Chinese names are very different from many other cultures. Their names come from words that are used in normal daily conversation and writings. An object can be used as a name. Example, mountain 山 (shan). A verb can also be used as a name - study 学 (xue). The word for friend, is also used a lot - 友 (you). Animal, horse 马 (ma).

It is this versatility of the language that finding good Chinese boy names has become a slow process. We must know what we want before we even begin.

If you are looking for names with meanings like good virtues, then just focus in that area. For example, you can consider words like benevolence, filial, humane, righteousness and kindness. And others.

If you prefer baby boy names that are more visible, perhaps you can consider castle, sun, mountain, house and others.

Or you can mix them. Take a common Chinese name for example, Jiahao 家豪. Jia means family, home or house. Hao means grand or heroic. Putting them together may mean a grand or heroic one in the family.

Most parents will first think of a meaning they want to associate with their son's name. Then they look for the right mix of words and good sounding name. Yet, they are sometimes still not confident whether they have made the right choice. Or whether the name is good. They go around asking their friends and relatives for opinions.

I work the other way round. First, I look at the elements that the baby has based on the zodiac and year pillar (this is from the 60 pillars concept). Next, I match those elements that the baby has with his parents'. Many naming consultants do not consider the parents' elements (from their date of birth). In the method that I practiced, I place the parents' elements at high importance.

In the Chinese culture respecting the elders is important. We have special festivals honoring our ancestors. In a way, having good Chinese boy names matching the parents' elements are like honoring the parents.

Then, we proceed to calculate the best number of strokes the name must have according to the elements. At this point I have narrowed down my choices to Chinese characters that fit these number of strokes. And of course, the symbols (the smaller parts or sections in a character) in the overall characters must also be of certain elements matching the zodiac and year pillar.

Finally, the parents can then select among the best characters that correspond to the rules mentioned above. That is how I select Chinese boy names. That's how I chose my son's name. You will be more confident of the name that you have chosen using this method. You will know that it is the most unique name because it matches your son's elements (and yours too as the parent) perfectly.