Here is a list of Chinese names that start with A. The page includes both family names and given names for boys and girls, along with their translations.
The list is divided into multiple sections. All the names are drawn from the Chinese Name Database (1930–2008), which contains data on over one billion people, nearly everyone born in China during that period. I analyzed the data in several ways:
- I removed the most uncommon (less than 1 in 100,000) names from the list.
- I categorized the given names by gender. Male or names are those given to boys or girls more than 75% of the time, while androgynous names appear have a more even distribution.
- Traditional names were more common in the late 1900s, while modern names are more common with people born in the 2000s.
- I also added translations to all the names.
How to Use the List of Chinese Names
This list includes the individual characters that appear in Chinese names. In China, the family name comes first (for example, Xi Jinping, 习近平), followed by the given name. While 95% of family names consist of a single character (Xi, 习), given names more often consist of two characters (Jinping, 近平). However, single-character given names are also common.
If you’re using these lists to create a fictional character, you can either use a single-character given name or combine two characters that work together.
You can use the buttons below to jump into different sections:
- Traditional Male Chinese Names that Start with A
- Modern Male Chinese Names that Start with A
- Traditional Female Chinese Names that Start with A
- Modern Female Chinese Names that Start with A
- Traditional Male/Female Chinese Names that Start with A
- Modern Male/Female Chinese Names that Start with A
- Chinese Family Names that Start with A
- Why Are Chinese Names Starting with A So Uncommon?
Traditional Chinese Boy Names That Begin with A
- Ān, 安: content; calm; still
- Ào, 澳: deep bay; cove; harbor
Trendy Chinese Boy Names Starting with A (2000s)
- Ān, 安: content; calm; still
- Áng, 昂: to lift; to raise; to raise one’s head
- Ào, 奥: Austria; Austrian; Olympic
- Áo, 敖: to ramble; to rove
- Ào, 澳: deep bay; cove; harbor
- Áo, 翱: see 翱翔[ao2 xiang2]; variant of 翱[ao2]
Chinese Female Given Names Popular in the Past, Starting with A
- Ài, 爱: to love; to be fond of; to like
- Ài, 艾: Chinese mugwort or wormwood; moxa; to stop or cut short
Chinese Girl Names Starting with A Popular Now
- Ài, 艾: Chinese mugwort or wormwood; moxa; to stop or cut short
Chinese Male/Female Names Popular in the 1900s (Letter A)
- Ā, 阿: prefix used before monosyllabic names, kinship terms etc to indicate familiarity; used in transliteration
- Àn, 岸: bank; shore; beach
Androgynous Chinese Names Starting with A Popular Today
- Àn, 岸: bank; shore; beach
- Ào, 傲: proud; arrogant; to despise
Chinese Last Names Beginning with the Letter A
- Ā, 阿: an initial particle; prefix to names of people
- Ài, 艾: Artemisia vulgaris; Chinese mugwort
- Ān, 安: content; calm
- Áng, 昂: high; raise
- Áo, 敖: ramble
Why Are Chinese Names Starting with A So Uncommon?
Chinese names are basd on characters rathern than an alphabet. Very few commonly use characters have pronunciations that start with the sound A in pinyin, the romanization of Chinese words. Most Chinese syllables instead start with consonants.
As a result, only a tiny fraction of Chinese names start with A.
About This List
I have made similar lists of Chinese names for all the letters of the alphabet from A to Z. The only letters missing are those that don’t appear as initials in Chinese.
- Names that Start with A
- Names that Start with B
- Names that Start with C
- Names that Start with D
- Names that Start with E
- Names that Start with F
- Names that Start with G
- Names that Start with H
- Names that Start with J
- Names that Start with K
- Names that Start with L
- Names that Start with M
- Names that Start with N
- Names that Start with O
- Names that Start with P
- Names that Start with Q
- Names that Start with R
- Names that Start with S
- Names that Start with T
- Names that Start with U
- Names that Start with W
- Names that Start with X
- Names that Start with Y
- Names that Start with Z
About Arimo Travels
My website, Arimo Travels, started as a hub for sustainable travel guides. In 2026, I announced that I would stop updating the site. However, I enjoy working on these lists of names from different countries, so I continue to add them quietly.
To some people, spending hours working with Excel spreadsheets and lists might sound incredibly boring. However, I find it very engaging and a great way to unwind after my much more demanding day job as a psychologist.
Besides these lists of Chinese given names and surnames, I have created similar lists for names from many other countries. You can find them all on the Names Around the World page.
When this site still focused on traveling, I wrote one blog post about my past travels in China.