60 Chinese male names with meanings: boy names in pinyin, with where they come from

Chinese boys' names are built from characters for breadth, brightness, uprightness and learning: 浩 (vast), 明 (bright), 博 (broad), 文 (cultured), 远 (far). Many come straight from a classical line that educated parents still know by heart. The sixty below are given names of one or two characters; put a surname in front (李浩然, 王子涵) and each one is a complete name, said surname first.

From the classics

A name taken from a famous line is the most traditional kind of Chinese name and the most admired. The line is given so you can see what the name carries.

Name	Pinyin	Characters	Source
浩然	Hàorán	浩 vast; 然 so: the "vast, flood-like spirit"	Mencius, 浩然之气
致远	Zhìyuǎn	致 to reach; 远 far	Zhuge Liang, 宁静致远, "through calm, reach far"
景行	Jǐngxíng	景 admirable; 行 conduct	Book of Songs, 高山景行
思齐	Sīqí	思 to aspire; 齐 to equal	Analects, 见贤思齐, "seeing a worthy, aspire to equal him"
弘毅	Hóngyì	弘 broad-minded; 毅 resolute	Analects, 士不可以不弘毅
修远	Xiūyuǎn	修 long; 远 far: the long road ahead	Qu Yuan, 路漫漫其修远兮
怀瑾	Huáijǐn	怀 to hold; 瑾 fine jade: holding virtue	Qu Yuan, 怀瑾握瑜
维桢	Wéizhēn	维 to be; 桢 pillar, mainstay	Book of Songs, 维周之桢
若愚	Ruòyú	若 as if; 愚 simple: great wisdom looks simple	大智若愚
一鸣	Yīmíng	一 one; 鸣 cry: one cry that astonishes	一鸣惊人, the bird that waited three years
云帆	Yúnfān	云 cloud; 帆 sail	Li Bai, 直挂云帆济沧海
思源	Sīyuán	思 to think of; 源 the source	饮水思源, "drinking water, think of its source"
知行	Zhīxíng	知 knowing; 行 doing	Wang Yangming, 知行合一
望舒	Wàngshū	the charioteer of the moon	Chu Ci
乐天	Lètiān	乐 content with; 天 heaven, fate	the poet Bai Juyi's courtesy name

Bright and upright

Name	Pinyin	Characters	Feel
明轩	Míngxuān	明 bright; 轩 lofty, a pavilion	open, confident
旭东	Xùdōng	旭 rising sun; 东 east	energetic
东旭	Dōngxù	the same, reversed	energetic
启明	Qǐmíng	启 to open; 明 bright: the morning star	promising
晨曦	Chénxī	晨 morning; 曦 first light	fresh, unisex
沐阳	Mùyáng	沐 to bathe in; 阳 sunlight	warm, modern
向阳	Xiàngyáng	向 facing; 阳 the sun	optimistic
景明	Jǐngmíng	景 scene; 明 bright	clear, calm
立诚	Lìchéng	立 to establish; 诚 sincerity	honest
秉文	Bǐngwén	秉 to uphold; 文 culture	scholarly
俊杰	Jùnjié	俊 handsome, talented; 杰 outstanding	classic, strong
伟杰	Wěijié	伟 great; 杰 outstanding	strong, a little old-fashioned
志远	Zhìyuǎn	志 ambition; 远 far	ambitious
博文	Bówén	博 broad; 文 learning	studious
文博	Wénbó	the same, reversed	studious

Calm and composed

Name	Pinyin	Characters	Feel
安之	Ānzhī	安 peace; 之 it: at peace with things	philosophical
清和	Qīnghé	清 clear; 和 mild	gentle
泰然	Tàirán	泰 composed; 然 so	unflappable
亦可	Yìkě	亦 also; 可 fine: "that will do too"	easy-going
温言	Wēnyán	温 warm; 言 words	kind
书恒	Shūhéng	书 books; 恒 constant	steady
承泽	Chéngzé	承 to inherit; 泽 grace, a lake	grateful
安邦	Ānbāng	安 to secure; 邦 the state	serious, old-style

Scholar and ink

Names with 子 (a scholar's honorific), 墨 (ink), 砚 (inkstone) and 书 (books) give a studio feel and are fashionable again.

Name	Pinyin	Characters	Feel
子涵	Zǐhán	子 scholar; 涵 to hold within	the most popular boys' name of the 2010s
子墨	Zǐmò	子 scholar; 墨 ink	artistic
墨轩	Mòxuān	墨 ink; 轩 studio	artistic
砚秋	Yànqiū	砚 inkstone; 秋 autumn	literary, the opera master Cheng Yanqiu
慕白	Mùbái	慕 to admire; 白 white, or the poet Li Bai	romantic
嘉树	Jiāshù	嘉 fine; 树 tree	upright
嘉禾	Jiāhé	嘉 fine; 禾 grain	wholesome
松涛	Sōngtāo	松 pine; 涛 waves: wind in the pines	landscape
远舟	Yuǎnzhōu	远 far; 舟 boat	wandering
远航	Yuǎnháng	远 far; 航 to voyage	adventurous
泽宇	Zéyǔ	泽 grace; 宇 the universe	expansive
宇航	Yǔháng	宇 space; 航 to navigate	modern, "astronaut"
君昊	Jūnhào	君 gentleman; 昊 vast sky	noble
奕辰	Yìchén	奕 radiant; 辰 the stars	bright, modern
鹏飞	Péngfēi	鹏 the giant roc; 飞 to fly	soaring, from Zhuangzi
天佑	Tiānyòu	天 heaven; 佑 to protect	blessed

One-character names

A single character after the surname is crisp and a little retro: 王立, 李峰, 张瑞.

Name	Pinyin	Meaning
立	Lì	to stand, to establish
峰	Fēng	peak
瑞	Ruì	auspicious
远	Yuǎn	far
诚	Chéng	sincere

Names that echo an English name

Name	Pinyin	Characters	Echoes
凯文	Kǎiwén	凯 triumph; 文 culture	Kevin
利奥	Lì'ào	利 sharp, profit; 奥 profound	Leo
立欧	Lìōu	立 to stand; 欧 Europe	Leo
杰克	Jiékè	杰 outstanding; 克 to overcome	Jack
安东	Āndōng	安 peace; 东 east	Anthony, Anton
马修	Mǎxiū	马 horse; 修 to cultivate	Matthew

With a surname that matches yours (马 for Martin, 麦 for McDonald, 施 for Smith), 施凯文 is a Chinese name that still answers to Kevin.

How to choose

Read the name with the surname and listen to the tones; a name whose three syllables are all the same tone sounds flat. Avoid two given-name characters that form a common word, and avoid characters that are mostly used for girls (婷, 娜, 妮) unless you want that effect. Then test it on a Chinese speaker. Our generator applies these rules and proposes three names for yours; choose "for a man" and it leans on the characters above.

Questions

What makes a Chinese name sound masculine?

Characters for breadth, strength, light and ambition (浩, 伟, 明, 志, 博, 杰), and the scholar's 子. Nature characters are shared, but flowers and jade (萱, 瑶, 琪) read as feminine.

Which Chinese boy names are most popular?

子涵, 浩然, 梓轩, 宇航 and 浩宇 led birth registrations through the 2010s in the Ministry of Public Security's annual reports; classical names such as 景行 and 思齐 have gained since.

Is a three-character given name possible?

No. The given name is one or two characters; with the surname, the whole name is two or three.

Can I use a famous person's name?

You can, but a Chinese listener will hear the famous person first. 浩然 is fine (thousands share it); 国藩 would make everyone think of Zeng Guofan.

Names and characters in this guide follow the rules we use when proposing names: common simplified characters, a surname from the Hundred Family Surnames, no awkward homophones. Where a guide says a native speaker reviewed it, the review date is above.