American Name

[rlheim]

My fiancee asked me something the other day about an American Name. She asked me, will I get an American Name. I have not heard of this before, so I told to wait, I will ask someone. So Here I am asking ........

What does she mean?

How is it done.

thanks

Rick

[Carl]

As far as I know, the closest she will come to an American name is if she decides to take your family name as her last. Usually a married woman in China will keep her family name after marriage. I gave Ying the option as to what she wanted to do. She decided to take my family name as her last, but kept her family name as her middle name.

 

Some Chinese will adopt an English name as a nickname and may make that their name after they emmigrate to the US, but I think it needs to be her decision, but personally I think her Chinese name is much better.

Edited February 10, 2006 by Carl (see edit history)

[IluvmyLi]

My fiancee asked me something the other day about an American Name. She asked me, will I get an American Name. I have not heard of this before, so I told to wait, I will ask someone. So Here I am asking ........

What does she mean?

How is it done.

thanks

Rick

189876[/snapback]

Is she talking about given name or family name?

 

My SO has a simple given name and that won't be changed. She's chinese and I love everything that is chinese about her. Including her name.

[Guest pushbrk]

My fiancee asked me something the other day about an American Name. She asked me, will I get an American Name. I have not heard of this before, so I told to wait, I will ask someone. So Here I am asking ........

What does she mean?

How is it done.

thanks

Rick

189876[/snapback]

Often foreigners with names that are difficult for Americans to pronounce, will choose for themselves an "American name." She may be confused about "given" in this context. It is her choice. My wife chose to be called "Sherry" on the singles website. I've discussed her feelings on this and she would just a soon, be called by her real name.

 

If she chooses to use and American name it is not different than you choosing to go by Rick instead of Richard or Wendy instead of Gwendolyn, etc.

 

If she arrives as a K1, she can choose to take your family name at the time of the marriage, just like a USC wife can do.

Edited February 10, 2006 by pushbrk (see edit history)

[Guest ShaQuaNew]

Interesting question. Many Chinese adopt a western first name while they are in grade school to help us westerners pronounce their name if and when we interract.

 

On the other hand, your partner has the option, during marriage as always of:

 

1. tossing her surname and adopting yours

2. taking a hyphenated name; e.g., Xiu-Jones

3. keeping her last name without change

Edited February 10, 2006 by ShaQuaNew (see edit history)

[jemmyell]

Hi,

 

My SO has asked about this also. I do not have trouble with her name, but she says that maybe her daughter should have an American Name since I can't get the tones right....

 

Still, I would like both my new Wife and Daughter to retain their names, they are Chinese, and should be proud and assertive about this.

 

-James

[frank1538]

Some Chinese people adopt a western name on the assumption that it's easier for us "stupids" to pronounce. Personally, I am not a big fan of name changing, but have no issue with others who feel more comfortable with using a western sounding name. When Jingwen and I first started dating, she wanted to go by "Mary". It didn't last, in part because her name is fairly phonetic. A good friend's wife changed her name form Yixuan to Grace (the rough English translation) because her Chinese name was so difficult for westerners to pronounce.

 

It's probably a matter of personal preference. While I guess one could legally change a name, my sense is that most people just use a western name and leave the legal name alone.

[C4Racer]

Interesting question. Many Chinese adopt a western first name while they are in grade school to help us westerners pronounce their name if and when we interract.

 

On the other hand, your partner has the option, as always of:

 

1. tossing her surname and adopting yours

2. taking a hyphenated name; e.g., Xiu-Jones

3. keeping her last name without change

189881[/snapback]

My wife received an English name from her English teacher. It has more meaning if someone else, especially if they are close give it to you.

She also elected to change her family name and adopted my last name.

Legally she uses her Chinese given name and my family name.

She is thought many westerners would have trouble with Pingxiu, so she likes to be known as "Lisa." We found once she came here, many have trouble pronouncing or remembering her Chinese name.

My sister likes to call her Pingxiu though as she thinks it is a prettier sounding name.

 

Still as many point out, it is a matter of personal preference.

Edited February 10, 2006 by C4Racer (see edit history)

[rlheim]

Thanks everyone. The explainations are what I was kind of thinking about. But you never know. Better to ask. I love her name *Yanlan*. Her daughters name is Lulu. I do not have a problem with these names, I will leave it up to them on what to do.

Rick

[danmuss]

Rick,

I must agree with everyone else...I married a chinese woman like the rest of you and her name is more beautiful than any American name,so I will call her by the chinese name....American women cannot hold a candle to my chinese wife...not in name or brains....

 

thanks

Dan M

[Yuanyang]

For our family, my personal preference had been for them to keep their Chinese names. Wife and daughter will realign their names and tack my family name on the end. Thus the Chinese family name will become their middle name.

 

I did wait for her to ask about this subject first. She likes this solution!

[shutterme2]

If you do decide to give her a English name, you may want to consider....

 

In choosing an English name

1. Find out the meaning of her Chinese name, and look for an English name with that meaning.

 

2. If possible find an English name that starts with the same letters of her Chinese name.

 

That is what I did, and she was grateful for me doing the research. She still wants to use her Chinese name for now.

[shaffja]

Great topic... for a while my family and friends kept asking "what do we call her?"

 

My wife has had a number of English names over the years - Phoenix, Anna, Maggie and most recently Chloe.

 

When we met she was Maggie. But somehow we decided that we were going to choose another one for when she comes to the U.S. - the name we chose was Chloe. But that name never really stuck.

 

I call her by her Chinese name - Li Hua.

 

And now it looks like everyone will probably end up calling her Li.

 

My question now is how do you legally get her family name changed in the U.S.? We were married in China. Eventually we would like to change her name to Gong-Shaffer or perhaps just Shaffer. Can I do this now? If so, where? Should I do it before she gets her social security card?

 

Also will her Chinese name be automatically tranferred to the PinYin spelling? Will they spell Li - Li, Lee, Leigh, or some other variation?

[warpedbored]

Great topic... for a while my family and friends kept asking "what do we call her?"

 

My wife has had a number of English names over the years - Phoenix, Anna, Maggie and most recently Chloe.

 

When we met she was Maggie.  But somehow we decided that we were going to choose another one for when she comes to the U.S. - the name we chose was Chloe.  But that name never really stuck.

 

I call her by her Chinese name - Li Hua.

 

And now it looks like everyone will probably end up calling her Li.

 

My question now is how do you legally get her family name changed in the U.S.?  We were married in China.  Eventually we would like to change her name to Gong-Shaffer or perhaps just Shaffer.  Can I do this now?  If so, where?  Should I do it before she gets her social security card?

 

Also will her Chinese name be automatically tranferred to the PinYin spelling?  Will they spell Li - Li, Lee, Leigh, or some other variation?

189985[/snapback]

Since you married in China and all of her visa papers show her maiden name she will be stuck with that until after she gets her green card. After that she could go to court to legally change her name then go back to the USCIS to have another green card issued in her married name. Another good reason for K-1 instead of K-3.

As for the spelling of her name it will likely be the same as you put on all of her immigration forms. Pin yin so most likely Li.

[ptcrusier333rph]

I been curious about this because my SO son name is Dang and I can see a lot of problems with school children teasing

 

I call him Hai Dang like his mother do, but I been figuring on letting him decide on a american name on his own, I not got around to asking my SO about this considering Dang mean one thing in her language and another in ours and both sound the same when saying it.

 

robert