Cui (崔) Surname Meaning & Origin

Cui (崔) is a well-known Chinese surname. The character 崔 has its own dictionary meaning, but as a family name it mainly functions as an identifier rather than a literal description of the family.

Chinese surnames (姓, xìng) have been used for centuries as a way to identify family lines and trace ancestry. For the surname Cui (崔), it’s helpful to understand how Chinese surnames generally formed and why the same surname can show up with different spellings.

Many surnames began as the names of ancient states, fiefs, places of origin, or titles held by ancestors. Others developed from clan names, occupations, or honorifics. Over time, migration, administrative records, and local dialects shaped how a surname was written and pronounced.

It’s also common to see one-character surnames like this one paired with one- or two-character given names. For English readers, the key is consistency: decide on one spelling for official documents and use it everywhere.

When in doubt, keep the Chinese character as the source of truth and treat different spellings as pronunciation-based variants.

In Mandarin pinyin, it is written Cui. A tone-marked form is Cuī.

Below are example full names combining the surname 崔 with common given-name characters (one-character given names shown for simplicity):
– 崔婷 (Cui Tíng) – graceful.
– 崔然 (Cui Rán) – so; thus.
– 崔明 (Cui Míng) – bright; clear.
– 崔丽 (Cui Lì) – beautiful.
– 崔宇 (Cui Yǔ) – universe.
– 崔轩 (Cui Xuān) – lofty.

Different dialects and romanization systems can produce different spellings for the same surname. Keep the Chinese character (崔) handy to avoid confusion.