# Chinese Surnames Chart: The 100 Most Common Chinese Family Names You learn to tell 张 from 章 out loud, ask 您贵姓？ politely and answer modestly, and write a friend's full name surname first. For learners starting from zero who meet Chinese names at work or among friends. Source: https://www.saymei.app/resources/downloads/chinese-surnames-chart ## At a glance - Level: Total beginner · HSK 1 - Format: Reference guide · PDF · 12 pages · US Letter (prints on A4) - Price: Free · free with a saymei account · updated Nov 4, 2026 ## Download Free with a SayMei account, on the workbook's page: https://www.saymei.app/resources/downloads/chinese-surnames-chart. SayMei emails a copy too. ## A line from the workbook 你姓什么？ (Nǐ xìng shénme?) — What is your family name? ## By the end you can - Say the 25 commonest Chinese surnames, from 王 to 唐. Each with its pinyin, a plain meaning and the words people use to say which character they mean, like 木子李 and 耳东陈. 我姓张，弓长张。 (Wǒ xìng Zhāng, gōng cháng Zhāng.): My surname is Zhang, the Zhang made of 弓 and 长. - Read all 100, ranked by how many people carry them today. Four chart pages of 25, from recent national counts in mainland China, with notes on readings that change, like 曾 Zēng and 任 Rén. 我姓许，言午许。 (Wǒ xìng Xǔ, yán wǔ Xǔ.): My surname is Xu, the Xu made of 言 and 午. - Tell same-sound surnames apart. 姜 and 江 are both Jiāng, and 张 and 章 are both Zhāng, so people add a word or the parts of the character. 我姓江，长江的江。 (Wǒ xìng Jiāng, Cháng Jiāng de Jiāng.): My surname is Jiang, the Jiang of the Yangtze River. - Ask which character it is, and how to read or write it. Three short questions for any name you hear or see, plus the tricky ones: 覃 is usually Qín and 郝 sounds like 好. 是哪个字？ (Shì nǎge zì?): Which character is it? - Ask a surname politely and answer modestly. Ask new people and elders 您贵姓？ and answer with 我姓… or 免贵姓…, never 我贵姓. For someone else, use 姓什么. 免贵姓陈。 (Miǎn guì xìng Chén.): My (humble) surname is Chen. - Use two-character surnames like 欧阳 and 诸葛. Eight of the best-known, with their special readings (诸葛 is Zhūgě, 尉迟 is Yùchí). The two characters always stay together. 这是欧阳老师。 (Zhè shì Ōuyáng lǎoshī.): This is Teacher Ouyang. - Write the 20 commonest surnames and a friend's full name. Copy surnames 1 to 20 in a grid, write surnames from their pinyin, and put a friend's name in Chinese order, surname first. 我姓吴，口天吴。 (Wǒ xìng Wú, kǒu tiān Wú.): My surname is Wu, the Wu made of 口 and 天. ## What's inside - Surnames 1–25: Surnames 1–25: Wang to Tang - Surnames 26–50: Surnames 26–50: Xu to Lu - Surnames 51–75: Surnames 51–75: Yao to Jiang - Surnames 76–100: Surnames 76–100: Yin to Tang - Ask and Tell: Ask and Tell a Surname - Two-Character Surnames: Two-Character Surnames - Write: Write the Ten Commonest Surnames · Write Ten More and a Friend's Name - Review: Roll Call on the First Night ## How to use this book One page a day takes nine days. Play a row on the free audio, pause and say it back inside a short line like 我姓李。, which helps the tone stick better than a single sound. - Days 1–4: The chart, 25 names a day. Pages 3 to 6. Say three names from the page with 我姓… and their "which one" words. - Day 5: Ask and tell. Page 7. Ask a partner 您贵姓？ and answer with your own surname and its "which one" words. - Day 6: Two-character surnames. Page 8. Say the eight names and introduce a teacher with the whole surname. - Days 7–8: Write. Pages 9 and 10. Copy the 20 commonest surnames, do the listening, and write a friend's full name. - Day 9: Roll call. Page 11. Act out the roll call with a partner, then answer for yourself. ## Who it's for Adult beginners who meet Chinese names at work, at school, among friends or in a partner's family and want to say them right, ask a surname politely and tell people which character theirs is. Before you start: Nothing. Every surname has its characters and pinyin, and the free audio reads each row with a pause to say it back. The chart follows today's population counts, not the old 百家姓 order. ## What's inside? Four chart pages of 25 surnames each, ranked by recent national counts, then a page on asking and telling a surname, eight two-character surnames, two writing pages and a roll call on page 11. At a page a day it takes nine days, and the free audio reads each row with a pause to say it back. ## What is the most common Chinese surname? 王 (Wáng), then 李 (Lǐ) and 张 (Zhāng), by recent national counts in mainland China. Names close in rank can swap places from one count to the next. The chart does not follow the old 百家姓 (Hundred Family Surnames) rhyme, which begins 赵钱孙李. ## Why do people say 弓长张 instead of just Zhang? Many surnames share a sound, like 张 and 章 or 姜 and 江, so people say which character they mean: by its parts (弓长张 is 弓 plus 长) or by a common word (长江的江). Every row in the chart gives these words. ## How do I ask someone's surname politely? Ask new people and elders 您贵姓？ and answer with 我姓… or 免贵姓…, never 我贵姓. To ask about someone else, use 姓什么. Page 7 practises both. ## What about two-character surnames like 欧阳? Page 8 has eight of the best-known, with their special readings: 诸葛 is Zhūgě and 尉迟 is Yùchí. The two characters always stay together. ## Do Chinese women take their husband's surname? In mainland China many women keep their own surname when they marry, so a husband and wife often have different surnames. In a full name the family name always comes first: 陈小雨 is Chen Xiaoyu. ## Do I need a SayMei account? Yes, to download the PDF, and the account is free: sign up with Google, Apple or your email address. With it we email you a copy of the workbook, keep every workbook you download on your account on all your devices, save your place in the free online practice, and you can practise speaking with Mei Lin, SayMei's AI tutor. ## How do I print it? The PDF is US Letter size. On A4 paper, choose "Fit to page" (or "Scale to fit") in the print dialog so nothing is cut off. Print the whole workbook or only the pages you need; colour looks best, and black and white works too. Version 2026-11, updated Nov 4, 2026.