<p>Here's an alternative point of view.</p>
<hr />
<p><strong>谦恭</strong> is an okay Chinese name, albeit &quot;uncommon.&quot;</p>
<hr />
<p>If you check out this article on <a href="http://zhummzyking.bokee.com/504490757.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">zhummzyking的博客</a> it talks about <strong>谦</strong> as a surname.</p>
<p>Under part two origins the article explains:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>二.姓氏渊源：</p>
<p>第一个渊源：源于礼法，出自春秋时期君子之道，属于以儒家礼法为氏。</p>
<p>谦，是春秋时期儒家学派所提倡的礼法，提倡恭谦退让为尚，有心谦和面谦之分，儒家强调以君子之风，面对同等地位之人，应在内心上恭顺谨慎、文良逊让，以显尊敬，其在史籍《史记·乐书》中就有记载：“君子以谦退为礼。”当然，如若社会地位不对等者，儒家就不讲求什么“谦”了。</p>
<p>春秋后期，有一些人以君子自诩，遂改以礼法为姓氏，即称谦氏，后有不少人改回原姓氏，但仍有坚持为谦氏者，世代相传至今，其姓源繁复，不可一论。</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Then it talks about a fairly well known monk by the name of:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>谦开善.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The page also mentions a second origin but I won't paste that here.</p>
<ul>
<li>谦 is not a common surname, but it is <em>indeed</em> a last name.</li>
</ul>
<hr />
<p>How about 恭 then?</p>
<p>This is where the <strong><a href="https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/cbdb" rel="nofollow noreferrer">China Biographical Database (CBDB)</a></strong> comes in handy.</p>
<p>A <a href="http://db1.ihp.sinica.edu.tw/cbdbc/cbdbkmeng?@@477955693" rel="nofollow noreferrer">search for names with 恭</a> in them provides many names, alternative names and courtesy names.</p>
<p>Names like:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="http://db1.ihp.sinica.edu.tw/cbdbc/cbdbkmeng?@205%5E211354709%5E107%5E%5E%5E2%5E1@@1239568090" rel="nofollow noreferrer">陳彥恭</a></p>
</blockquote>
<br/>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="http://db1.ihp.sinica.edu.tw/cbdbc/cbdbkmeng?@205%5E211354709%5E107%5E%5E%5E3%5E1@@1699058815" rel="nofollow noreferrer">程嗣恭</a></p>
</blockquote>
<br/>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="http://db1.ihp.sinica.edu.tw/cbdbc/cbdbkmeng?@205%5E211354709%5E107%5E%5E%5E12%5E1@@1788034878" rel="nofollow noreferrer">孫恭</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Multiple people have the posthumous name:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>文恭</p>
</blockquote>
<p>including 王珪 and 王綯.</p>
<p>If you go through CBDB's name list the number of 恭's is immense.</p>
<ul>
<li>恭 is a legit name.</li>
</ul>
<hr />
<p>You might see some complaints about your name, but Chinese names are diverse and varied and after all you have evidence to back you up.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-23T13:48:42.730Z
2018-04-23T13:48:42.730Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
Mou某
<p>&quot;恭&quot; is rarely used in first name for Chinese people because it sounds like 公 which is an honorific</p>
<p>I suggest <strong>谦遜</strong></p>
<p>It is a common sounding first name. If you treat 谦 as a family name, 遜 is also a good matching given name</p>
<blockquote>
<p><em><a href="http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/3442/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">遜</a> : modest; unassuming; humble</em></p>
<p><em><a href="http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/3279/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">谦</a>: modest; humble; unassuming</em></p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%99%B8%E9%81%9C" rel="nofollow noreferrer">陸遜</a> is one of the famous people in Chinese history who named 遜</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-23T05:50:01.177Z
遜 also means *sucks*, as in `that sucks`, i.e.: that's awful. Probably not a good suggestion for a name.
Mou某
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-23T05:31:12.497Z
2018-04-23T05:48:15.070Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
Tang Ho
<p>A while back, when I first started learning Chinese, I chose my Chinese name to be 谦恭. I chose this because 谦恭 is a loose direct translation of the meaning of my name.</p>

<p>So, a few years later, I found out that 谦恭 cannot be used as a name as it is improper. I did not worry about it so much then, but now I am going to be studying abroad in China in the Fall. So I would like to know if there are any names in China that start with 谦. I am really attached to 谦恭 because I have had it as my name for so long.</p>

<p>My actual legal name has no phonetic similarities with 谦恭 either. Just so you know.</p>

<p>Does anyone have any suggestions?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-23T05:22:52.593Z
a chinese name starts with the family name, and 谦 is not a common one. But as a given name, 谦恭 is absolutely ok.
Jason Swift
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-23T05:31:25.363Z
It is okay if 谦 is the first (or the sole) character of a given name.  For example: 于谦 https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E4%BA%8E%E8%B0%A6/377  You can use 谦恭 as your given name and also give yourself a family name (pick one from 百家姓). Although a Chinese name starts with family name, people often address each other using given names, too.
wks
<simplified-characters><traditional-characters><names>
Do any names start with 谦？
# Do any names start with 谦？

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-04-23)

A while back, when I first started learning Chinese, I chose my Chinese name to be 谦恭. I chose this because 谦恭 is a loose direct translation of the meaning of my name.

So, a few years later, I found out that 谦恭 cannot be used as a name as it is improper. I did not worry about it so much then, but now I am going to be studying abroad in China in the Fall. So I would like to know if there are any names in China that start with 谦. I am really attached to 谦恭 because I have had it as my name for so long.

My actual legal name has no phonetic similarities with 谦恭 either. Just so you know.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

**Tags:** simplified-characters, traditional-characters, names

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: a chinese name starts with the family name, and 谦 is not a common one. But as a given name, 谦恭 is absolutely ok.  
> **username_2**: It is okay if 谦 is the first (or the sole) character of a given name.  For example: 于谦 https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E4%BA%8E%E8%B0%A6/377  You can use 谦恭 as your given name and also give yourself a family name (pick one from 百家姓). Although a Chinese name starts with family name, people often address each other using given names, too.  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2018-04-23. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

Here's an alternative point of view.

---

**谦恭** is an okay Chinese name, albeit "uncommon."

---

If you check out this article on [zhummzyking的博客](http://zhummzyking.bokee.com/504490757.html) it talks about **谦** as a surname.

Under part two origins the article explains:

> 二.姓氏渊源：
>
> 第一个渊源：源于礼法，出自春秋时期君子之道，属于以儒家礼法为氏。
>
> 谦，是春秋时期儒家学派所提倡的礼法，提倡恭谦退让为尚，有心谦和面谦之分，儒家强调以君子之风，面对同等地位之人，应在内心上恭顺谨慎、文良逊让，以显尊敬，其在史籍《史记·乐书》中就有记载：“君子以谦退为礼。”当然，如若社会地位不对等者，儒家就不讲求什么“谦”了。
>
> 春秋后期，有一些人以君子自诩，遂改以礼法为姓氏，即称谦氏，后有不少人改回原姓氏，但仍有坚持为谦氏者，世代相传至今，其姓源繁复，不可一论。

Then it talks about a fairly well known monk by the name of:

> 谦开善.

The page also mentions a second origin but I won't paste that here.

* 谦 is not a common surname, but it is *indeed* a last name.

---

How about 恭 then?

This is where the **[China Biographical Database (CBDB)](https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/cbdb)** comes in handy.

A [search for names with 恭](http://db1.ihp.sinica.edu.tw/cbdbc/cbdbkmeng?@@477955693) in them provides many names, alternative names and courtesy names.

Names like:

> [陳彥恭](http://db1.ihp.sinica.edu.tw/cbdbc/cbdbkmeng?@205%5E211354709%5E107%5E%5E%5E2%5E1@@1239568090)

  
> [程嗣恭](http://db1.ihp.sinica.edu.tw/cbdbc/cbdbkmeng?@205%5E211354709%5E107%5E%5E%5E3%5E1@@1699058815)

  
> [孫恭](http://db1.ihp.sinica.edu.tw/cbdbc/cbdbkmeng?@205%5E211354709%5E107%5E%5E%5E12%5E1@@1788034878)

Multiple people have the posthumous name:

> 文恭

including 王珪 and 王綯.

If you go through CBDB's name list the number of 恭's is immense.

* 恭 is a legit name.

---

You might see some complaints about your name, but Chinese names are diverse and varied and after all you have evidence to back you up.


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2018-04-23. Score: 0

"恭" is rarely used in first name for Chinese people because it sounds like 公 which is an honorific

I suggest **谦遜**

It is a common sounding first name. If you treat 谦 as a family name, 遜 is also a good matching given name

> *[遜](http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/3442/) : modest; unassuming; humble*
>
> *[谦](http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/3279/): modest; humble; unassuming*

[陸遜](https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%99%B8%E9%81%9C) is one of the famous people in Chinese history who named 遜

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: 遜 also means *sucks*, as in `that sucks`, i.e.: that's awful. Probably not a good suggestion for a name.  

---

