This case study reveals the methods that professionals use in choosing Chinese baby name. We will go through step by step.

The name above is my son's name. He was born in January 2006. In 2005, the doctor had scanned and confirmed it was going to be a baby son.

So, I went to 'work' immediately calculating the best name for my future son.

January 2006 fell under 乙酉 yiyou year. The Rooster year. The nayin is water. Refer to the Chinese Years page. Using the estimated date of birth, check which season and 24 solar terms it will be. Study what elements are strong or weak in that period.

If you have the exact date and time of birth, use the 4 pillars calculator to check all the personal birth elements.

Once we know the nayin and other personal birth elements, then we must work on having the total number of strokes beneficial to the nayin and birth elements.

See more on Chinese Numerology on the Ten Heavenly Stems. (Anyway, the numerology system I use for naming is not shown on that page.)

In this instance for total strokes, I have selected the number 28. This number ends with 8 and is good for this baby's overall personal birth elements. Total number of strokes is the sum of strokes of all the 3 characters - 丁義誠 (2+13+13). Each character also has the right strokes, complementing each other.

The number of strokes have to be right. Otherwise it will affect the fortune and wellbeing of the name (person).

The sounds of the name is very important.

See:

1. The importance of good name sound

2. The Chinese 5 elements sounds

A name that is easy to read is liken to a smooth journey in life.

Good name sound is like a good mantra resonating well with the body.

At last, we can now put in the Chinese characters to complete the name. Because we have employed a step by step method, aligning the elements in harmony, the rest is gonna be easy.

Now, the final part of choosing Chinese baby name...

Here comes the easier part. You will now know how many number of strokes you need for the second and third characters in the name.

We just need to find nice characters that have 13 and 13 strokes. However, the characters need to suit the Chinese zodiac Rooster and also the parents' zodiac. In Yicheng's case, both the parents' zodiacs are the Ox.

Elsewhere, I have also mentioned that the third (last) character must have more strokes than the second character. This provides a stronger structure in the name. Like a pyramid building with stronger and wider base. Besides visually pleasing, it also serves as a strong support to the other characters on the top.

In the case above, the second character and third character have the same number of strokes. This is also good. As long as the third character does not have lesser strokes than the second character.

The meaning must also be carefully examined. Make sure they are not ambiguous or have bad meanings.

Up to this point in choosing Chinese baby name, I can say that some naming services do not use any of the methods mentioned here.

There are a few more steps not mentioned fully here. They involved the use of Yijing calculation as a final check. To confirm that the name and elements are in good order.

Also understanding which characters to be used is also important. We do not want to have characters that are not suitable for the zodiac. Needless to say, it's a taboo to have characters or sounds similar to the parents' names.

Finally, from the thousands of Chinese characters, my wife and I have chosen 義誠 yicheng. And we like how it sounds. It is easy to pronounce and read smoothly. A name that is uniquely for him. All the elements are customized according to his year of birth.

For choosing Chinese baby name, the date and time of birth is important. Of course, most names are selected prior to the baby's birth. So, it is important to at least know the year and month of birth. Or the expected date. The Chinese believe that the baby in the womb is very much alive already. Thus, we want to give the baby a name and start calling it even when it is still in the womb.

It is also too late to start choosing a name after the birth. In today's legality process, we have to register the baby's birth and provide a name on the birth certificate. A name is something that we must choose carefully without rush. Selecting a name in busy time especially after a birth is surely not wise.

With today's ultrasound scan, we can get quite accurate results with the baby's gender before birth. Start choosing a name when you already know the gender. Don't wait. Choosing Chinese baby name is not a process that should be left till the last minute.

Start calling your baby in the womb by its name and strengthen the parent-child relationship and bonding. This will allow the baby to quickly get used to its name later after birth.