Skip to content

Qian

chee-ahn /tʃiɑn/ Chinese Mandarin

At a glance

In short
Qian is a unique and exotic male name of Chinese origin, pronounced as "chee-ahn" in Mandarin. It's an uncommon but meaningful choice for baby boys.
U.S. rank 2025
Not in the 2025 data · last seen 2015 (#9,568)
Babies in 2015
7 (<0.01% of boys)
Peak
#8,781 in 2014
First recorded
2000

Meaning of Qian

Qian is a male name of Chinese origin. In Chinese Mandarin, it is pronounced as "chee-ahn" (/tʃiɑn/). The name has variations such as Chien. Qian is not a very common name in the United States, but it has been given to a small number of newborn boys in recent years. In 2015, there were 7 occurrences of the name Qian, ranking at 9563. In 2014, there were 8 occurrences and it ranked at 8778. Qian has a unique and exotic sound, making it an interesting choice for parents looking for an uncommon but meaningful name for their baby boy.

How to pronounce Qian

Chinese Mandarin

Popularity of Qian in the U.S.

Qian was last recorded in the U.S. in 2015, ranked #9,568 with 7 babies. It peaked at #8,781 in 2014. It first appears in the records in 2000.

Bar and line chart: Qian in the U.S., 2000–2015. Bars: boys given the name each year, most 8 in 2014 and 7 in 2015. Line: rank among boy names, peak #8,781 in 2014, #9,568 in 2015.
  • Boys named Qian (left scale)
  • Rank among U.S. boy names (right scale, #1 at the top)
By year, 2000–2015. Source: SSA. Download: PNG · SVG
Year-by-year table, 2000⁠–⁠2015 3 rows
YearBabiesRankvs previous year
201579,568▼ 787
201488,781back
2000510,349new

Notable people named Qian

  • Qian Xuesen was a pioneering Chinese aerospace engineer known for his contributions to rocket science, aerodynamics and engineering cybernetics.
  • Qian Zhongshu was a Chinese writer and literary scholar best known for his satirical novel Fortress Besieged.
  • Qian Qichen was a Chinese diplomat, foreign minister and vice premier who helped shape China's foreign policy and oversee the return of Hong Kong and Macau.
  • Qian Shizhen was a Ming dynasty general who fought in the Imjin War and wrote about his military experiences and archery.
  • Qian Qianyi was a Chinese historian, poet, and politician of the late Ming dynasty, celebrated as one of the Three Masters of Jiangdong.
More people named Qian 3 more
  • Qian Qihu is a Chinese military engineer, professor, and recipient of China's Highest Science and Technology Award.
  • Qian Minggao was a Chinese scientist, professor at China University of Mining and Technology, and member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
  • Qian Ying was a Chinese politician who served as Minister of Supervision from 1954 to 1959.