In Chinese culture, naming a baby is a meaningful tradition, taking into account family history, gender and politics.
Parents interested in giving their child a Chinese name should understand this rule: "Last names come before first names," Licheng Gu, a professor of Instruction and East Asia Liaison at Northwestern University, told TODAY Parents.
"You don't call someone by their first name if you don't know them intimately," he said. "Especially in formal situations or when a younger person addresses someone older. It's a sign of respect."
For example, Gu's family and close friends call him Licheng, as do his non-Chinese colleagues; his Chinese coworkers call him Gu Laoshi, which means "Professor Gu."
"The practice within the culture and the practice outside the culture are very different," he explained.
Related: For 23 years, I was Caroline. Here’s why I reclaimed my Chinese birth name
Chinese children also learn from a young age to address people with both their last and first names. "When I was a child in elementary school, I was referred to as Gu Licheng," he explained.
Beautiful symbolic characters also garnish the Chinese written word.
"For boys it’s usually symbols for nourishment and security (like the roof of a home),” Gu said. "For girls, the characters are more feminine and soft, such as rain or flowers."
According to Gu, about 2 % of Chinese people have two characters in their last names and about 30% of older people have only one character in their first names.
"Things are changing, so the most commonly used given names for both boys and girls (these days) all have two characters in them," he said.
Related: Why parents should be fearless about passing their heritage language and culture on to their kids
If you’re looking for a Chinese baby name, the 2022 National Name Report has you covered.
Published by China’s Household Administration Research Center of the Ministry of Public Security, it ranks the most popular boy and girl names from the past year.
The data looked at 8.8 million babies born in 2021 (4.6 million boys and 4.1 million girls) who were registered with public security organizations.
Check out the most commonly used Chinese baby names to date.
Related: Unique boy names for parents searching for baby names with meaning
Top 10 Chinese baby names for boys
Mu Chen
Haoyu
Muchen
Mingze
Yichen
Yuze
Haoran
Yize
Yuxuan
Mu Yang
Related: Here are 89 of the coolest celebrity baby names
Top 10 Chinese baby names for girls
Ruoxi
Yinuo
Yihan
Yinuo
Zihan
Yimo
Yutong
Xinyi
Yutong
Yuxi
Related video: