How popular is the baby name Aoyun in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Aoyun.

The graph will take a few moments to load. (Don't worry, it shouldn't take 9 months!) If it's taking too long, try reloading the page.


Popularity of the baby name Aoyun


Posts that mention the name Aoyun

Baby name story: Xiaoai

Great Wall of China
Great Wall of China

On May 12, 2008, China’s Sichuan province was struck by a strong earthquake that ultimately killed tens of thousands of people

Zhang Xiaoyan, who was eight months pregnant at the time, wasn’t one of the victims. But she did end up trapped under a pile of rubble for 52 hours. “For two days, rescuers passed food and water to Zhang through a small hole as they struggled to find a way to free her.”

A month later, her baby girl was delivered via Caesarean section.

The girl was originally going to be named “Yingao”, meaning “to welcome the Olympics”, which Beijing hosted in August that year.

But after the quake, the couple decided on “Xiaoai”, or “little love”, to honour those whose care helped see them through the disaster.

In Chinese, xiao means “little” and ai means “love.” (Both words also have other meanings, though, depending upon the characters being used.)

Other Chinese babies that were named with earthquakes in mind include Zhongde, Zhensheng, Lutian, and Yuanyuan. And other Olympics-inspired Chinese baby names include Aoyun, Shen’ao, Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying, and Nini.

Sources:

Image: Adapted from China by M M under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Chinese baby names that reflect moments in history

Chinese general Zhu De (1886-1976).
Chinese general Zhu De

Many Chinese babies are given names that reflect current events. As time goes by, these current events become past events, in turn making Chinese names a lens through which to view historical Chinese events/attitudes.

During the post-Civil War 1950s, when Chinese parents had “hopes for a prosperous country,” popular baby names included:

  • Dongfeng, meaning “eastern wind”
  • Guangqiang, meaning “strong nation”
  • Jianguo, which refers to the establishment of the People’s Republic
  • Jianhua, which also refers to the establishment of the People’s Republic
  • Minzhu, meaning “democracy”
  • Qiangguo, meaning “strong nation”

While the Korean War (1950-1953) was being fought, popular baby names included:

  • Kangmei, meaning “resist U.S. aggression”
  • Weiguo, meaning “guard China’s territory against infringement”
  • Yuanchao, meaning “aid the Korean people”

Yuanchao was the name chosen by Zhu De (above), former commander-in-chief of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, for his eldest grandson (b. 1951). It’s also the name of the current Vice President of the People’s Republic of China, Li Yuanchao (b. 1950).

During the years of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), when Chinese parents wanted to demonstrate “their loyalty to the revolution,” popular baby names included:

  • Weidong, meaning “protect Dong” [Chairman Mao Zedong]
  • Weihong, meaning “protect red”
  • Wenge, meaning “cultural revolution”
  • Xuenong, meaning “learn from the peasants”

From in the 1990s and early 2000s, while China was gearing up for Summer Olympics in Beijing, popular baby names included:

  • Aoyun, meaning “Olympics”
  • Shen’ao, meaning “bid for the Olympics”

Some of the names above were given to hundreds of thousands of babies in China. Combine that with the relatively small number of Chinese surnames, and the result is oodles of people with identical full names, which I’m sure gets pretty confusing…

P.S. Here’s a post about how to pronounce Chinese names.

Sources: China’s history is spelled out in baby names, Chinese name – Wikipedia

What influenced the baby name Aoyun in China?

A portion of an official poster for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

I’m sure you know that the Olympics are happening this summer in Beijing. But did you also know that children in China are being named after the event?

The name we’re talking about is Aoyun, which essentially means “Olympics.” (The word àoyùn is actually a short form of àolínpikè yùndònghuì, which is closer to “Olympic Games.”)

The first surge in Aoyuns came in 1992, when China applied to host to the 2000 Games. About 680 Aoyuns were registered at the time.

In 2002 another 553 Aoyuns were named, after China was chosen to host the 2008 Games.

Back in October, the tally was up 3,491 Aoyuns (3,216 males and 275 females).

As of right now, the name Aoyun has been given to more than 4,100 Chinese babies — over 92% of them male.

Other names that have been popping up in China recently are:

  • Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying and Nini, after the 5 Olympic mascots*
  • Fuwa, “good-luck dolls,” in reference to the aforementioned Olympic mascots
  • “Hope for Sichuan,” in reference to the recent earthquake

Update: I recently found some data on the mascot names!

As of August 2008, nearly 5,000 babies were named after the Fuwa (which were unveiled in November 2005).

The most popular mascot name was Jingjing (1,240 babies), followed by Huanhuan (1,063), Beibei (880), Nini (642), and Yingying (624).

Combined the five Fuwa names translate as “Beijing Welcomes You.”

Sources:

Image: A portion of an official 2008 Olympic Games poster, © IOC/The Olympic Museum