【Abstract】Name is an inseparable part of human verbal communication. It is also a product of man’s social life which is not only an important component of language， but also a major carrier of social-specific cultures. This thesis aim to explore the similarities and differences between the culture of English names and Chinese names.
　　【Key words】English names； Chinese names； culture； sociolinguistics
　　People’s name refer to the symbols indicating each particular member in the society. As one of the essential parts of human language， people’s names play a dominant role in the society. For one thing， names are unique symbols that show people’s existence and identity in the society. For another， it is name that can distinguish one people from another. Therefore， name as a special communicative tool of language is indispensable in human society. This thesis set forth to explore the similarities and differences between the culture of English names and Chinese names.
　　1. Similarities of Names between English and Chinese Culture
　　1.1 Similarities in the Origins of Family Names
　　Taking the origins of Chinese and English family names into consideration， they share similarities in several aspects. Firstly， ancient people usually take the names of ancient places or dwelling places as family names. Secondly， people used to take names of color as surnames. As White， Brown， Black and Red in English names and Bai（白）， Huang（黃）， Lan（蓝） in Chinese names. Last but not the least， people from different places may take the names of professions as their surnames， like Baker， Smith， Fisher in English and Bu（卜）， Wu（巫）， Tu（屠）， and Shi（石） in Chinese.
　　1.2 Similarities in Patterns of Naming Systems
　　To begin with， many people whether from western countries or China prefer to name their children after characters in stories or fairy tales， especially after characters of good virtue. Next， many people name their children after the names of animals or plants， such as Hu（虎）， Peng（鹏），， Mei（梅）， Zhu（竹），Bear， Swan， Apple and Lily. Finally， some parents choose the time when their children born as their names.
　　1.3 Similarities in the Gender Discrimination Reflected
　　Gender discrimination can be found in nearly all aspects of these two cultures including names. In ancient china， surnames were applied to men while family names to women， and the noble had the surnames while the humble had family names. This well indicates that women were of lower social status at that time. In Chinese feudal society. Women passed on their fathers’ family names. After marriage， they lose their preceding names and they were addressed in the way like “Jia Zhe’s wife”， “Zhu Li’s mother” etc. Such phenomenon which contains great gender discrimination lasts for more than two thousand years in China. When it comes to English names， gender discrimination can also be found throughout the history. In history， women has no right in social affairs. In order to gain the recognition of the public， female writers had to use male pen names. For example， the famous British writers Bronte sisters all used male pen names to publish their great works Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights.