How do Chinese people get their Western names?

Western names are widely used by Chinese-speaking people, in addition to their Chinese names, even though they are not used for official identification. These names might be chosen by either teachers or parents, and sometimes even by one’s own self.

Do Westerners take Chinese names?

But just as it’s not unusual for Chinese people to take English names when they study English, many foreigners who study Chinese or live in China adopt a Chinese name. Names that don’t start with one of these surnames often won’t be readily recognised as a personal name.

How Chinese choose their names?

The family name (or ‘surname’) is inherited from one’s parents and shared with other members of the individual’s immediate family . It always comes before the given name and is usually a single syllable/Chinese character. The given name (or ‘personal name’) is chosen at birth as the individual’s personal identifier.

Why Chinese change their names?

Especially in China, many want their names to sound more modern and less common so they can stand out in the crowd when they look for jobs”. “Some parents want to change their offspring’s names, so they get to the top in class.

Do Chinese people have English names now?

For now, English names remain limited to those living in urban areas or with access to education—ask a migrant worker for his English name and you’ll get a quizzical look. But as China globalizes, more and more Chinese pass through checkpoints where they’ll acquire English names.

Why do people in China use Western names?

Enormous golden Mao statue built in Chinese village. The use of Western names thus serves as a buffer, to avoid being too formal and too intimate, and to avoid the embarrassing situation of addressing someone mistakenly as in downward communication.

Does China have a rich naming tradition?

However, in my opinion, what both of these interpretations ignore is China’s own rich naming tradition. After all, when Chinese people take English names, they do not give up their birth names; the new name becomes merely an additional moniker. In fact, the adoption of a series of names and nicknames is a long-held custom in the country.

Why do some Chinese women change their last names?

Due to Western influence, some areas of greater China, such as Hong Kong and Macau, have also adopted the tradition of a woman changing her last name, or prepending her husband’s to her own. Chinese given names ( 名字, míngzi) show much greater diversity than the surnames, while still being restricted almost universally to one or two syllables.