whole on first-name terms (Hi Xiaoming). A one-syllable given name is rarely used alone in Chinese; colleagues use the full name instead (Li Na rather than Na), and many people prefer that in English too.
English names
Many people in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan, and many mainland professionals working internationally, use an English given name at work: Kevin Wang, Grace Chen. If they sign with it, use it for first-name terms (Hi Kevin). Formally it is still Mr. Wang, never Mr. Kevin.
The most common family names
Wang, Li and Zhang together cover about a fifth of mainland China. Among people from mainland China in Wikidata:
| Family name | People in Wikidata | Share of the top 15 |
|---|---|---|
| Wang | 3,141 | 15.5% |
| Li | 2,890 | 14.3% |
| Zhang | 2,773 | 13.7% |
| Chen | 2,045 | 10.1% |
| Liu | 1,640 | 8.1% |
| Yang | 1,205 | 6.0% |
| Wu | 1,041 | 5.1% |
| Huang | 901 | 4.5% |
| Xu | 841 | 4.2% |
| Zhou | 771 | 3.8% |
| Zhao | 742 | 3.7% |
| Sun | 668 | 3.3% |
| Ma | 571 | 2.8% |
| He | 517 | 2.6% |
| Yu | 494 | 2.4% |
Wikidata covers notable people (athletes, politicians, scientists, artists), so these counts show the ranking, not exact population shares.
Cantonese and other spellings
Hong Kong, Macau and much of the overseas Chinese community spell family names from Cantonese, Hokkien or older romanization systems. These are the same names as their pinyin forms:
| Pinyin | Also written |
|---|---|
| Chen | Chan, Tan, Chin |
| Wang / Huang | Wong (both) |
| Zhang | Cheung, Chang, Teo |
| Li | Lee, Lei |
| Wu | Ng, Goh |
| Lin | Lam, Lim |
Married names
Women in mainland China and Taiwan keep their own family name after marriage. In Hong Kong some married women add the husband's family name in front of their own, which can produce two family names before the given name.
Quick answers
Is Wei a first name or a last name?
Usually a given name, or part of one. Wei is also a less common family name, so in Wei Zhang the family name is Zhang.
How do I address Zhang Wei in an email?
Dear Mr. Zhang or Dear Ms. Zhang. If unsure of the title, Dear Zhang Wei.