Here is a list of Chinese names that start with I. The page includes both family names and given names for boys and girls, along with their translations.

Usually, I divide these lists of Chinese names 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.

However, with Chinese names that start with I, I didn’t need to do such analyzing. The reason? In general, no Chinese names start with I.

Why Chinese Names Don’t Start with I

No Chinese names begin with the letter I in standard pinyin. That’s because there are no standard Mandarin syllables that start with an independent I sound. Although many syllables contain the vowel i (such as Li, Lin, or Xin), it never appears as the first letter of a syllable in standard pinyin.

And what is this pinyin?

Pinyin is the official system for writing Mandarin Chinese using the Latin alphabet. Introduced in the 1950s, it is now used throughout mainland China to teach pronunciation, type Chinese characters, and spell Chinese names in English. Since pinyin follows the sounds of Mandarin rather than the English alphabet, some letters, including I, never appear at the beginning of a syllable.

A Very Short List of Chinese Names that Start with I:

  • Ing-wen

One well-known exception is the former president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen. Her given name begins with Ing because it is written using a different romanization system that’s based on Taiwanese Mandarin rather than standard pinyin. In pinyin, the same character (英) is spelled Ying, so her name would be written Ying-wen instead of Ing-wen.

Taiwan adapted a form of pinyin in 2009. As a result, all young Taiwanese have their name spelled with yi instead of i.

How Chinese Names Work

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.

Names like Ing are spelled with yi in pinyin. So that you don’t need to leave this page empty-handed, instead of Chinese names starting with I, I’ll list names starting with Yi instead.

You can use the buttons below to jump into different sections:

Traditional Chinese Boy Names That Begin with Yi (I)

  • Yì, 义: (Tw) abbr. for 義大利|义大利[Yi4 da4 li4], Italy; justice; righteousness
  • Yì, 毅: firm and resolute; staunch
  • Yìn, 印: to print; to mark; to engrave
  • Yín, 寅: 3rd earthly branch: 3-5 a.m., 1st solar month (4th February-5th March), year of the Tiger; ancient Chinese compass point: 60°
  • Yíng, 营: camp; barracks; battalion

Trendy Chinese Boy Names Starting with Yi (2000s)

  • Yì, 义: (Tw) abbr. for 義大利|义大利[Yi4 da4 li4], Italy; justice; righteousness
  • Yì, 屹: high and steep
  • Yì, 毅: firm and resolute; staunch
  • Yì, 羿: name of legendary archer; also written 后羿[Hou4 Yi4]
  • Yì, 翼: alternative name for 絳|绛[Jiang4] capital of the Jin State during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-475 BC); wing; area surrounding the bullseye of a target
  • Yìn, 印: to print; to mark; to engrave
  • Yìn, 胤: descendant; heir; offspring

Chinese Female Given Names Popular in the Past, Starting with Yi/I

  • Yín, 吟: to chant; to recite; to moan
  • Yǐn, 引: to draw (e.g. a bow); to pull; to stretch sth
  • Yǐng, 影: picture; image; film
  • Yīng, 樱: cherry
  • Yīng, 瑛: (crystal); lustrous
  • Yīng, 英: United Kingdom; British; England
  • Yíng, 莹: luster of gems
  • Yīng, 莺: oriole or various birds of the Sylvidae family including warblers
  • Yǐng, 颍: river in Henan and Anhui; grain husk; tip of sth short and slender
  • Yǐng, 颖: head of grain; husk; tip

Girl Names Starting with Yi Popular Now

  • Yí, 仪: apparatus; rites; appearance
  • Yī, 伊: (old) third person singular pronoun (“he” or “she”); second person singular pronoun (“you”); (May 4th period) third person singular feminine pronoun (“she”)
  • Yī, 依: to depend on; to comply with or listen to sb; according to
  • Yí, 怡: harmony; pleased
  • Yǐ, 旖: fluttering of flag
  • Yī, 漪: ripple
  • Yín, 吟: to chant; to recite; to moan
  • Yīn, 茵: mattress
  • Yīn, 音: sound; noise; note (of musical scale)
  • Yīng, 樱: cherry
  • Yíng, 滢: clear; limpid (of water)
  • Yīng, 瑛: (crystal); lustrous
  • Yíng, 盈: full; filled; surplus
  • Yíng, 荧: a glimmer; glimmering; twinkling
  • Yíng, 莹: luster of gems
  • Yíng, 蓥: polish
  • Yǐng, 颍: river in Henan and Anhui; grain husk; tip of sth short and slender
  • Yǐng, 颖: head of grain; husk; tip

Chinese Male/Female Names Popular in the 1900s (Letter Yi)

  • Yǐ, 以: to use; by means of; according to
  • Yì, 异: different; other; hetero-
  • Yì, 意: Italy; Italian; idea
  • Yì, 益: benefit; profit; advantage
  • Yì, 谊: friendship
  • Yí, 贻: to present; to bequeath
  • Yì, 轶: to excel; to surpass; to be scattered
  • Yīn, 殷: dynasty name at the end the Shang dynasty, after their move to Yinxu 殷墟 in modern Henan province; flourishing; abundant
  • Yīn, 荫: shade
  • Yín, 银: silver; silver-colored; relating to money or currency
  • Yìng, 应: to answer; to respond; to comply with
  • Yìng, 映: to reflect (light); to shine; to project (an image onto a screen etc)
  • Yíng, 瀛: ocean
  • Yíng, 迎: to welcome; to meet; to face
  • Yīng, 鹰: eagle; falcon; hawk

Androgynous Chinese Names Starting with Yi Popular Today

  • Yī, 一: one; 1; single
  • Yǐ, 乙: second of the ten Heavenly Stems 十天干[shi2 tian1 gan1]; second in order; letter “B” or Roman “II” in list “A, B, C”, or “i, Ii, III” etc
  • Yì, 亦: also
  • Yì, 亿: 100 million
  • Yǐ, 以: to use; by means of; according to
  • Yǐ, 倚: to lean on; to rely upon
  • Yī, 壹: one (banker’s anti-fraud numeral)
  • Yì, 奕: abundant; graceful
  • Yí, 宜: proper; should; suitable
  • Yì, 异: different; other; hetero-
  • Yì, 弈: ancient name for go (Chinese board game)
  • Yì, 弋: to shoot
  • Yì, 忆: to recollect; to remember; memory
  • Yì, 怿: pleased; rejoice
  • Yì, 意: Italy; Italian; idea
  • Yì, 懿: restrain; virtuous
  • Yì, 易: easy; amiable; to change
  • Yí, 沂: Yi River, Shandong
  • Yì, 溢: to overflow; (literary) excessive
  • Yì, 熠: to glow; to flash
  • Yì, 燚: to blaze; (used in given names)
  • Yì, 益: benefit; profit; advantage
  • Yī, 祎: excellent; precious; rare
  • Yì, 翊: assist; ready to fly; respect
  • Yì, 翌: bright; tomorrow
  • Yì, 艺: skill; art
  • Yì, 译: to translate; to interpret
  • Yì, 谊: friendship
  • Yí, 贻: to present; to bequeath
  • Yì, 轶: to excel; to surpass; to be scattered
  • Yì, 逸: to escape; leisurely; outstanding
  • Yí, 颐: cheek; lower cheek; chin
  • Yì, 驿: post horse; relay station
  • Yǐn, 尹: to administer; to oversee; to run
  • Yīn, 殷: dynasty name at the end the Shang dynasty, after their move to Yinxu 殷墟 in modern Henan province; flourishing; abundant
  • Yīn, 荫: shade
  • Yìng, 应: to answer; to respond; to comply with
  • Yìng, 映: to reflect (light); to shine; to project (an image onto a screen etc)
  • Yíng, 瀛: ocean
  • Yíng, 赢: to beat; to win; to profit
  • Yíng, 迎: to welcome; to meet; to face

Chinese Last Names Beginning with the Letter Yi

  • Yí, 仪: apparatus; rites
  • Yì, 义: justice; righteousness
  • Yì, 弋: to shoot
  • Yì, 易: change; easy
  • Yī, 伊: he; she
  • Yī, 依: according to; depend on
  • Yī, 衣: clothes; gown
  • Yín, 银: silver
  • Yìn, 印: stamp; seal
  • Yǐn, 尹: to rule
  • Yīn, 殷: dark red; flourishing
  • Yīn, 阴: overcast; Yin
  • Yìng, 应: ought; to answer
  • Yīng, 英: English; brave

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. 

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.