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Ming as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Ming

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The baby name Ming is a Unisex name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced Míng (Mandarin pinyin), IPA: /miŋ˧˥/ — rhymes with 'sing'.

Ming is Chinese in Origin.

Gender: Unisex
Syllables: 1.0
Origin: Chinese
Pronunciation: Míng (Mandarin pinyin), IPA: /miŋ˧˥/ — rhymes with 'sing'

What is the meaning of the name Ming ?

The baby name Ming is a Unisex name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced Míng (Mandarin pinyin), IPA: /miŋ˧˥/ — rhymes with 'sing'.

Ming is Chinese in Origin.

Ming is a unisex Chinese given name most commonly written as 明, meaning “bright, clear,” a graph formed from the sun (日) and moon (月). Other characters read Míng expand the sense: 铭 (“inscription; to engrave”), 鸣 (“to sound, call”), 茗 (“tender tea”), or 溟 (“vast sea”). In Mandarin it is pronounced Míng (rising tone); in Cantonese, ming4. The name suggests clarity, insight, and brilliance.

In use since antiquity across China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the diaspora, Ming appears both alone and in compounds such as Ming-Wei, Jia-Ming, Wei-Ming, or Ming-Na. The imperial Ming dynasty (1368–1644) bolstered the name’s cultural prestige. Romanized as Ming in both Pinyin and Wade–Giles, it corresponds to cognates across East Asia: Korean Myeong/Myung (명), Vietnamese Minh, and Japanese readings of 明 like Akira or Mei. It is occasionally a surname but predominantly a given name.

Ming has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Ming

Emperor Ming of Han Royal · Born 28 · Eastern Han Emperor Ming of Han, born Liu Yang and also known as Liu Zhuang or Han Mingdi, is best known as the second emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty. He ruled in the 1st century AD and was the fourth son and second crown prince of Emperor Guangwu. Sun Mingming Actor · Born 1983 · People's Republic of China Sun Mingming is best known as one of the tallest professional basketball players in the world, standing at 7 feet 9 inches. He has also appeared in films such as 'Rush Hour 3' where he played a memorable role alongside Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker.

Ming – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
KH 0 #3 1 102
KH Girls 0 #5 2 148
HK Boys 0 #9 6,004 12,905
MV 0 #19 1 644
BN 0 #24 9 2,297
ID 0 #38 2 2,238
MO 0 #43 10 2,706
CN 0 #50 36 3,857
CN Boys 0 #60 467 9,639
TW 0 #60 41 4,523
HK 0 #62 481 8,483
MO Boys 0 #70 202 5,842
JP 0 #75 3 4,057
TW Boys 0 #89 224 7,111
JM 0 #92 2 3,714
ID Girls 0 #98 5 3,319
HK Girls 0 #101 1,721 16,104
QA 0 #106 1 7,011
BN Girls 0 #108 7 5,459
PH 0 #109 2 5,607
BN Boys 0 #111 23 6,332
HU 0 #115 1 1,675
OM 0 #119 3 6,215
KW 0 #121 1 5,216
ID Boys 0 #122 10 4,130
CY Girls 0 #125 1 3,755
GR 0 #135 1 3,911
MO Girls 0 #152 106 7,056
MT Girls 0 #153 1 3,773
BW Boys 0 #154 1 4,685
CR 0 #164 2 5,526
HU Boys 0 #173 2 3,954
SG 0 #178 92 11,010
MT Boys 0 #179 1 4,064
AE 0 #186 2 10,220
LU Girls 0 #189 2 4,850
MY 0 #194 143 12,352
MY Boys 0 #207 2,152 25,439
SG Boys 0 #213 781 17,960
AO Girls 0 #217 1 4,575
LU Boys 0 #218 3 4,970
PS 0 #224 3 5,692
TW Girls 0 #229 48 8,139
JP Girls 0 #231 15 6,592
NA Girls 0 #237 1 7,146
CN Girls 0 #238 114 8,829
BD 0 #239 3 5,992
EC Boys 0 #246 1 3,322
AO Boys 0 #247 3 5,568
NA Boys 0 #251 3 6,830
NG 0 #272 1 5,926
AF Boys 0 #273 2 3,535
GR Boys 0 #273 1 6,912
JM Girls 0 #275 4 7,507
IL 0 #282 1 6,291
JP Boys 0 #284 14 7,909
JM Boys 0 #289 5 6,876
KZ Boys 0 #292 5 6,578
Canada Girls 1998 #299 7 2,398
CZ Boys 0 #305 1 6,530
QA Girls 0 #307 10 15,378
SA 0 #312 1 10,560
Canada Boys 2014 #323 9 2,348
PE 0 #329 1 6,350
DK Boys 0 #331 2 7,401
GT 0 #338 1 5,948
PH Girls 0 #345 46 13,098
CZ Girls 0 #350 2 5,378
PH Boys 0 #350 34 11,440
SD Girls 0 #356 3 7,678
SG Girls 0 #364 230 18,916
MU Boys 0 #367 3 8,477
NL 0 #377 15 2,481
PT Boys 0 #380 2 7,951
YE 0 #398 1 8,639
OM Girls 0 #421 4 15,987
MX 0 #445 1 8,339
SD Boys 0 #459 8 10,523
PA Boys 0 #468 14 9,305
PT Girls 0 #471 1 7,952
ZA 0 #472 3 14,421
MY Girls 0 #476 634 24,821
AR Boys 0 #478 6 7,628
CR Boys 0 #478 10 10,188
RU Boys 0 #496 10 12,621
GT Boys 0 #499 1 7,625
KW Girls 0 #501 15 19,177
RU Girls 0 #522 2 11,913
IQ Girls 0 #525 1 11,303
AE Girls 0 #533 21 20,968
PS Boys 0 #537 12 10,655
IR Girls 0 #545 1 8,334
PS Girls 0 #546 2 10,981
LY 0 #558 2 12,703
IR Boys 0 #565 1 10,162
CM Boys 0 #570 6 12,054
CR Girls 0 #571 3 11,342
BH 0 #579 9 17,937
BD Boys 0 #603 3 10,045
IL Boys 0 #619 7 10,983
BO Boys 0 #622 1 9,244
AR Girls 0 #630 1 8,289
IL Girls 0 #645 1 11,648
IN Girls 0 #650 5 13,121
CL Boys 0 #654 12 13,390
LB 0 #690 1 13,263
IQ Boys 0 #693 5 13,071
Finland Girls 2026 #730 9 3,895
QA Boys 0 #736 8 18,093
KW Boys 0 #753 17 18,755
BR Boys 0 #781 5 12,213
Germany Girls 0 #825 14 4,949
NG Girls 0 #826 1 15,093
NL Boys 0 #860 92 5,873
EG Boys 0 #867 20 15,035
United States Boys 2024 #885 8 7,044
Spain Boys 0 #887 44 5,610
NL Girls 0 #908 48 5,933
OM Boys 0 #913 6 17,948
SA Girls 0 #914 22 25,931
United States Girls 2013 #915 6 9,616
CL Girls 0 #915 1 14,098
Germany Boys 0 #917 36 5,697
PE Boys 0 #919 8 14,506
Spain Girls 0 #969 15 5,561
CO Boys 0 #974 8 15,656
NG Boys 0 #1,000 2 16,906
EG Girls 0 #1,008 2 14,742
PE Girls 0 #1,008 3 14,861
MX Boys 0 #1,025 9 16,355
IN Boys 0 #1,032 8 16,750
AE Boys 0 #1,071 22 22,615
ZA Girls 0 #1,129 13 25,928
CO Girls 0 #1,151 2 16,140
ZA Boys 0 #1,156 23 25,619
DZ 0 #1,159 18 20,130
MA 0 #1,194 6 20,986
TR 0 #1,198 14 19,440
MX Girls 0 #1,264 4 17,781
IT Boys 0 #1,313 159 10,046
IT Girls 0 #1,399 48 9,415
SA Boys 0 #1,568 47 28,008

Ming is popular in 69 countries — most recent births per country:

United States
Canada
AE
AF
AO

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Ming

Ming is a unisex name, given to both boys and girls.
Ming is a one syllable name, pronounced Míng (Mandarin pinyin), IPA: /miŋ˧˥/ — rhymes with 'sing'.
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Míng (with tone mark), Ming (anglicized Romanization), Ming (明) as surname or given name and Ming (Cantonese jyutping: ming4).
Across languages, Ming has these equivalents: Minh (Vietnamese, same character/meaning 'bright'), Luc/ Lucius (Latin root meaning 'light'), Claire/Clara (Latin root meaning 'clear, bright').
Yes — Ming ranked #299 in Canada in 1998, and appears in official birth registries across 3 countries.
Ming ranks highest in Canada (#299 in 1998).
Yes — 2 notable people named Ming are in our database, including Emperor Ming of Han (Royal), Sun Mingming (Actor).