Chinese name

Chinese personal names follow a number of conventions different from those of Western personal names. Most noticeably, a Chinese name is written with the surname first and the given name second. For instance, the basketball player Yao Ming is Mr. Yao, not Mr. Ming.

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Note however, some Chinese people who emigrate to or do business with Western countries sometimes adopt a Westernized name, usually with a Western first name together with their surname, which is then written in the usual Western order with the surname last. Other Chinese people sometimes take a combined name, consisting of Western first name, surname, and Chinese given name, in that order.

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Traditional naming schemes often followed a pattern of using generation names as part of a two-character given name; however, this is less used today, especially in the People's Republic of China, where many given names use only one character.

Related Topics:
Generation name - People's Republic of China

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In addition to the given name, many Chinese have various kinds of nicknames.

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