源（yuan）
Name meaning
源 (yuan) means source, spring, origin and the beginning of flowing water. In a given name it should suggest depth, rootedness and a person who remembers where strength comes from.
Practical naming use
Use 源 (yuan) when the name should feel deep, steady and rooted. It suits scholarship, family identity, ecology, public service, medicine, design or any role where origin and continuity matter. Pair it with a character that turns depth into a human quality.
Pair 源 (yuan) with characters such as 源安 (Yuanan) Yuan'an, 源明 (Yuanming), 源文 (Yuanwen) or 源德 (Yuande). Avoid a second abstract origin word if the name becomes too conceptual.
源安 (Yuanan): Yuan contributes source, spring; An adds peace, safety.
Reference
MOE Revised Mandarin Dictionary, 飲水思源 (yin shui si yuan)
Tao Yuanming, Taohuayuan ji
Historical / name-use references
慧源 (Huiyuan)
Huiyuan was a Northern Song Yunmen Buddhist monk listed by DILA as a historical person. His name gives direct historical religious name-use evidence for 源 (Yuan).