Common Chinese Last Names

Quick answer

Li (李), Wang (王), Zhang (张), Liu (刘), and Chen (陈) are the five most common Chinese last names. In the Ministry of Public Security’s 2020 national name report, these five together accounted for 30.8% of registered residents. Yang, Huang, Zhao, Wu, and Zhou are also very common. In Chinese order the surname comes first, and the same surname can be spelled several ways in English: 李 is Li in pinyin but Lee in many overseas families, and 陈 can be Chen, Chan, or Tan.

Common Chinese surnames and spelling notes

The table uses Mandarin pinyin as the main spelling. Other romanizations may appear in Cantonese, Hokkien, historical records, or overseas family names.

Example	Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning / note
Very common	李	Lǐ	Often seen as Lee in some overseas communities
Very common	王	Wáng	One of the most familiar Mandarin pinyin surnames
Very common	张	Zhāng	Common in Mandarin pinyin; spelling may vary outside pinyin
Very common	刘	Liú	A common family name used in many full-name examples
Very common	陈	Chén	May appear as Chan or Tan in some communities

How to use a common last name in a full Chinese name

Choose the surname first, then test one- or two-character given names after it. The surname changes the rhythm and visual balance of the full name.

Use common surnames for names that should feel familiar and realistic.
Read the full pinyin aloud, not only the given-name characters.
Avoid assuming that an overseas spelling and Mandarin pinyin are interchangeable.
Use compound surnames only when you intentionally need a two-character family name.

The same surname in different spellings

One written surname can reach English through several romanizations. Mandarin pinyin is standard in mainland China, Wade-Giles spellings survive in Taiwan and older records, and Cantonese, Hokkien, Teochew, and Hakka readings produced many overseas spellings. Families keep the spelling they inherited, so match a person by the characters, not by the letters.

Two different surnames can share one spelling: Wong may be 王 or 黄, and Ng may be 吴 or 黄.
Spellings vary inside each language community too; treat these as common patterns, not rules.
For records, genealogy, or forms, ask for the Chinese characters or check a family document.
Keep a person’s established spelling rather than converting it to pinyin.

Example	Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning / note
Li · Lee · Lei	李	Lǐ	Lee is common in Hong Kong and many overseas communities
Wang · Wong · Ong	王	Wáng	Wong reflects Cantonese; Ong reflects Hokkien
Zhang · Chang · Cheung · Teo	张	Zhāng	Chang is Wade-Giles; Cheung is Cantonese; Teo is Hokkien or Teochew
Chen · Chan · Tan · Chin	陈	Chén	Chan is Cantonese; Tan is Hokkien or Teochew; Chin is used by some Hakka families
Lin · Lam · Lim	林	Lín	Lam is Cantonese; Lim is Hokkien
Huang · Wong · Ng · Wee	黄	Huáng	Wong is Cantonese; Ng and Wee are Hokkien or Teochew spellings
Wu · Ng · Goh	吴	Wú	Ng is Cantonese; Goh is Hokkien
Yang · Yeung · Yeo	杨	Yáng	Yeung is Cantonese; Yeo is Hokkien
Zhou · Chou · Chow · Chew	周	Zhōu	Chou is Wade-Giles; Chow is Cantonese; Chew is Hokkien

What the national data says

China’s Ministry of Public Security publishes an annual name report from household registration records. Its 2020 report kept 王 (Wáng), 李 (Lǐ), 张 (Zhāng), 刘 (Liú), and 陈 (Chén) as the five most common surnames, together 30.8% of registered residents. Among babies registered in 2020, 李 was the most common surname, with 726,000 newborns.

The report counts registered residents of mainland China; overseas communities have different distributions.
Beyond the top five, rankings differ between sources and years, so this page does not assign positions six to ten.
A surname being common says nothing about a particular family’s origin or ancestry.

Sources: Ministry of Public Security, 2020 national name report (Guancha report, 8 Feb 2021)

Is it a Chinese last name? Eleven spellings answered

Each row gives the usual Chinese character, its Mandarin reading, and what else the spelling can represent. A spelling can point to more than one character, so for a real person the written characters are the reliable answer.

Example	Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning / note
Li	李	Lǐ	Yes. One of the five most common surnames. Also spelled Lee or Lei; 黎 (Lí) and 利 (Lì) are different surnames that can share the spelling.
Lee	李	Lǐ	Usually the overseas spelling of 李, but also the usual English spelling of the Korean surname 이. Some 黎, 利, or 雷 families use it too.
Chen	陈 / 陳	Chén	Yes. One of the five most common surnames. Chan (Cantonese) and Tan (Hokkien, Teochew) are spellings of the same character.
Liu	刘 / 劉	Liú	Yes. One of the five most common surnames. Lau (Cantonese), Liew, and Lew are other inherited spellings.
Yang	杨 / 楊	Yáng	Yes. 阳 / 陽 is a different character with the same pinyin, so the spelling alone cannot tell you which is meant.
Huang	黄 / 黃	Huáng	Yes. Wong is the Cantonese spelling (Wong is also used for 王), and Hwang is the Korean spelling of the same character.
Lin	林	Lín	Yes. Written the same in simplified and traditional characters. Lim (Hokkien) and Lam (Cantonese) are the same surname.
Wu	吴 / 吳	Wú	Yes, most often 吴. Without tone marks Wu can also be 伍 or 武 (both Wǔ). Ng (Cantonese) and Goh (Hokkien) spell 吴.
Song	宋	Sòng	Yes. Sung is the older Wade-Giles spelling. Song is also a Korean surname (송), written with the same character.
Kim	金	Jīn	Usually Korean (김). Chinese families with 金 are Jin in pinyin, though Kim appears as a Hokkien or Teochew spelling of 金.
Choi	蔡 / 崔	Cài / Cuī	Usually Korean (최, written 崔 in Hanja). In Cantonese spelling Choi most often stands for 蔡, which is Cài in Mandarin.

Korean or Chinese? Lee, Kim, Choi, Song, and Hwang

Several common Korean surnames share a written character with a Chinese surname, which is why the English spelling alone does not settle the question.

Korean surnames are written in Hangul, and most also have a Hanja (Chinese-character) form: 이 李, 김 金, 최 崔, 송 宋, 황 黄.
Sharing a character does not make a Korean family Chinese, or the reverse.
Korean romanization differs from pinyin: 金 is Kim in Korean but Jin in Mandarin pinyin.
If you need to know, ask how the person writes the name, in Hangul or in Chinese characters.

Same spelling, different surname

Tone marks and characters are usually dropped in English, so different surnames can collapse into one spelling.

Wong can be 王 (Wáng) or 黄 (Huáng); Ng can be 吴 (Wú) or 黄.
Wu can be 吴 (Wú), 伍 (Wǔ), or 武 (Wǔ).
Yang can be the surname 杨 or the different character 阳.
Li or Lee can be 李, 黎, or 利.

Simplified and traditional forms

Several surnames look different in simplified and traditional writing: 陈 / 陳, 刘 / 劉, 杨 / 楊, 黄 / 黃, 吴 / 吳, and 张 / 張. 李, 林, 王, and 宋 look the same in both. Keep the form a document actually uses and note the other form beside it, rather than replacing one with the other.

A surname character may have an everyday meaning (林 is “forest”, 黄 is “yellow”), but a surname is never translated: Lin is not “Forest”.
When matching records, compare the characters first and the English spelling second.
Archives often link a spelling to its characters. The National Library Board of Singapore, for example, records the pioneer Lim Loh as 林路.

Sources: National Library Board Singapore: Lim Loh; Ministry of Education Mandarin dictionary

Questions

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common Chinese last names?

王 (Wang), 李 (Li), 张 (Zhang), 刘 (Liu), and 陈 (Chen). In the 2020 Ministry of Public Security name report they made up 30.8% of registered residents.

Is Lee the same surname as Li?

Lee is often used as an English spelling related to 李 in some communities, while Li is the Mandarin pinyin spelling. Context matters because romanization systems differ.

Do Chinese last names come first?

Yes. In Chinese order, the family name comes before the given name.

Should I choose a common surname for a generated name?

For natural examples, a common surname is usually a good starting point. For fiction or historical style, a rarer or compound surname may be appropriate.

Is Kim a Chinese last name?

Usually Kim is Korean (김). The same character, 金, is a Chinese surname spelled Jin in pinyin; some Hokkien and Teochew families spell it Kim.

Is Choi a Chinese last name?

Usually Choi is Korean (최). In Hong Kong and other Cantonese-speaking communities Choi is often the spelling of 蔡, which is Cài in Mandarin.

Are Chen, Chan, and Tan the same surname?

They are often the same character, 陈 / 陳, spelled through Mandarin (Chen), Cantonese (Chan), or Hokkien and Teochew (Tan). Check the characters to be sure for a particular family.

How do I write my last name in Chinese if I only know the English spelling?

Use the table above to find the likely character, then confirm it from a family member or a document that shows Chinese characters. If you are choosing a new Chinese surname, pick one of the common characters and keep your English spelling for official use.