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Chinese Baby Names Selection Guide

Like any other large life decisions, picking Chinese baby names requires a fair amount of time researching and looking through baby name dictionaries. Most parents that are expecting a child will attempt to find a name that honors their family but remains unique to the child itself. The Chinese are no different than parents in the west when it comes to deciding on a name, although their customs may vary.

The Chinese zodiac plays an important role in the choosing of the name, perhaps the most important role. What time, what year, what season, etc. All come into play. The Chinese believe that the zodiac will determine what type of person their child will be. Finding a name that corresponds to the traits that they believe the child will grow into is crucial part of that child's life.

It is considered unlucky, because of the importance of the zodiac, to choose the name before the child is born. There is a fear that naming the child ahead of time will have horrible consequences. Along with this is a belief that a child can be kidnapped by evil spirits before it is born, so many parents might refer to a child as being an animal or as being something ugly in order to make the child seem less desirable to the demon spirits.

There is another tradition that is a little different in Chinese culture. That is to give a baby an informal infant name. The name is used in the family to refer to the baby. It is a sort of nickname for a child that is used until they are old enough to be start being addressed by their formal name. The infant name is not considered as important to the parents, and so can be something that is somewhat degrading or seems to give the child little importance.

The use of familiar names is important. The Chinese keep the same family Chinese surname for the last name just as we do in the west. But they will use the same middle name for all children born of same generations of a family to identify when they were born. This creates a family tree within each name. The first names differ, but the other names are used to instantly identify what family and generation a person is from.

There are many other factors to consider when naming a child. Some have to do with traits that the child possesses or is believed to possess. The Chinese characters for virtue, elegance, and beauty can be found in many Chinese baby girls names. While the characters for power, glory, and knowledge can be found in the names of many boys. These names are important as they promote the parents expectations for the future.

There are many ways to ultimately decide on a name. Choosing the Chinese baby names has a lot of pitfalls to look out for. The long traditions of China, though, allow everyone to understand what the significance of the name is. Because of China's long history there is many things to consider when naming a child. Thanks to that history, though, most people are aware of the power of their names and the names of their family.