红梅 (hóngméi): red plum blossom

Plum blossoms 梅花 (méihuā) are one of the 四君子 (sì jūnzǐ, 'Four Gentlemen' of Chinese painting: plum, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum). They open in late winter — symbolizing perseverance. The opera 红梅赞 (Hóngméi Zàn, 'Ode to the Red Plum') from 江姐 (Jiāng Jiě) made 红梅 a Communist-era symbol of revolutionary courage; combined with the auspicious color red, this is why it became such a popular given name for women born in the 1950s–70s.

usage

As a personal name, very common for women of older generations — like 'Susan' or 'Linda' in mid-century English. Sounds slightly dated to younger Chinese ears today.