Chinese versus Americanized names

[mercator]

My SO had a quasi-western name when I met her online, but had no attachment to it. Later, she asked me to suggest a name for her, one that sort of matched what her actual name meant. It took me a couple of months but I came up with a few (Kay, Elaine, Sunflower (which is the literal to her Chinese name)) and she didnt really like any of them. We've not talked about it since.

 

I personally like her given name, but in talking with people around here, I can see why some Chinese want to adopt a western name when they get here because we Americans seem to massacre Chinese names.

 

So I guess I am curious of other's stories of their SO's taking a western name. What their Chinese given name is, what western name they chose, and how far they took or will take it. Will it just be a nickname, or will they go for a complete name change when the time is right?

 

Merc

Edited October 30, 2005 by mercator (see edit history)

[Joanne]

I would like to share my experience with you, but if I do, I will reveal my private information. I haven't gone through interview yet.

[jbray]

I'll tell you her name next week (after the interview ). Her name is hard for even me to say. I have no idea how American's will say it. She will not take an American name, and I don't think I could call her it, if she did. her name is her name. In China, everyone wanted me to take a Chinese name. I never did. It's not my name. I don't know what we will end up doing. I will leave it up to her.

[IluvmyLi]

My SO name is Li. Sounds good in China and America.

[Joanne]

Our country president's name is Hu (Pronounced "Who"). Have you heard the the classic joke of Who is Hu?

 

I have friends named He (Pronounciation close to British "her").

Edited October 27, 2005 by Joanne (see edit history)

[Dan R]

I like her Chinese name and she prefers to use her Chinese nick name which is easy to pronounce (thankfully). People with non English names from all over Europe use their given names. Many have been given anglicized prounciations and others (usually first generation) insist on correcting the pronounciation. Why should our Chinese SOs do any different.

 

Vietnamese names can pose a bigger issue such as woman called Bich or Phuc. If the name is a bad word in the resident country it is understandable why someone would want to change. With all the misspellings of names used by Americans today and the Nordic, Greek and Swahili names in use, I think people just need to be familiarized with Chinese names rather than avoiding them

[skibum]

Yirong is hard for most Americans but once they hear it there is no problem. She was excited when a neighbor's boy came over and pronounced it right.

If she is writing someone, she sometimes puts (e-ron) after her name.

I would not want to call her something else as it is a part of her and our relationship.

I was asked by a girl to give her a name the first time I went to China. I suggested "Courtney" as that was the name of a girl renting a room from me. She did not like as she thought it was a mans name. I wonder if this is a fad or part of westernization. Maybe they all hope to go to the USA.

[jim_julian]

Her name is Yuqin. She wants to retain her name and I strongly support her in this. She knows that most Americans will mispronounce it the first time and she says, "I will teach them."

 

They'll never get it quite right but the close approximation, "wee-chin", is acceptable to her and I think easy for most Americans to say.

[Carl]

I know some chinese men and women who have adopted an English names. When asked what I thought I told them that I prefered their Chinese name over an English one.

 

I refuse to call the ones who's Chinese names I know by their chosen English names.

 

At least my Ying has no desire to adopt an English name and I couldn't be happier.

[david_dawei]

At first, we both wanted to her to keep her name, but as you said, most 'massacre Chinese names', particularly hers.. and she sees that people struggle with it and feeling awkard to be corrected five times and get no better at it... One person calls her by her first letter "Z"

 

Now that she is in ESL, she decided she should have an english name for others, although I use her chinese name.

 

We decided upon Lily for two reasons:

1) This is her favorite flower

2) When she was young, her 'young name' was Lili..

 

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Polls on English Names

Edited October 27, 2005 by DavidZixuan (see edit history)

[Yuanyang]

I love my wife's name and the sound of it beats in my heart. Having said that this subject will not be presented by me to her. If she has a Western name that she wants to take up then that's fine with me. (but I'll continue to call her by her Chinese name.)

[Yuanyang]

We talked and talked about it, I even gave her a bunch of options but she never liked any. It was always, we'll decide later. When it came time to fill out the marriage cert, I put my last name and she seemed surprised? Go figure. Her family name is now her middle name. I call her by her given name because that's her name. I can almost prounounce it - at least she quit correcting me. To other people, I sometimes introduce her by her Chinese family name which is much easier to pronounce.

 

She will always be Xiahong - can't figure out how to spell it phonetically.

 

So she goes by Xiahong Z H(multiple syllable German) and it does raise eyebrows.

163909[/snapback]

I talked to her about keeping her family name as the middle name, and she won't go for it. I think she doesn't realize that we all have middle names here.

 

BUT on this I will prevail.

[hakkamike]

We talked and talked about it, I even gave her a bunch of options but she never liked any. It was always, we'll decide later. When it came time to fill out the marriage cert, I put my last name and she seemed surprised? Go figure. Her family name is now her middle name. I call her by her given name because that's her name. I can almost prounounce it - at least she quit correcting me. To other people, I sometimes introduce her by her Chinese family name which is much easier to pronounce.

 

She will always be Xiahong - can't figure out how to spell it phonetically.

 

So she goes by Xiahong Z H(multiple syllable German) and it does raise eyebrows.

163909[/snapback]

I talked to her about keeping her family name as the middle name, and she won't go for it. I think she doesn't realize that we all have middle names here.

 

BUT on this I will prevail.

163913[/snapback]

Mine kept her Chinese name and the girls too, Lusheng, Mansi and Luoman

[shutterme2]

After a few months of being married, my wife asked me to choose a English name for for..... So after careful consideration I gave her an English name, and she was very happy for a couple of reasons. I put a lot of thought into choosing her name and for the meaning. We even shortened it to make it a daily life name, that didn't sound so formal.

 

Several months later, she told me that she didn't like to have an English name and wanted me to call her by her given name. She only wants to be herself, and by being herself she has told me that she doesn't want to be somthing that is not!

 

So we have nick names for each other and that has worked out wonderful!!!!

 

The only time she calls me by my real name is when she is being serious and wants to talk to me about an important matter. so when she does that,,, I know something serious is about to be discussed!

[Tom]

My wife uses different names depending on who she's talking to.

 

For the Westerners in the US, she goes by Jinny (the name given to her in her English class by a Western teacher in China). For the Chinese people in the US, she goes by her Chinese 'Gao Jing Li'.

In China, she goes by her Chinese name.

 

Our daughter has somewhat of the same scenario. For the Westerners in the US, she is called Lily. For the Chines People in the US, she is called her Chinese name 'Gao Li Li'. In China, she is called her Chinese name.

 

In China I'm called Tomu, or Gao Mung Li, or sometimes Da Pi Gu.