Most Used Family Names in Chinese Tradition
There have been 23,813 documented surnames in China’s history; 5,662 of them are still in use today. However, of these, the top 100 are incredibly prevalent, accounting for 85.9% of China’s 1.4 billion people. The number of individuals in China that have the same 10 last names is staggering: 596.3 million, or 42.9% of the population!
Here are the twenty most used surnames in China, according to a recent study from January 2024:
| Last Name | Pinyin | Number of People (Million) |
|---|---|---|
| 王 | Wáng | 101.5 |
| 李 | Lǐ | 100.9 |
| 张 | Zhāng | 95.4 |
| 刘 | Liú | 72.1 |
| 陈 | Chén | 63.3 |
| 杨 | Yáng | 46.2 |
| 黄 | Huáng | 33.7 |
| 赵 | Zhào | 28.6 |
| 吴 | Wú | 27.8 |
| 周 | Zhōu | 26.8 |
| 徐 | Xú | 20.2 |
| 孙 | Sūn | 19.4 |
| 马 | Mǎ | 19.1 |
| 朱 | Zhū | 18.1 |
| 胡 | Hú | 16.5 |
| 郭 | Guō | 15.8 |
| 何 | Hé | 14.8 |
| 林 | Lín | 14.2 |
| 罗 | Luó | 14.2 |
| 高 | Gāo | 14.1 |
100 Most Common Chinese Surnames or Last Names
A large number of families in China have common surnames, which are also referred to as last names. It is important to remember that surnames are unique since they are handed down from parents to children. It is similar to having a family name that allows you to connect with your siblings and cousins.
In China, 7.25 % of people have the surname 王 (Wáng), which makes it not only the most common surname in China but also the world. The character 王 means ‘king’. It’s made of three horizontal lines representing the sky, earth, and people, and a vertical line that connects them.
The following list will provide an overview of one hundred of the most prevalent Chinese surnames.
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