Abstract: Communication usually begins with the introduction of the names by both parties. As the products of the human society, a name is not only the symbol that distinguishes one person from the other, but also a window through which people can see different cultures in different societies. Consequently, it is viewed as “a mirror of culture.” This paper aims to investigate the similarities and differences between Chinese and English names from a cross-cultural perspective in terms of the following aspects: the history and origins of the family name, features of given name and the order of family name and given name. Such an analysis reveals that both Chinese and English culture have a great impact on naming system. 

Key words: family name, given name, cultural implication

摘要：姓名是社会交往的第一步。作为人类社会发展的产物，姓名不仅仅是一种简单的区别与他人的符号，同时也是我们了解不同社会文化的窗口，可以说姓名是反射文化内涵的一面镜子。本文从跨文化的角度，通过对中英姓氏的历史和来源、中英名字的特征以及中英姓名顺序等各个层面的比较和对照，揭示了中英这两种灿烂的文化对姓名的产生和发展所产生的影响。

关键词：姓，名字，文化内涵