Ancient Chinese Name Generator
Historical names from the Zhou to the Song dynasty
Generate ancient Chinese names in pinyin with characters: real statesmen, generals, poets and empresses from the Zhou, Qin, Han, Three Kingdoms, Tang and Song eras, plus original names built on the same surnames and classical given-name conventions for wuxia, xianxia and historical fiction.
About ancient Chinese names
Ancient Chinese names follow a fixed order: the family name (xing, 姓) comes first and the given name (ming, 名) second, so Sima Qian is a Sima and Li Bai is a Li. Most surnames are a single character, but the old aristocratic compound surnames survive from the Zhou and Spring and Autumn periods: Sima, Zhuge, Gongsun, Ouyang, Shangguan, Xiahou, Duanmu, Zhongli, Linghu. Pre-Qin names can look unfamiliar because early figures such as Ji Fa and Ying Zheng carried clan names that later fell out of use, and kings are usually remembered by posthumous titles.
Given names changed with the dynasty. Han and Three Kingdoms names are overwhelmingly one character (Liu Bei, Cao Cao, Guan Yu), a fashion reinforced when Wang Mang briefly outlawed two-character given names. Two-character names with a generation word or a virtue word (Xuanling, Zhongyan, Qingzhao) become standard from the Tang onward. Birth-order markers Bo, Zhong, Shu and Ji, and characters like Wen (culture), Wu (martial), De (virtue), Yuan (origin) and Zi (master) give names a scholarly ring. Women's given names are rarely recorded before the Tang; those we have, like Fu Hao, Ban Zhao, Cai Wenji and Li Qingzhao, are precious.
Each entry gives pinyin followed by characters. The list mixes genuine historical figures with original names built on the same rules.
How to choose ancient Chinese names
- Keep surname first in narration and dialogue (Zhuge Liang, never Liang Zhuge), and have peers address a character by courtesy name or title rather than the bare given name.
- Match the given name's length to the era: a single-character ming (Han Xin, Xun Yu) reads Han or Three Kingdoms, while two characters (Fang Xuanling, Li Qingzhao) feel Tang or Song.
- Use a compound surname sparingly; one Ouyang or Shangguan in a cast signals old aristocracy, a whole court of them reads like a wuxia parody.
- Borrow a real person's surname and era but invent the given name if you want authenticity without writing historical fan fiction; Jiang Wenyuan or Xiao Jingwen sound period-correct without colliding with a famous biography.
- Add a courtesy name (zi) or a hao for scholars and officials, and give women a clan name plus a respectful title (furen, niang) if their given name would not have been public.
Frequently asked questions
What did ancient Chinese names look like?
Surname first, then a given name of one or two characters. In the Zhou and Han periods most people had single-character given names (Liu Bang, Xiang Yu, Ban Gu), often paired with a courtesy name used in public. From the Tang dynasty on, two-character given names like Li Shimin, Wang Changling and Ouyang Xiu became the norm.
Are these names real historical people or made up?
Both. Around two-thirds are genuine figures from the Shang through the Song dynasties, including philosophers, generals, poets, calligraphers, physicians, consorts and rebels. The rest are original names that use the same surnames and classical given-name conventions so they can be used for characters without borrowing someone's biography.
Why do some names have three syllables?
Those are compound surnames. Sima, Zhuge, Gongsun, Ouyang, Shangguan, Xiahou, Dongfang, Huangfu, Murong and Duanmu are two-character family names inherited from Zhou-era offices, fiefs or non-Han clans, so Sima Qian is surname Sima, given name Qian. They were rarer than single-character surnames even in antiquity and were strongly associated with noble or scholarly families.
Can I use these for a wuxia, xianxia or historical fiction character?
Yes. The original names were written for exactly that, and the historical names work as background figures or as inspiration for naming patterns. For a cultivator or martial hero, pair a classical surname with a two-character given name drawn from nature or virtue, and consider adding a courtesy name or sect title for use in dialogue.
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All 500 ancient Chinese names
A: 1 name
- An Lushan (安禄山)
B: 24 names
- Bai Juyi (白居易)
- Bai Qi (白起)
- Bai Zhongyuan (白仲远)
- Baili Xi (百里奚)
- Baili Zhen (百里真)
- Ban Biao (班彪)
- Ban Chao (班超)
- Ban Gu (班固)
- Ban Zhao (班昭)
- Ban Ziheng (班子衡)
- Bao Shuya (鲍叔牙)
- Bao Si (褒姒)
- Bao Zhao (鲍照)
- Bao Zheng (包拯)
- Bao Zizhen (鲍子贞)
- Bi Gan (比干)
- Bian He (卞和)
- Bian Que (扁鹊)
- Bo Ji (薄姬)
- Bo Ya (伯牙)
- Bo Yi (伯夷)
- Bu Lianshi (步练师)
- Bu Shang (卜商)
- Bu Yuanhe (卜元和)
C: 24 names
- Cai Lun (蔡伦)
- Cai Wenji (蔡文姬)
- Cai Yong (蔡邕)
- Cai Yuanshu (蔡元叔)
- Cao Mo (曹沫)
- Cao Shen (曹参)
- Cen Shen (岑参)
- Chao Cuo (晁错)
- Chao Wenyu (晁文玉)
- Chen Fan (陈蕃)
- Chen Gong (陈宫)
- Chen Ping (陈平)
- Chen Sheng (陈胜)
- Chen Tang (陈汤)
- Chen Yi (陈祎)
- Chen Yuanbo (陈元伯)
- Chen Zi'ang (陈子昂)
- Cheng Hao (程颢)
- Cheng Shiwen (程世文)
- Cheng Yaojin (程咬金)
- Cheng Ying (程婴)
- Cheng Yu (程昱)
- Chunyu Kun (淳于髡)
- Cui Hao (崔颢)
D: 23 names
- Da Ji (妲己)
- Da Qiao (大乔)
- Deng Ai (邓艾)
- Deng Sui (邓绥)
- Deng Wenxiu (邓文秀)
- Deng Yu (邓禹)
- Di Renjie (狄仁杰)
- Diao Chan (貂蝉)
- Ding Feng (丁奉)
- Dong Zhongshu (董仲舒)
- Dong Zhuo (董卓)
- Dong Zihe (董子和)
- Dongfang Shuo (东方朔)
- Dongfang Xu (东方旭)
- Dou Shaoling (窦少陵)
- Dou Xian (窦宪)
- Dou Yifang (窦漪房)
- Du Fu (杜甫)
- Du Mu (杜牧)
- Duanmu Ci (端木赐)
- Duanmu Qing (端木青)
- Dugu Jian (独孤剑)
- Dugu Qieluo (独孤伽罗)
F: 17 names
- Fa Zheng (法正)
- Fan Kuai (樊哙)
- Fan Li (范蠡)
- Fan Shuye (范叔业)
- Fan Zeng (范增)
- Fan Zhongxin (樊仲信)
- Fan Zhongyan (范仲淹)
- Fang Xuanling (房玄龄)
- Fei Yi (费祎)
- Feng Shuying (冯叔英)
- Feng Xuan (冯谖)
- Feng Yi (冯异)
- Fu Hao (妇好)
- Fu Jian (苻坚)
- Fu Yue (傅说)
- Fuchai (夫差)
- Fusu (扶苏)
G: 24 names
- Gan Jiang (干将)
- Gan Luo (甘罗)
- Gan Ning (甘宁)
- Gan Yanshou (甘延寿)
- Gao Changgong (高长恭)
- Gao Jianli (高渐离)
- Gao Lishi (高力士)
- Gao Shi (高适)
- Ge Hong (葛洪)
- Geng Gong (耿恭)
- Geng Yan (耿弇)
- Geng Ziming (耿子明)
- Gongsun Long (公孙龙)
- Gongsun Shu (公孙述)
- Gongsun Yan (公孙衍)
- Gongsun Zan (公孙瓒)
- Gongyang Shu (公羊疏)
- Goujian (勾践)
- Gu Kaizhi (顾恺之)
- Guan Shuping (管叔平)
- Guan Zhong (管仲)
- Guan Ziyou (灌子由)
- Guo Tai (郭泰)
- Guo Ziyi (郭子仪)
H: 25 names
- Han Fei (韩非)
- Han Jue (韩厥)
- Han Shizhong (韩世忠)
- Han Sui (韩遂)
- Han Xin (韩信)
- Han Yu (韩愈)
- Han Ziyi (韩子义)
- He Jin (何进)
- He Zhizhang (贺知章)
- Helian Bo (赫连勃)
- Hou Ying (侯嬴)
- Hua Shaoling (华少陵)
- Hua Tuo (华佗)
- Huan Wen (桓温)
- Huang Chao (黄巢)
- Huang Gai (黄盖)
- Huang Tingjian (黄庭坚)
- Huang Xie (黄歇)
- Huang Zhong (黄忠)
- Huangfu Jie (皇甫杰)
- Huangfu Song (皇甫嵩)
- Hui Shi (惠施)
- Huo Guang (霍光)
- Huo Qubing (霍去病)
- Huo Zhiyuan (霍志远)
J: 24 names
- Ji Bozhang (汲伯章)
- Ji Bu (季布)
- Ji Chang (姬昌)
- Ji Chong'er (姬重耳)
- Ji Dan (姬旦)
- Ji Fa (姬发)
- Ji Kang (嵇康)
- Ji Ruoshui (姬若水)
- Ji Zha (季札)
- Ji Zhaoyang (姬昭阳)
- Ji Zi (箕子)
- Jia Xu (贾诩)
- Jia Yi (贾谊)
- Jia Ziqian (贾子谦)
- Jian Shu (蹇叔)
- Jiang Boyuan (姜伯远)
- Jiang Shang (姜尚)
- Jiang Wan (蒋琬)
- Jiang Wei (姜维)
- Jiang Wenyuan (姜文远)
- Jie Zitui (介子推)
- Jing Ke (荆轲)
- Jisun Xing (季孙行)
- Ju Shou (沮授)
K: 5 names
- Kong Qiu (孔丘)
- Kong Rong (孔融)
- Kong Shiqi (孔世祺)
- Kou Zhun (寇准)
- Kuang Heng (匡衡)
L: 59 names
- Li Bai (李白)
- Li Bing (李冰)
- Li Er (李耳)
- Li Guang (李广)
- Li Guangli (李广利)
- Li He (李贺)
- Li Jing (李靖)
- Li Kui (李悝)
- Li Linfu (李林甫)
- Li Ling (李陵)
- Li Mu (李牧)
- Li Qingzhao (李清照)
- Li Shangyin (李商隐)
- Li Shimin (李世民)
- Li Si (李斯)
- Li Yan (李严)
- Li Ying (李膺)
- Li Yu (李煜)
- Li Yuan (李渊)
- Li Yuanqi (李元启)
- Lian Baihe (廉伯和)
- Lian Po (廉颇)
- Liang Hongyu (梁红玉)
- Lie Yukou (列御寇)
- Lin Chengyu (蔺承玉)
- Lin Xiangru (蔺相如)
- Ling Tong (凌统)
- Linghu Yue (令狐月)
- Liu Bang (刘邦)
- Liu Biao (刘表)
- Liu Bingyi (刘病已)
- Liu Che (刘彻)
- Liu Gongquan (柳公权)
- Liu Jingping (刘景平)
- Liu Ling (刘伶)
- Liu Xiang (刘向)
- Liu Xie (刘勰)
- Liu Xiu (刘秀)
- Liu Xuan (刘玄)
- Liu Yan (刘縯)
- Liu Yong (柳永)
- Liu Yu (刘裕)
- Liu Zhang (刘璋)
- Liu Zongyuan (柳宗元)
- Long Qie (龙且)
- Lu Ban (鲁班)
- Lü Boshang (吕伯尚)
- Lü Buwei (吕不韦)
- Lu Ji (陆机)
- Lu Jingshan (卢敬山)
- Lü Meng (吕蒙)
- Lu Su (鲁肃)
- Lu Xun (陆逊)
- Lu You (陆游)
- Lu Yu (陆羽)
- Lü Zhi (吕雉)
- Lu Zhonglian (鲁仲连)
- Luan Shu (栾书)
- Luo Binwang (骆宾王)
M: 21 names
- Ma Boqian (马伯谦)
- Ma Chao (马超)
- Ma Liang (马良)
- Ma Su (马谡)
- Ma Teng (马腾)
- Ma Yuan (马援)
- Mao Sui (毛遂)
- Meng Haoran (孟浩然)
- Meng Huo (孟获)
- Meng Jiangnü (孟姜女)
- Meng Ke (孟轲)
- Meng Tian (蒙恬)
- Meng Yuanqing (蒙元清)
- Meng Zichen (孟子辰)
- Mi Fu (米芾)
- Mi Heng (祢衡)
- Min Sun (闵损)
- Mo Di (墨翟)
- Mo Ye (莫邪)
- Mo Zhaoren (墨昭仁)
- Murong Lanzhi (慕容兰芷)
N: 2 names
- Nangong Yi (南宫翼)
- Nie Zheng (聂政)
O: 4 names
- Ou Yezi (欧冶子)
- Ouyang Jingxuan (欧阳景轩)
- Ouyang Xiu (欧阳修)
- Ouyang Xun (欧阳询)
P: 5 names
- Pan Geng (盘庚)
- Pan Yue (潘岳)
- Pang Tong (庞统)
- Peng Shuji (彭叔季)
- Peng Yue (彭越)
Q: 6 names
- Qi Ji (戚姬)
- Qin Guan (秦观)
- Qin Qiong (秦琼)
- Qing Ji (庆忌)
- Qu Shuhe (屈叔和)
- Qu Yuan (屈原)
R: 3 names
- Ran Qiu (冉求)
- Ruan Ji (阮籍)
- Ruan Xian (阮咸)
S: 34 names
- Sang Wenyuan (桑文渊)
- Shan Tao (山涛)
- Shang Yang (商鞅)
- Shangguan Wan'er (上官婉儿)
- Shangguan Yunfei (上官云飞)
- Shen Buhai (申不害)
- Shen Dao (慎到)
- Shen Kuo (沈括)
- Shen Yuanliang (申元亮)
- Shen Yue (沈约)
- Shentu Lei (申屠雷)
- Shi Kuang (师旷)
- Shu Qi (叔齐)
- Shu Xiang (叔向)
- Shusun Tong (叔孙通)
- Shusun Yan (叔孙衍)
- Sima Guang (司马光)
- Sima Qian (司马迁)
- Sima Ruolin (司马若霖)
- Sima Tan (司马谈)
- Sima Xiangru (司马相如)
- Situ Chengfeng (司徒承风)
- Song Jilan (宋季兰)
- Song Yu (宋玉)
- Su Jingzhi (苏景之)
- Su Qin (苏秦)
- Su Shi (苏轼)
- Su Wu (苏武)
- Su Xun (苏洵)
- Su Zhe (苏辙)
- Sun Bin (孙膑)
- Sun Luban (孙鲁班)
- Sun Simiao (孙思邈)
- Sun Wu (孙武)
T: 12 names
- Taishi Ci (太史慈)
- Tang Wan (唐琬)
- Tantai Mingyue (澹台明月)
- Tao Qian (陶谦)
- Tao Yuanming (陶渊明)
- Tian Dan (田单)
- Tian Feng (田丰)
- Tian Heng (田横)
- Tian Ji (田忌)
- Tian Jiyou (田季由)
- Tian Wen (田文)
- Tuoba Yun (拓跋云)
W: 44 names
- Wang Anshi (王安石)
- Wang Bo (王勃)
- Wang Changling (王昌龄)
- Wang Chong (王充)
- Wang Dao (王导)
- Wang Dun (王敦)
- Wang Jian (王翦)
- Wang Jinghe (王敬和)
- Wang Mang (王莽)
- Wang Meng (王猛)
- Wang Ping (王平)
- Wang Rong (王戎)
- Wang Wei (王维)
- Wang Xianzhi (王献之)
- Wang Xizhi (王羲之)
- Wang Yun (王允)
- Wang Zhaojun (王昭君)
- Wang Zhengjun (王政君)
- Wang Zhihuan (王之涣)
- Wei Boling (卫伯龄)
- Wei Jiang (魏绛)
- Wei Liao (尉缭)
- Wei Qing (卫青)
- Wei Wuji (魏无忌)
- Wei Yan (魏延)
- Wei Zheng (魏征)
- Wei Zhongming (卫仲明)
- Wei Zhuang (韦庄)
- Wei Zi (微子)
- Wei Zifu (卫子夫)
- Wen Chou (文丑)
- Wen Jizhao (文季昭)
- Wen Tianxiang (文天祥)
- Wen Tingyun (温庭筠)
- Wen Zhong (文种)
- Wenren Ziyu (闻人子瑜)
- Wu Daozi (吴道子)
- Wu Ding (武丁)
- Wu Guang (吴广)
- Wu Han (吴汉)
- Wu Jinghong (吴景鸿)
- Wu Qi (吴起)
- Wu Zetian (武则天)
- Wu Zixu (伍子胥)
X: 36 names
- Xi Shi (西施)
- Xiahou Liang (夏侯亮)
- Xiahou Ying (夏侯婴)
- Xian Zhen (先轸)
- Xiang Liang (项梁)
- Xiang Xiu (向秀)
- Xiang Yu (项羽)
- Xiang Zhuang (项庄)
- Xiao He (萧何)
- Xiao Jingwen (萧敬文)
- Xiao Qiao (小乔)
- Xiao Tong (萧统)
- Xiao Wangzhi (萧望之)
- Xiao Yan (萧衍)
- Xie An (谢安)
- Xie Daoyun (谢道韫)
- Xie Lingyun (谢灵运)
- Xie Xuan (谢玄)
- Ximen Bao (西门豹)
- Ximen Hongye (西门鸿业)
- Xin Qiji (辛弃疾)
- Xu Fu (徐福)
- Xu Pingjun (许平君)
- Xu Shen (许慎)
- Xu Shu (徐庶)
- Xu Wenxin (许文心)
- Xu Xing (许行)
- Xu Zhonghui (徐仲徽)
- Xuanyuan Ming (轩辕明)
- Xue Rengui (薛仁贵)
- Xue Tao (薛涛)
- Xun Guan (荀灌)
- Xun Kuang (荀况)
- Xun Wenbo (荀文伯)
- Xun You (荀攸)
- Xun Yu (荀彧)
Y: 42 names
- Yan Hui (颜回)
- Yan Liang (颜良)
- Yan Liben (阎立本)
- Yan Shu (晏殊)
- Yan Ying (晏婴)
- Yan Zhenqing (颜真卿)
- Yan Zhiyuan (颜之远)
- Yan Zhongmou (晏仲谋)
- Yang Guang (杨广)
- Yang Guozhong (杨国忠)
- Yang Jian (杨坚)
- Yang Wanli (杨万里)
- Yang Xiu (杨修)
- Yang Yuhuan (杨玉环)
- Yang Zhu (杨朱)
- Yao Li (要离)
- Yi Yin (伊尹)
- Yin Lihua (阴丽华)
- Yin Shaoyu (阴少玉)
- Ying Bu (英布)
- Ying Ji (嬴稷)
- Ying Jingxing (嬴景行)
- Ying Renhao (嬴任好)
- Ying Shihui (嬴世徽)
- Ying Si (嬴驷)
- Ying Zheng (嬴政)
- You Yu (由余)
- Yu Ji (虞姬)
- Yu Qing (虞卿)
- Yu Rang (豫让)
- Yu Shinan (虞世南)
- Yu Xin (庾信)
- Yu Xuanji (鱼玄机)
- Yuan Shao (袁绍)
- Yuan Shu (袁术)
- Yuan Zhen (元稹)
- Yuchi Gong (尉迟恭)
- Yue Fei (岳飞)
- Yue Shaoqing (乐少卿)
- Yue Yi (乐毅)
- Yuwen Hao (宇文浩)
- Yuwen Tai (宇文泰)
Z: 65 names
- Zai Yu (宰予)
- Zeng Gong (曾巩)
- Zeng Jingxing (曾敬行)
- Zeng Shen (曾参)
- Zhang Boyan (张伯延)
- Zhang Daoling (张道陵)
- Zhang Han (章邯)
- Zhang Heng (张衡)
- Zhang Jiao (张角)
- Zhang Jiuling (张九龄)
- Zhang Liang (张良)
- Zhang Lu (张鲁)
- Zhang Qian (张骞)
- Zhang Shixiu (张世修)
- Zhang Xu (张旭)
- Zhang Xun (张巡)
- Zhang Yi (张仪)
- Zhang Zhao (张昭)
- Zhang Zhongjing (张仲景)
- Zhangsun Wuji (长孙无忌)
- Zhao Chongguo (赵充国)
- Zhao Dun (赵盾)
- Zhao Feiyan (赵飞燕)
- Zhao Gao (赵高)
- Zhao Kuangyin (赵匡胤)
- Zhao Kuo (赵括)
- Zhao Mingcheng (赵明诚)
- Zhao Sheng (赵胜)
- Zhao Wu (赵武)
- Zhao Yong (赵雍)
- Zhao Ziheng (赵子衡)
- Zheng Guo (郑国)