30 Uncommon Chinese Baby Names

baby holding a heart
Image: iStock / Suriyapong Thongsawang

When we bring a child into this world, as parents we are pretty excited! This is a life-changing experience for us! But the most fun part about having a baby? It is for sure coming up with the right moniker for the little tyke. That is when the real fun begins! We see baby name books flying off shelves like crazy, in a search to find the right name for your tot before they are born! Even Google searches abound and baby name websites are searched high and low for the right name. But sometimes even they just cannot find the just right name for your precious little babe.

These days, we see many parents leaning a lot towards different and pretty unique names. Especially names that are of other cultures. Chinese names conjure up images of beauty and strength, and even love. So, if it is inspiration you seek, look no further than this article! Check out these 30 uncommon Chinese baby names for some really great ideas! We bet that you will find a name that you will just love! Or if you know someone who is expecting, share this article with them! They will definitely appreciate it!

Meiling

baby hands newborn
Image: iStock / Image by JHLee

Pronunciation: MAYLINK

This gorgeous name means just that, beautiful and delicate. It is traditionally used as a girl’s name. It can easily be shortened to Mei, which is pretty cute, and invokes visions of springtime, when all the flowers are blooming, and the honey bees are buzzing. This name is perfect for a little girl. It is definitely a great alternative way to spell the traditional name May. This first name could surely be paired with plenty of different middle names like Meiling Lynn, Meiling Jewel, or really anything you can think of! This name truly is a treasure among a trove of names.

Syaoran

mommy feeding baby
Image: iStock / onlyyouqj

Pronunciation: SHIAO-Ran

Syaoran is an incredibly adorable boy’s name. It translates to ”he who is a little wolf.” Your little man is going to do great things when he grows up, no doubt. This is most definitely the name for your little babe. Plus, if you want to shorten it, you could always nickname him ”Sy,” for short. And, hey, you’ve got your wee one’s first Halloween costume in the bag! A little wolf! This name is a great choice if you’re looking for something totally unique and you want your child to stand out amongst the crowd!

Bai

baby girl smiling red dress
Image: iStock / Sasiistock

Pronunciation: BAH-ee

Bai is such a lovely name. It can be used for both boys and for girls. We love it because it’s short and sweet. It means ”person of purity,” but can also mean ”many or hundred,” and ”cypress tree or cedar tree.” If you’re a nature lover, just think of the hundreds of trees in the forest that this name is inspired by! It’s another name that can be paired with just about any middle name that you can think of. You could even hyphenate the name to add on another name to go with it. Get creative with it!

Renshu

cute baby boy
Image: iStock / wxin

Pronunciation: Ren-SHOO

Renshu is a strong boy’s name. It translates to ”benevolent forbearance.” We love it because it is kind of funky and has a fun vibe to it. Plus, how cool would it be to have the nickname ”Ren,” for short? It’s the kind of name that when you see it, you just know that it is the right one for your little baby boy. It’s pretty catchy, too! There are some pretty cool names that you could pair with it or add as a middle name! So choosing Renshu as a baby name is a really excellent choice!

Typhoon

baby eating with a spoon
Credit: iStock / Sasiistock

Pronunciation: Tahy-foon

Typhoon is a name that means ”great winds.” It is most decidedly a very hip name to give your little guy. Granted, when the terrible twos come along, we can’t promise anything! It can be shortened to Ty. That, and you can almost guarantee that when the time comes for your little tyke to go to school, they are going to have the coolest name in the school. Because, really, how many Typhoons do you know? Your little guy will be strong great, growing up with a name like this one. Plus, how cool is it to be named after a meteorological phenomenon?

Caihong

baby boy
Credit: iStock / ivanolianto

Pronunciation: Cǎihóng

Even just saying this name out loud sounds beautiful. Feminine in nature, Caihong translates into ”rainbow in the sky.” Thinking about it, you can almost believe that the name could also mean overcoming adversity. If you close your eyes, you can picture it. A bright and bold rainbow against the sky, coming in after a tough rainstorm. Your little girl will be willful and resilient with a name as awesome as this one is. Her name can be shortened to Cai, or Kai, depending on yours and her preference. What a fun name, though! You know you’re going to be putting her into one or two rainbow onesies while she’s still little!

Qiu

baby boy smiling with dad
Credit: iStock / yifanjrb

Pronunciation: CHEE-yoo

If you love the season of autumn, or just nature in general, then this is the name to choose for your baby! Qiu translates to ”season of fall.” It is a unisex name, and as such, you can use it for a little boy or girl! While in the past, it has been used as a surname and sometimes still can be found as one, it is also the name of a country in China. You may be a lover of the four seasons, but if fall is your absolute favorite, then Qiu is undoubtedly the name for your babe.

Hai

baby sleeping heart onesise
Credit: iStock / Suriyapong Thongsawang

Pronunciation: HAH-ee

No baby sharks here! If you are a mermaid at heart and the ocean is calling to you, then boy do we have the perfect name for your baby! Hai is a captivating name that means ”coming from the sea.” This is a great name for either a baby boy or a girl. If you are a beach loving family, then this is a wonderful way to honor that love of the sea and all of it’s beautiful creatures that dwell within it. The ocean is a powerful thing, so this is surely a powerful name to give to your child!

Yat-sen

baby boy smiling
Image: iStock / Tomwang112

Pronunciation: YAHT-sehn

Yat-sen is a fun name. It means ”festival.” This is typically a masculine name given to a baby boy. Just think, every birthday will be his very own festival! It’s not heard very often, making it a perfectly unique name to grace your child with. We love it because you again, can pair it with just about any middle name you can think of, or for that matter, even go without one if you wish! It can work either way! Believe us when we say that Yat-sen is a totally different, cute and fun designation to give your little one!

Shu

baby smiling
Image: iStock / Tomwang112

Pronunciation: SHOO

Shu sounds like such sweet name! A girl’s name, Shu translates to ”warm hearted.” So, how sweet she will truly be! It is not a fairly common name at all, especially in the United States. But it is short and sweet. Ways that you can pair this name could range from Shu Lee to Shu Ann, or you could pair it with another traditional Chinese name. A fun fact about the name, Shu was the name of an ancient state in China around 1000 years B.C. So, there is some pretty neat history behind this sweet name, too!

Liling

baby girl happy outside
Image: iStock / jarun011

Pronunciation: lee-LINK

If you have found out that you are having a lovely little girl, you might want to consider Liling as a name choice. It has a beautiful ring to it. The name translates to ”sound of white jasmine.” It sounds pure, innocent and beautiful. It is another name that is unheard in the United States, which makes it a wonderful choice for a unique name for your little baby girl. Shorten it to Li for a cute nickname! The white jasmine plant is an evergreen twining climber plant. So, this is another nature inspired name that is just pure sweetness.

Ru

baby with mom
Image: iStock / ivanolianto

Pronunciation: ROO

Ru is a gender neutral name. It may be short and small, but it packs a mighty punch! The name translates to ”learner.” A plethora of middle names could easily go with Ru. While it is a cute and sweet name for a girl, it can also be a great name for an adventurous little boy, who is perhaps curious all the time. Hence the translation of ”learner.” What we love about this one is that you do not even have to shorten it to make a nickname out of it! Your little one will surely love to enjoy learning with a name like this one!

Keung

baby sleeping
Image: iStock / leungchopan

Pronunciation: KEE-yahngk

This name is for the science lovers out there! Specifically astronomy! This name literally translates to ”the cosmos,” or ”the universe.” How incredible would it be to have a name such as this one? Typically a boy’s name, Keung is a very strong name. Imagine being named after the stars, and this whole great big, vast universe that we live in! This truly is a really big name! But we are pretty sure that your little boy is going to do great big things in this world! This name is a great choice if you are looking for something big and bold and totally different!

Yan

mom with baby
Image: iStock / kdshutterman

Pronunciation: YAHN

Have you ever seen a swallow bird and just how fascinating they really are? Yan translates into ”swallow bird.” This name is well-suited for both girls and boys. This is a great name for animal lovers. It is lovely in the way of how simple the name is, and what it represents. A little bit of fun history about the name: Yan was the name of an ancient Chinese emperor, as well as being an ancient Chinese state! So, there is a whole lot to take in with this name! Great history and wonderful nature come together to turn out to be one awesome baby name!

Xiu

boy and girl baby
Image: iStock leungchopan

Pronunciation: SHEE-yoo

Xiu is quite possibly the sweetest baby name that we have come across! The name quite literally translates into ”charming.” The name is of feminine nature. Rarely is it seen in the United States, Xiu is a perfect choice for your little girl! She will be the belle of the ball and of course she will charm and enchant everyone that she will meet! She will be your sweet little love for certain. While this name isn’t nature or science related, it sure does make for a beautifully wonderful choice to bestow upon your sweet and darling little girl.

Zheng

baby signing
Image: iStock / leungchopan

Pronunciation: DRENK

Zheng is a great gender-neutral name to give your baby. This neat name translates to ”serious and classy.” Seeing as this could work for either a boy or a girl, the middle name options here are actually pretty endless. We would love to perhaps see a Zheng Rose, or perhaps a Zheng Lee! This name is a great choice if you are looking for something that isn’t too out there, but is just different enough to stand apart from the crowd. We are pretty sure that wherever your little Zheng goes in life, he will be keeping it classy!

Ting

baby sleeping
Credit: iStock / RyanKing999

Pronunciation: TINK

Ting is lovely name for a little girl! Meaning ”enduring,” it is cute and quaint. We love the meaning, too. We picture a little girl who is fearless, one who can endure anything. She will be a force to be reckoned with. A little one with strength to pursue anything that she wants to in her life. We think it is a cute little name for your sweetheart, different, yet quite sophisticated. Ting is a name that could be even passed down as a family name, it’s so graceful. Fun geography fact: Ting is also the name of a river in China.

Daquan

baby and mom
Credit: iStock / Tomwang112

Pronunciation: dÉ™-KWAHN

Daquan is actually a rather new name to appear on the scene. It is actually a mixture of the languages of Chinese and English. It is the added prefix of the English ”da” to the Chinese ”Quan,” which translates to ”spring.” Masculine in nature, it has not seen much popularity since the year 2005. But we love it because it is just so unique! With its English and Chinese roots in it, this name is on a whole new level! If you are on the hunt for something that is completely different from what you’ve seen, then this is the name for your little bundle of joy!

Ai

mom and baby
Image: iStock / khilagan

Pronunciation: AH-ee

Are you looking for love, or affection themed names? We have got you covered! Ai, typically a feminine given name translates into ”lovable.” We think that it could be a delightful little name for your baby girl! We would love to see some Ai Annes or Ai Maries! Oh, and just think of all of the Valentine’s Day outfits that you could dress her in! So many hearts everywhere! But in all reality, Ai is a name that is versatile and really pretty darn cool at the same time. Short and sweet is totally the way to go with this one!

Bo

baby playing with toys
Image: iStock / M-image

Pronunciation: BO

Here is another great name for you water lovers out there! Bo is a name that can be given to either a boy or a girl. It translates to ”wave-like.” We are sure you have seen this name before, such as Bo Derek, the American actress. But beings that Bo can be a gender neutral name, we’d love to see perhaps a Bo Joseph – BJ, for short, or something similar to that nature! Be creative and have fun with it! A pleasant name, inspired by the waves, this is a name that will make a great choice for either gender!

Rong

baby at doctor
Image: iStock / Wavebreakmedia

Pronunciation: RAWNK

Rong is a name with a rich history tied to it. You can bestow it upon either a girl or a boy, as it is gender neutral. The name itself means ”thriving,” which is just absolutely beautiful. Because what do babies do? They thrive! That is what we all continue to do throughout our entire lives, is to thrive! This is a wonderful pick of a name for any child. But, back to the cool history! Rong is the name of an ancient Chinese people, as well as being the name of several Chinese counties! How super cool is that?

Ping

baby playing with dad
Image: iStock / szeyuen

Pronunciation: PINGK

Ping is a name that is traditionally given to boys. When translated, it means ”peaceful.” It invokes images of a peaceful stream, or a babbling brook, where you could sit down and just relax. Just unwind. We like it because certainly do not hear it very often, and it would be a pretty cool name to see more of. Maybe you could even pair it up with one of the other names that are on this list! Perhaps Ping Yan? That would translate into ”peaceful swallow.” How nice is that?

We love how it sounds, and maybe you will too!

Kong

twin boys
Image: iStock / leungchopan

Pronunciation: KONGK

Kong is a really cool name! Traditionally it is a name that is given to boys. The name Kong translates into ”sky” or ”heaven.” With a name such as this one, your little guy will always be reaching for the stars and pursuing his dreams! He will most definitely be a rockin’ little dude with a name like this one, and we are pretty sure he will have the tenacity to chase down all of his dreams with such a powerful name. We love this moniker, and it is for sure, cool beyond measure! Keep looking towards the sky, little Kong!

Ya

newborn baby breastfeeding
Image: iStock / szeyuen

Pronunciation: YAH

Translating into ”graceful,” the name Ya is a spectacular choice for your darling little girl. It is a lovely way to give her a name that is short and sweet, but still means something. Graceful and elegant, Ya can be paired with some really sweet middle names! Ya Lynne, for example is just one idea amongst a sea of many. Your darling daughter will captivate everyone she meets with such a beautiful name! It’s a name not typically heard often in the United States, but we’d love to see it make its way onto the baby name charts!

Nuo

mom reading to baby
Image: iStock / eprom_is

Pronunciation: NWO

This is a name that translates into ”gracious,” Nuo is a name that is usually reserved for girls. We think that this sounds like a pretty neat girl’s name, if you ask us! It sounds like she could be the kind of person who stands up for others. One that does not let anyone bully her around. That is what this name sounds like! A really super-cool girl, totally gracious, but will take nobody’s garbage, either. She is a girl that will grow up to be determined, fearless and amazing. Definitely a must-have on the baby-naming list for sure!

Chin

baby in crib
Image: iStock / Kenishirotie

Pronunciation: CHIN

Chin is a name that translates into ”golden.” A gender-neutral name, this is quite a lovely one. It can be used by boys and girls alike, and Chin could be used with many other names. For boys, Chin Lee, or Chin Jo. For girls you could always go with Chin Ya (another name off of our list right here), or Chin Lane. There are quite a number of other names that will fit with Chin. We absolutely love the name because it has a cute and casual vibe to it, as well as having a lovely meaning to it, to boot!

Han

sleeping baby
Image: iStock / zhuyufang

Pronunciation: HAHN

Meaning ”country,” Han is a name that has a cool style to it. You can use it for both little girls and little boys. Han is a great name to give your little baby. We love this name because it could be a great name to give if you are a proud patriot and love your country. It is especially a lovely tribute if you have a loved one that has served their country at some point. It could be a wonderful way to honor their memory and their service that they have given. No matter the reason you choose it, Han is an all around nifty name, no doubt.

Guang

baby breastfeeding
Image: iStock / szeyuen

Pronunciation: GWANK

Guang is another name that is great for either girls or boys. It translates to ”glorious.” We think when a baby is born, it is a pretty glorious day! This name could reflect that, the best day of your life, when your child came into this world! This is yet another name that we do not see a lot of in the United States, but would most surely like to see more of! A fun fact about the name Guang is that while the name did originate in China, there is an ethnic group in Ghana known as the Guang.

Ji

baby eating dragon fruit
Image: iStock / AtnoYdur

Pronunciation: JI

Ji is a really awesome boys name. It translates to ”continuity.” We love that about this name because it is kind of poetic in a way. As if your little boy will always continue on, no matter what hardships and trials that he may face in life. What a wonderful name to give him! Ji can be a serious, but fun name, too. Who knows, maybe the name Ji, as it translates to continuity, will continue on down the family line as a name given to any future little boys born! That would make for such a wonderful family tradition!

Nuan

dad with newborn baby
Image: iStock / :szefei

Pronunciation: NWAHN

Nuan is a gorgeous name. The typically feminine given name means ”affectionate.” It would make for a rather dazzling name for a little girl. Loving and pleasant, your little girl will undoubtedly be the sweetest little baby around. The name Nuan is great if you are looking for a cute, but not too over-the-top name for your baby girl. There is a 2003 Mandarin Chinese film of the same name, with the main character being the bearer of this lovely name. If you are due around Valetine’s day, this would make a great name, as it almost translates to ”loving!”

What do you think of these Chinese baby names? Did you like them? What’s your favorite? Let us know below in the comments.

READ NEXT: 25 Uncommon Irish Baby Girl Names With Beautiful Meanings

Similar Posts