Cantonese Last Name Generator

Chinese surnames in their Cantonese spellings, each shown with its traditional character: Hong Kong forms like Chan (陳), Wong (黃) and Leung (梁), Macau forms like Leong (梁) and Ieong (楊), and older overseas spellings like Moy (梅), Eng (伍) and Louie (雷).

About Cantonese last names

A Cantonese surname is a Chinese character read in Cantonese and spelled in Latin letters. The family name that Mandarin speakers write as Chen is Chan (陳), Huang is Wong (黃), Zhang is Cheung (張) and Wu is Ng (吳). Every entry here pairs one spelling with its traditional character, because the spelling alone is not enough: Wong can be 黃, 王 or 汪, Lam can be 林 or 藍, and Yau can be 丘, 邱, 游 or 尤.

One character can also have several spellings, depending on where the family was registered. Hong Kong's usual forms make up most of the list (Leung, Kwok, Tsang, Yeung, Yip). Macau's Portuguese-era spellings give Leong (梁), Ieong (楊), Kuok (郭) and Sio (蕭). Families who left the Pearl River Delta for North America, Hawaii, Australia and Malaysia, many of them Taishanese speakers, were written down by ear, which is how 梅 became Moy, 伍 became Eng, 雷 became Louie, 譚 became Tom or Hom and 司徒 became Soo Hoo.

The list is shorter than most on this site because it keeps to well-known pairs of spelling and character and does not spell every Chinese surname by rule. Hokkien, Teochew and Hakka spellings such as Tan, Lim and Yap belong to other Chinese languages and are left out.

How to choose Cantonese last names

• Pick the spelling by where the family is from. 梁 is Leung in Hong Kong and Leong in Macau and Malaysia, and 劉 is Lau in Hong Kong, Lao in Macau and Lew or Low in old North American families.
• Keep the character with the name whenever written Chinese matters. Wong (黃) and Wong (王) are different surnames that only look the same in English.
• Put the surname first for a name in Cantonese order, followed by a two-syllable given name, as in Chan Tai-man.
• Treat Au-Yeung (歐陽), Szeto (司徒) and Szema (司馬) as single surnames. They are written with two characters and are never split.
• For a family that emigrated generations ago, use the old spelling. Descendants kept Moy, Chin and Lew even though relatives in Hong Kong write Mui, Chan and Lau.

Frequently asked questions

What are some familiar Cantonese last names?

Chan (陳), Wong (黃), Lee (李), Cheung (張), Lau (劉), Leung (梁), Ng (吳), Lam (林) and Ho (何) are among the best-known Hong Kong surnames. Each is the Cantonese reading of a surname found all over China, so Chan is the same family name as Mandarin Chen.

Why does one Cantonese surname have several spellings?

Cantonese never had one compulsory romanization, so the spelling depended on the clerk and the place. The character 譚 is Tam in Hong Kong and Tom, Hom, Thom or Tham overseas, and 陸 is Luk in Hong Kong and Look, Luke or Loke abroad. This list gives each of those as its own entry with the same character.

How do you say Ng, and is it really a surname?

Yes. Ng is the Cantonese reading of both 吳 and 伍, and it is said as the ng sound at the end of the word sing, with no vowel. Overseas families often wrote it Eng, Ing or Ung to make it easier for English speakers.

Are Tan, Lim and Goh Cantonese surnames?

No. Those are Hokkien and Teochew readings of 陳, 林 and 吳, and they are common in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines. The Cantonese forms of the same characters are Chan, Lam and Ng, which is why this list has the second set and not the first.

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