宁（ning）
Name meaning
宁 (ning) means peace, calm and settled security. In Chinese naming it usually reads as inward steadiness and long-range composure rather than simple passivity.
Practical naming use
宁 (ning) is a peace-and-composure character. It gives a name calm center, emotional steadiness and the sense of being settled without going dull. It is especially useful for cultural depth, classical reference, personality image, because the character can carry a recognizable Chinese image without becoming empty dictionary filler. The best results come when the second character adds human direction, warmth, restraint or breadth, so the full given name feels lived-in rather than generic.
Pair 宁 (ning) with characters such as 安 (an) for fuller peace, 远 (yuan) for calm distance, 文 (wen) for cultivated steadiness or 雅 (ya) for composed grace. The second character should keep the name alive rather than too still.
宁安 (Ningan): Ning contributes peaceful, settled; An adds peace, safety.
Reference
Zhuge Liang · Jie Zi Shu
Historical / name-use references
甘宁 (Gan Ning)
late Han and Eastern Wu general; 宁 (Ning) appears directly in this recorded name, style name, title, or literary nickname.