(1) Name the animal and take its meaning.
Beile, Dudu (1597-1642), whose name means spotted bird; Zhen Guogong, Harsa (1605-1651), whose name means honey rat; the regent, Dorgon (1612-1650), whose name means badger; these are named directly after animals.
There are also names named after a part of the animal body, such as Beizi and Bohato (1610-1648). The name means hump, but the meaning is unclear.
(2) Named after the zodiac sign.
The ancient Chinese assigned twelve animals to the twelve earthly branches, namely rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, and Xu. The twelve zodiac animals of Dog and Pig have one zodiac sign for each year and twelve zodiac signs, which are used repeatedly. In the 17th century, the Manchus had the habit of naming people according to their zodiac animals. For example, the name of Fu Guogong, Gulmahun (1615-1681), means rabbit.
But the name Gurmahun came not from worshiping animals, but from the zodiac sign. 1615, the year he was born, was the year of the rabbit. In the seventeenth century, there were two Manchus named Niman. One was a viscount and the other was a vanguard who died in battle. Their names meant goats because they were born in the year of the sheep.
(3) Named after minerals.
The third-class Duke, Nuo Min (who ascended the throne in 1682), whose name means lead ore.
(4) Named after mountains and rivers.
Baron, Galhan (assumed the title in 1657), his name means river branch.
(5) Named after the object.
People had many kinds of things, and many of them were used by the Manchus to name their children and grandchildren, such as: Prince Buro (Buro, 1613-1652), whose original meaning was straw hat. Baylor, Amin (1586-1640), whose name literally means back saddle bridge.
The name of the internal minister, Eshuo, originally means "the three-finger skin slap of the eagle". The consort, Suna (first half of the 17th century), whose name originally means "the leash that holds the dog". Maqi (1651-1738), a bachelor, whose name literally means "the iron hook that binds autumn".