Chinese Baby Names

SURNAMES ARE believed to have originated in China about two thousand years ago, during the Han dynasty. However, there are some who think they go back much further. Either way, China has the oldest and most complex system of naming in the world. For male children, "milk" names are bestowed at birth, "book" or "school" names when the child enters school, a "marriage" name at the time of his wedding, and another name when entering a business or profession. In addition, the child may also be given an "official" name if he enters government service, an "everyday" name for use among close friends, a surname, a generational name, and at some point, an "ornamental" name, which has great personal meaning. Female children are named in much the same manner but do not receive "school" names or "official" names. Upon marriage, a woman keeps her surname yet often adds her husband's surname as a courtesy. At one time it was illegal for couples to marry if they had the same surname. In China the majority of surnames are derived from a poem known as the Pe-Kici'Sin, "the families of a hundred houses." This poem is thought to have been written by the ancient emperor Yao (2357-2258 B.C.), one of the earliest mortal rulers. The Chinese take great care in the selection of names. Infants are usually given a name having two elements. It is common for one of the elements to be used for each child in the family, whether male or female. More recently, however, the mainland government's enforced policy of one child per family has made this practice moot for most families. The names of females are more elegant and graceful than those of males. Among the very superstitious, the "milk" names of male babies can be quite disgusting in the hopes that the evil spirits will be repulsed and stay away from the treasured male child.