Chengyu
Chengyu are a type of traditional Chinese idiomatic expressions, most of which consist of four Chinese characters. Chengyu were widely used in Literary Chinese and are still common in written vernacular Chinese writing and in the spoken language today. According to the most stringent definition, there are about 5,000 chengyu in the Chinese language, though some dictionaries list over 20,000.
Meaning & Origin of Chengyu
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Chengyu are a type of traditional Chinese idiomatic expressions, most of which consist of four Chinese characters. Chengyu were widely used in Literary Chinese and are still common in written vernacular Chinese writing and in the spoken language today. According to the most stringent definition, there are about 5,000 chengyu in the Chinese language, though some dictionaries list over 20,000.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Chengyu
American parents first put Chengyu on the record books as a baby boy name in 2015, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2015, when 5 Chengyus were born — ranking #12,084 that year. Chengyu last appeared in the published SSA data in 2015, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 5 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 2010s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Chengyu
Phonetically similar names — useful when Chengyu is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Chengyu
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About the name Chengyu
Chengyu is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 2015 and has accumulated 5 births in the dataset. Chengyu's peak popularity came in 2015 when it ranked #12,084. Use the chart and map above to compare Chengyu's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2015 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- Names starting with "C" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.