Chinese Names

Chinese people address each other usually with the surname. My good friend Zhou Zejun is called Zhou. Notice the surname comes first and the given name follows.

Most Chinese have one-word surnames and two words for the given name, but it is possible to meet someone with a two-word surname, or a one-word given name.

In a business context, Zhou is called by his title, such as Director Zhou. Chinese people who regularly interact with foreigners usually give themselves an English name. In the U.S., my friend goes by “Gary Zhou.”

Quite a few Chinese have taken on silly English names, so try not to laugh when you are
introduced to Sonic, Apple, Lemon, Cinderella, Cloud, Megatron, or Lollipop. While we’re on the subject, try not to laugh when you are introduced to people with funny sounding Chinese names like Poo, Kok, Pee-Pee and Long Dong. These are especially prevalent in Singapore and Hong Kong. One doofus surnamed Kok actually took Harry as his English name.

In a personal context, people often call each other by a nickname that references the relationship. An older colleague might call my friend 小周 Xiao Zhou meaning little Zhou. Close acquaintances often call each other by family titles, especially younger sister, elder sister, elder brother, uncle, aunt, and so on, even though they are not related.

If you’ll be doing a lot of business in China, consider getting your own Chinese name. Mine is 司徒仁. The ideal Chinese name sounds like your English name, and has the same meaning. My Chinese surname 司徒 Situ sounds like Stu, and actually means “manager” just as Stuart means “steward” in English. In fact many famous people named Stuart have this as their Chinese name including Leighton Stuart, and the cute and competent mouse, Stuart Little. It helps that 司徒
is a normal family name without negative connotations. My given name was suggested by some Chinese friends. It is 仁 ren, which means benevolence and is an important Confucian virtue.