Western Names in the East

Ever felt that there is something about the western names adopted by some Chinese people?

Names like Wilson Wong sound western enough, but there’s a ring to it that’s not quite right.

A bit more jarring to the western ear would be names like Clinton Chan, Grant Wong,  Curtis Tan, and I’m sure you can think of a few even as you read this.

Can you put a finger on it? What is it about these names that make them sound a little off to western ears?

I have asked around and some of my friends noticed for the first time that they didn’t sound right. Others said that they always felt it, but could not figure out why it should be.

There are 2 possible reasons.

One, is the confusion between first and last names. The Chinese traditionally put their family or surname first and their given name last, causing no end of confusion to form filling. The family or surname has to go under Last Name although it is written out first and the given name has to go under First Name although it is written last!

My surname is Koh and my given names are Kek Hoe. The name that appears on my credit card reads Koh Kek Hoe, so I get called Mr Hoe by the service staff. Probably for this reason many Chinese have resorted to hyphenation of their given names (Kek-Hoe Koh) or use initials (KH Koh) to allow their surname to appear where it will be understood by all as the surname or last name.

So, when some Chinese adopt western names, do they adopt the last name thinking it is the given name? Maybe…

The second possibility is that the western name is selected just because it sounds good, has a ring to it or because it is glamourous.

If you were to choose between Bill and Clinton, wouldn’t you go for Clinton? It’s the name of a famous US president and there are a million anonymous Bills out there.

Of course you would choose Reagan Wong over Ronald Wong if you looked at which name had more power to it.

Hence, all the Hollywood last names get adopted – Grant as in Cary, Curtis as in Tony, Redford as in Robert, Eastwood as in Clint – you get the idea!

So, the next time a western sounding name of a Chinese bloke stops you in your tracks, you know why!

What about the women?

I have no idea how they come up with some of their names!

KH

Advertisement