Is 蛉 commonly used in Chinese names?

No, 蛉 is very rarely used in Chinese names due to its specific association with insects, particularly flies.

What are the main meanings of 蛉?

It primarily refers to small insects like sandflies and lacewings, and appears in scientific names for certain fly species.

While both refer to flies, 蛉 specifically denotes smaller fly species like sandflies, while 蝇 is the general term for flies.

蛉Tone 2

líng ｜ 11 strokes ｜ radical:

Ling — refers to small insects, particularly the sandfly or lacewing;

also used in the term for the tsetse fly.

Ling — refers to small insects, particularly thealso used in the term for the tsetse

sandflylacewingtsetse flyinsect vectorfly species

The sandfly (白蛉) can transmit diseases.
Lacewings (草蛉) are beneficial insects in gardens.
The tsetse fly (采采蝇/舌蝇) is sometimes referred to in Chinese as 采采蝇, but 蛉 appears in some older names.
He studied insect vectors like the sandfly (白蛉).

Fleas and flies (蚤蝇) — petty annoyances
Like a moth to the flame (飞蛾扑火) — though not directly using 蛉, related to insect behavior

In traditional Chinese medicine and folklore, small insects like 蛉 were often associated with disease transmission.
The character is rarely used in modern daily language except in specific entomological contexts.
It appears in classical texts describing pests and insects.