Asian Last Names

These Asian last names come from East, Southeast and South Asia, including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Filipino, Thai and Indian names, each listed with its origin and meaning. Search the list or filter by letter to explore.

300 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

Abad

Spanish for abbot

Filipino
Abe 阿部

Ancient clan name of uncertain meaning

Japanese
Adachi 足立

Standing foot; district of Tokyo

Japanese
Agbayani

Ilocano: to be a hero

Filipino
Aguilar

Spanish: place of eagles

Filipino
Agustin

Spanish: Augustine; venerable

Filipino
Ahn 안

Peace; tranquility

Korean
Akiyama 秋山

Autumn mountain

Japanese
Alcantara

Spanish from Arabic: the bridge

Filipino
Alvarez

Spanish: son of Álvaro

Filipino
An 安

Peace; safety

Chinese
Ando 安藤

Peace + wisteria; Fujiwara branch

Japanese
Andres

Spanish: Andrew; manly

Filipino
Ang

Hokkien: from 洪 (Hong), flood, vast

Filipino
Angeles

Spanish for angels

Filipino
Antonio

Spanish: from the Roman family name Antonius, of uncertain origin

Filipino
Aoki 青木

Green tree

Japanese
Aoyama 青山

Green mountain

Japanese
Aquino

Spanish/Italian: from Aquino; after Thomas Aquinas

Filipino
Arai 新井

New well

Japanese

B

Baba 馬場

Horse-riding ground

Japanese
Bae 배

Long robe (裵); from the Chinese clan Pei

Korean
Baek 백

White

Korean
Bautista

Spanish: baptist; after John the Baptist

Filipino
Boonma บุญมา

Merit arrives

Thai
Boonmee บุญมี

Having merit

Thai
Boonruang บุญเรือง

Flourishing merit

Thai
Bùi 裴

Long flowing robe

Vietnamese

C

Cai 蔡

Tortoise; from the state of Cai

Chinese
Cao 曹

From the ancient state of Cao

Chinese
Castillo

Spanish for castle

Filipino
Castro

Spanish: fortified hill

Filipino
Chaiwong ชัยวงศ์

Victorious lineage

Thai
Charoensuk เจริญสุข

Prosperous happiness

Thai
Chen 陈

To display; from the ancient state of Chen

Chinese
Cheng 程

Rule; journey; from the state of Cheng

Chinese
Cho 조

From the ancient state of Zhao

Korean
Choi 최

High; lofty

Korean
Chua

Hokkien: from 蔡 (Cai), name of an ancient state

Filipino
Co

Hokkien: from 許 (Xu), to permit

Filipino
Cruz

Spanish for cross

Filipino

D

Dai 戴

To wear; to respect

Chinese
Đặng 鄧

Name of an ancient state

Vietnamese
Đào 陶

Pottery; joyful

Vietnamese
David

Hebrew: beloved; adopted in Spanish era

Filipino
Dela Cruz

Spanish: of the cross

Filipino
Delos Reyes

Spanish: of the kings

Filipino
Delos Santos

Spanish: of the saints

Filipino
Deng 邓

From the ancient state of Deng

Chinese
Diaz

Spanish: son of Diego

Filipino
Ding 丁

Nail; adult male; fourth heavenly stem

Chinese
Đinh 丁

Adult man; fourth heavenly stem

Vietnamese
Dizon

Hokkien-derived: second grandchild (jī-sun)

Filipino
Đỗ 杜

Birchleaf pear tree; to shut out

Vietnamese
Đoàn 段

Section, segment

Vietnamese
Domingo

Spanish: Sunday; of the Lord

Filipino
Du 杜

Birchleaf pear tree; to stop

Chinese
Dương 楊

Poplar tree

Vietnamese

E

Endo 遠藤

Far + wisteria; Fujiwara of Totomi province

Japanese

F

Fan 范

Mold; model; from the fief of Fan

Chinese
Fang 方

Square; direction

Chinese
Feng 冯

To gallop; from the city of Feng

Chinese
Fernandez

Spanish: son of Fernando

Filipino
Flores

Spanish for flowers

Filipino
Francisco

Spanish: Francis; Frenchman

Filipino
Fu 傅

Tutor; teacher

Chinese
Fujii 藤井

Wisteria well

Japanese
Fujita 藤田

Wisteria rice field

Japanese
Fujiwara 藤原

Wisteria plain; ancient noble clan

Japanese
Fukuda 福田

Fortunate rice field

Japanese
Fukushima 福島

Fortunate island

Japanese

G

Gao 高

High; tall

Chinese
Garcia

Spanish, possibly Basque for young

Filipino
Ginting

Karo Batak clan (merga); one of the five main merga

Indonesian
Go

Hokkien: from 吳 (Wu), name of an ancient state

Filipino
Gomez

Spanish: son of Gome

Filipino
Gonzales

Spanish: son of Gonzalo; battle

Filipino
Goto 後藤

Literally after + wisteria; Fujiwara branch

Japanese
Gunawan

Javanese: virtuous person

Indonesian
Guo 郭

Outer city wall

Chinese
Gutierrez

Spanish: son of Gutierre

Filipino
De Guzman

Spanish: of Guzmán, a place in Burgos; possibly Germanic good man

Filipino

H

Hà 何

What; to carry

Vietnamese
Halim

Chinese-Indonesian (for Lim); also Arabic: patient

Indonesian
Han 한

From the ancient state of Han; Korea

Korean
Harahap

Angkola Batak clan (marga)

Indonesian
Hartono

Javanese: from harta, wealth

Indonesian
Hasegawa 長谷川

Long valley river

Japanese
Hashimoto 橋本

Base of the bridge

Japanese
Hayashi 林

Forest; grove

Japanese
He 何

What; from the state of Han

Chinese
Hernandez

Spanish: son of Hernando

Filipino
Hidayat

Sundanese/Indonesian from Arabic: guidance

Indonesian
Higuchi 樋口

Mouth of the water channel

Japanese
Hirata 平田

Flat rice field

Japanese
Hồ 胡

Dewlap; beard; northern peoples

Vietnamese
Hoàng 黃

Yellow; the imperial color

Vietnamese
Hong 홍

Wide; vast

Korean
Hu 胡

Beard; northern tribes

Chinese
Huang 黄

Yellow

Chinese
Huỳnh 黃

Yellow; southern form of Hoàng

Vietnamese
Hwang 황

Yellow

Korean

I

Ikeda 池田

Pond rice field

Japanese
Inoue 井上

Above the well

Japanese
Ishii 石井

Stone well

Japanese
Ishikawa 石川

Stone river

Japanese
Ito 伊藤

Wisteria of Ise; Fujiwara descent

Japanese
Iwamoto 岩本

Base of the rock

Japanese
Iwata 岩田

Rock rice field

Japanese

J

Jaidee ใจดี

Kind heart

Thai
Jang 장

Bow stretcher; archer

Korean
Jeon 전

Whole; complete

Korean
De Jesus

Spanish: of Jesus

Filipino
Jia 贾

Merchant; to trade

Chinese
Jiang 蒋

Wild rice plant; from the state of Jiang

Chinese
Jung 정

From the ancient Chinese state of Zheng

Korean

K

Kaewmanee แก้วมณี

Crystal and gem

Thai
Kang 강

Ginger; from the Chinese clan Jiang

Korean
Kato 加藤

Wisteria of Kaga; Fujiwara branch

Japanese
Kawaguchi 川口

River mouth

Japanese
Kawamura 川村

River village

Japanese
Kawano 河野

River field

Japanese
Kim 김

Gold; the most common Korean surname

Korean
Kimura 木村

Tree village

Japanese
Ko 고

High; tall

Korean
Kobayashi 小林

Small forest

Japanese
Kondo 近藤

Near + wisteria; Fujiwara of Omi province

Japanese
Kubota 久保田

Rice field in the hollow

Japanese
Kurniawan

Indonesian: one blessed with grace

Indonesian
Kusuma

Javanese, from Sanskrit kusuma: flower

Indonesian
Kwon 권

Authority; power

Korean

L

Lâm 林

Forest, grove of trees

Vietnamese
Lê 黎

Black; the multitude

Vietnamese
Lee 이

Plum tree

Korean
De Leon

Spanish: of León; of the lion

Filipino
Li 李

Plum tree

Chinese
Liang 梁

Bridge; beam; from the state of Liang

Chinese
Liao 廖

Empty; vast; from the state of Liao

Chinese
Lim 임

Forest

Korean
Lin 林

Forest

Chinese
Liu 刘

Battle-axe; Han dynasty imperial clan

Chinese
Lopez

Spanish: son of Lope; wolf

Filipino
Lorenzo

Spanish: from Laurentum; laurel

Filipino
Lu 陆

Land; mainland

Chinese
Lü 吕

Spine; from the ancient state of Lü

Chinese
Lubis

Mandailing Batak clan (marga)

Indonesian
Luo 罗

Net; from the ancient state of Luo

Chinese
Lương 梁

Roof beam; bridge

Vietnamese
Lưu 劉

Battle-axe; to kill

Vietnamese
Lý 李

Plum tree

Vietnamese

M

Maeda 前田

Front rice field

Japanese
Manalo

Tagalog: to win

Filipino
Marquez

Spanish: son of Marcos

Filipino
Martinez

Spanish: son of Martín

Filipino
Matsumoto 松本

Base of the pine tree

Japanese
Matsuura 松浦

Pine bay

Japanese
Meesuk มีสุข

Having happiness

Thai
Mendoza

Spanish from Basque: cold mountain

Filipino
Mercado

Spanish for market

Filipino
Miura 三浦

Three bays

Japanese
Miyake 三宅

Three houses; from miyake, an imperial granary estate

Japanese
Moon 문

Literature; writing

Korean
Morales

Spanish: mulberry trees

Filipino
Mori 森

Forest

Japanese
Murakami 村上

Above the village

Japanese

N

Nagano 長野

Long field

Japanese
Nagata 永田

Eternal rice field

Japanese
Nakajima 中島

Middle island

Japanese
Nakamura 中村

Middle village

Japanese
Nakata 中田

Middle rice field

Japanese
Nasution

Mandailing Batak clan (marga); one of the largest

Indonesian
Navarro

Spanish: from Navarre

Filipino
Ngô 吳

Ancient state of Wu

Vietnamese
Nguyễn 阮

A plucked lute; name of an ancient state

Vietnamese
Nishida 西田

West rice field

Japanese
Nishimura 西村

West village

Japanese
Nugraha

Sundanese: grace, divine gift

Indonesian
Nugroho

Javanese: grace, divine gift

Indonesian

O

Ocampo

Spanish from Galician: the field

Filipino
Ogawa 小川

Small river

Japanese
Oh 오

From the ancient state of Wu

Korean
Ohashi 大橋

Great bridge

Japanese
Okada 岡田

Hill rice field

Japanese
Oshima 大島

Large island

Japanese
Ota 太田

Great rice field

Japanese
Ozawa 小沢

Small swamp

Japanese

P

Panjaitan

Batak Toba clan (marga)

Indonesian
Park 박

Gourd; from legendary king Hyeokgeose

Korean
Pascual

Spanish: of Easter

Filipino
Peng 彭

Sound of drums; from the state of Peng

Chinese
Perez

Spanish: son of Pedro; rock

Filipino
Phạm 范

Name of the ancient fief of Fan

Vietnamese
Phan 潘

Water used to wash rice

Vietnamese
Phromma พรหมมา

Brahma comes

Thai
Phùng 馮

To gallop

Vietnamese
Prasetyo

Javanese: sincere vow, loyalty

Indonesian
Pratama

Indonesian, from Sanskrit: first

Indonesian

R

Ramirez

Spanish: son of Ramiro

Filipino
Ramos

Spanish: branches; Palm Sunday

Filipino
Ren 任

To appoint; responsibility

Chinese
Reyes

Spanish: kings; the Three Kings

Filipino
Rivera

Spanish for riverbank

Filipino
Robles

Spanish: oak trees

Filipino
Rosales

Spanish: rose bushes

Filipino
Del Rosario

Spanish: of the rosary

Filipino

S

Sae Li แซ่ลี้

Chinese clan Li (李), plum

Thai
Sae Lim แซ่ลิ้ม

Chinese clan Lim (林), forest

Thai
Sae Tang แซ่ตั้ง

Chinese clan Tang (陳, Chen) in Teochew

Thai
Sae Ung แซ่อึ้ง

Chinese clan Ung (黃), yellow

Thai
Saengthong แสงทอง

Golden light

Thai
Saito 斎藤

Purification wisteria; Fujiwara branch

Japanese
Sakaguchi 坂口

Entrance to the slope

Japanese
Sakamoto 坂本

Base of the slope

Japanese
Salazar

Spanish from Basque: old hall

Filipino
Sanchez

Spanish: son of Sancho; holy

Filipino
Santiago

Spanish: Saint James

Filipino
Santos

Spanish: saints; All Saints' Day

Filipino
Santoso

Javanese: calm, content

Indonesian
Saputra

Indonesian, from Sanskrit putra: son

Indonesian
Sasaki 佐々木

Helping tree

Japanese
Sato 佐藤

Helper of the Fujiwara; help + wisteria

Japanese
Sembiring

Karo Batak clan (merga); one of the five main merga

Indonesian
Seo 서

Slowly; from the state of Xu

Korean
Setiawan

Javanese/Indonesian: loyal person

Indonesian
Shen 沈

To sink; from the state of Shen

Chinese
Shi 石

Stone

Chinese
Shimada 島田

Island rice field

Japanese
Shimizu 清水

Pure water

Japanese
Shin 신

To state; to extend; also other hanja such as Xin

Korean
Simanjuntak

Batak Toba clan (marga)

Indonesian
Sinaga

Batak Toba and Simalungun clan (marga)

Indonesian
Siregar

Batak Toba and Angkola clan (marga)

Indonesian
Somboon สมบูรณ์

Complete, abundant

Thai
Son 손

Grandchild; descendant

Korean
Song 송

From the ancient state of Song

Korean
Soriano

Spanish: from Soria

Filipino
Srisuk ศรีสุข

Glorious happiness

Thai
Su 苏

Perilla plant; to revive

Chinese
Sugawara 菅原

Sedge plain; ancient scholarly clan

Japanese
Suksawat สุขสวัสดิ์

Happiness and prosperity

Thai
Susanto

Javanese: good and calm

Indonesian
Suzuki 鈴木

Bell tree

Japanese
Sy

Hokkien: from 施 (Shi), to bestow

Filipino

T

Tạ 謝

To thank

Vietnamese
Takahashi 高橋

Tall bridge

Japanese
Tan 谭

To talk; from the state of Tan

Chinese
Tanaka 田中

In the middle of the rice field

Japanese
Tarigan

Karo Batak clan (merga); one of the five main merga

Indonesian
Thongdee ทองดี

Good gold

Thai
Thongkham ทองคำ

Pure gold

Thai
Tian 田

Field; farmland

Chinese
Tô 蘇

To revive; perilla herb

Vietnamese
Tomas

Spanish: from Thomas; twin

Filipino
Torres

Spanish for towers

Filipino
Trần 陳

To display, arrange; ancient state of Chen

Vietnamese
Trịnh 鄭

Solemn; ancient state of Zheng

Vietnamese
Trương 張

To stretch a bow

Vietnamese

U

Ueno 上野

Upper field

Japanese
Uy

Hokkien: from 黃 (Huang), yellow

Filipino

V

Valdez

Spanish for valley

Filipino
Villanueva

Spanish: new town

Filipino
Võ 武

Martial; southern form of Vũ

Vietnamese
Vũ 武

Martial, military

Vietnamese
Vương 王

King, monarch, ruler

Vietnamese

W

Watanabe 渡辺

Around the ferry crossing

Japanese
Wei 魏

From the ancient state of Wei

Chinese
Wibowo

Javanese: splendor, dignity

Indonesian
Wijaya

Javanese, from Sanskrit vijaya: victory

Indonesian
Wu 吴

From the ancient state of Wu

Chinese

X

Xia 夏

Summer; the Xia dynasty

Chinese
Xiao 萧

Mugwort; desolate

Chinese
Xie 谢

To thank; from the state of Xie

Chinese
Xiong 熊

Bear

Chinese
Xu 徐

Slowly; from the ancient state of Xu

Chinese
Xue 薛

Wormwood; from the state of Xue

Chinese

Y

Yamada 山田

Mountain rice field

Japanese
Yamaguchi 山口

Mountain entrance

Japanese
Yamamoto 山本

Base of the mountain

Japanese
Yamanaka 山中

In the mountains

Japanese
Yamashita 山下

Below the mountain

Japanese
Yamazaki 山崎

Mountain cape

Japanese
Yan 阎

Gate of a lane; from the Yan clan

Chinese
Yang 양

Poplar (楊) or bridge (梁); both Chinese clans

Korean
Yao 姚

Handsome; elegant

Chinese
Yasuda 安田

Peaceful rice field

Japanese
Yokota 横田

Side rice field

Japanese
Yoo 유

Willow; also from the Liu clan

Korean
Yoon 윤

Governor; to rule

Korean
Yoshida 吉田

Lucky rice field

Japanese
Yoshikawa 吉川

Lucky river

Japanese
Yu 于

At; in; from the state of Yu

Chinese
Yuan 袁

Long robe; from the Yuan clan

Chinese

Z

Zeng 曾

Formerly; from the state of Zeng

Chinese
Zhang 张

To draw a bow; archer

Chinese
Zhao 赵

From the ancient state of Zhao

Chinese
Zheng 郑

From the ancient state of Zheng

Chinese
Zhong 钟

Bell; clock

Chinese
Zhou 周

Complete; cycle; the Zhou dynasty

Chinese
Zhu 朱

Vermilion; red

Chinese
Zou 邹

From the ancient state of Zou

Chinese

Generate random asian surnames

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Results (6)

Marquez

Spanish: son of Marcos

Filipino
Yeo

여

From the Chinese clan Lu (Lü)

Korean
Natividad

Spanish for nativity

Filipino
Takano

高野

High field

Japanese
Phakdee

ภักดี

Loyalty, devotion

Thai
Estrada

Spanish: paved road

Filipino

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Most common Asian last names by country

Asia holds most of the world's people, and a few surnames there are shared by enormous numbers. Wang, Li and Zhang in China are each carried by around a hundred million people. In Vietnam, Nguyen is used by a large share of the population, with Tran and Le following. In Korea, Kim, Lee and Park together cover nearly half the country. These concentrations come from history: dynasties granting names, commoners adopting the names of rulers, and small founding pools of surnames.

Japan is the opposite case. Sato and Suzuki are the most common names, yet each accounts for only a small fraction of the population, because Japanese commoners created a huge range of place-based surnames when registration became compulsory in 1875. In India the picture depends on region and community, with Singh, Kumar, Patel and Sharma all very widespread. In the Philippines, Spanish-derived names such as Santos, Reyes and Cruz lead the rankings.

Why Asian last names vary so much

The word Asian covers dozens of languages and naming systems, and some of them do not use inherited surnames at all. Most Burmese people have no family name. Many Indonesians, especially in Java, use a single name. Mongolians traditionally place a father's name before their own instead of using a surname. In Thailand, surnames were only required from 1913 under King Vajiravudh, and because each family needed a unique name, Thai surnames are often long and highly individual.

The Philippines took a different path. In 1849 the Spanish governor Narciso Clavería issued a catalogue of surnames and required families to choose from it, which is why many Filipinos carry Spanish names like Santos, Mendoza and Garcia alongside native names such as Dimaculangan and Macaraeg. Chinese Filipino families sometimes merged a full Chinese name into a single surname, producing forms like Cojuangco and Yuchengco.

Common Asian last names across the diaspora

Outside Asia, spellings often shift. Chinese names may appear in Cantonese forms such as Wong, Chan and Lee, or Hokkien forms like Tan and Lim, rather than Mandarin Wang, Chen and Li. Korean names are usually spelled Lee, Park and Choi rather than the official Yi, Bak and Choe. In the United States, Nguyen, Kim, Patel, Lee, Wong and Chen are among the most frequent names in communities of Asian heritage.

Name order matters too. Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese names put the family name first, while Indian, Filipino and Thai names put it last. Vietnamese people are usually addressed by their given name, since so many share Nguyen. When choosing a name for a character, pick the country first and then the region or community, because a surname tells readers far more when it matches the character's actual background.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common Asian last names?

Wang, Li and Zhang from China are the largest, followed by other Chinese names such as Liu and Chen. Nguyen dominates Vietnam, Kim, Lee and Park dominate Korea, and Singh and Kumar are very widespread in India. Sato and Suzuki lead in Japan.

Do all Asian last names come first in a full name?

No. Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese names traditionally place the family name first. Indian, Filipino, Thai and most Indonesian names follow the Western order, with the family name last, if one is used at all.

Why do so many Vietnamese people share the name Nguyen?

Nguyen was the name of the last ruling dynasty in Vietnam, and at several points in history people adopted the royal name for protection or prestige, or when a previous dynasty fell. Over the centuries it spread so widely that it is now carried by a large share of the population.

Why are family names in Thailand so long?

Thailand made surnames compulsory in 1913, and each family had to register a name that no one else used. Many families built names from several Pali or Sanskrit roots, which produced long and distinctive results. In daily life people are addressed by their given name or a nickname.