The Name Game

[Guest]

 

[Guest]

I had a student assistant once from Japan; she was in the school of nursing. Her legal first name was Twinkie, after the American junk snack. The Japanese are really into cute.

Perdita

 

[MathGirl]

I

Dear Rumple,
Let us not forget "Max Headroom."
MG
Ps. I feel sorry for the people whose mothers were illiterate and didn't know how to spell the name they wanted for the child. E.g. the baseball player Andreuw Jones.
Pps. People named Hubert and Adalai were known to be fairly successful over here. Lost the main event, but VP and Ambassador to the UN ain't bad.

 

[Guest]

I have empathy for illiterate parents (mine were, both in Spanish and English), but what really irks me is finding out all my immigrant friends' names were deliberately changed by the federal clerks who thought it necessary to Americanize them.

In Russian Yevgeniya is a beautiful name (get a Russian to pronounce it correctly). My friend had it officially recorded as Jane (which is a good name but NOT Russian and not mellifluous).

And there are hundreds of Chinese in the states given names like Robert or Betty that sound nothing like their real names, nor mean anything (Chinese are given names with special meanings).

If my real name were Perdita I'd probably be given Pat by the INS.

Perdita!

 

[Guest]

I love my given names: Katie Louise, everyone's always called me Katie or Tatelou (easy to see where the Tatelou comes from.) I suppose I am overly precious about my names. If I ever get called 'Kate,' I'm quick to correct. Tatelou is particularly precious to me, as my family has always called me that, from almost the minute I was born. My Dad is the only person to call me 'Tate,' he still does it now, and it gives me the warm tinglies when he does. Hence my slight annoyance when fun is made of my name. It is extremely special to me.

When our daughters were born we thought long and hard about their names. We chose to give them 'nice' English/European first names and Japanese middle names. Thus reflecting my husband's dual heritage. The Japanese also take into consideration the meaning of names when choosing them for thier children. Our eldest daughter is called Chloe Mikiko. 'Mikiko' means 'butterfly' in Japanese, we thought this was very apt as she was a summer baby, and very pretty. Our youngest daughter is called Georgina Kirei. 'Kirei' means 'beautiful' in Japanese, and she is.

Lou

 

[Icingsugar]

I have empathy for illiterate parents (mine were, both in Spanish and English), but what really irks me is finding out all my immigrant friends' names were deliberately changed by the federal clerks who thought it necessary to Americanize them.

In Russian Yevgeniya is a beautiful name (get a Russian to pronounce it correctly). My friend had it officially recorded as Jane (which is a good name but NOT Russian and not mellifluous).

They do that? Had no idea. 'Jane' should really change back. Yevgeniya IS a beautiful name. 's elegant.

 

[Guest]

They do that? Had no idea. 'Jane' should really change back. Yevgeniya IS a beautiful name. 's elegant.

Yes, it's easily done if the immigrant speaks no English when arriving. Remember in Godfather II when the young Vito arrives on Ellis Island and he's given the last name of his town, Corleone, instead of his real family name? Same thing, only that clerk was just stupid.

Unfortunately, Jane wants to be assimilated quickly so she works on not speaking English with an accent and would be embarrassed having to always pronounce her real name. A very great shame. Russians also shorten their names on purpose, Greeks too.

 

[oggbashan]

On of my friends at school had the surname Voychohovski.

That was the anglicised version of his name.

Ivan he hadn't had changed.

Og

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

Perdita,

Most immigrant groups seem to have undergone some sort of name change. Back when Fredrick the Great was calling the shots, he decided Jewish names were too damn confusing for accurate census records and required all Jews to take "normal" Germanic names. Most went along with the program which is why there are a lot of "Rosenthals" (bed of roses) etc. Those who didn't pick a name were given one, usually something with an obscene connotation, such as "Schmucker" (prick).

Of course, when they hit Ellis Island, many of the Germanic names were Anglicized.

Rumple Foreskin

ps: All of that is subject to immediate revision by someone who actually knows what they're talking about. RF

 

[Guest]

Given what Rumple said, I wonder if there are other countries who do this still.

Perdita, curious

 

[MathGirl]

All of that is subject to immediate revision by someone who actually knows what they're talking about. RF

Dear Rumple,
And I'm sure someone who thinks he does will rise to the occasion.
MG

 

[Just-Legal]

I'm unsure on my first name - Helen

When I was younger I wanted to be called Alana or Anaya... One of my favourite characters is called Anaya *grins*

I don't think I have a character that is given a name to hate... Jenni is annoyed by hers because her mother *had* to give her an original spelling that everyone messes up, but I don't think she *hates* it...

 

[SlickTony]

what really irks me is finding out all my immigrant friends' names were deliberately changed by the federal clerks who thought it necessary to Americanize them.

Judging from some of the names I've come across in the various jobs I've had, I would venture to say that your friends must have run into a few attitudinous officials, because otherwise, I don't think this is done anymore.

I am especially bemused by the Balkan folks who seem to have not a single vowel in their names. And I don't think the INS hands them out anymore.

Of course it's possible that like Hebrew and Farsi, the vowels are there--it's just standard practice not to write them down. I remember taking a course in Farsi that came with a first-grade reading manual, and certain vowels were there in the words with the understanding that once you were had progressed to a higher grade you knew what they were supposed to be and nobody had to put them in anymore.

If there is anybody out there named Grbch or Strvrtlyk or something like that I wish they'd weigh in and tell me whether I'm right or not.

The character who turns up most often in my stories was christened Sidonie Antonia, with the accent on the penultimate sylllable, like the Cather character. Naturally, when she was coming up she mostly heard her first and middle names together when she was in the soup.

I'm named after my mother. It caused endless confusion, although it can't be as much as the confusion a Jesse/Jessie couple I've encountered in some legal documents have to go through. I don't suppose Jess and Jessie could have been expected to help falling in love and getting married--but my mother could very well have named me something else. I've always admired the Jewish custom of not naming kids after relatives unless said relatives were safely dead.

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

Dear Rumple,
And I'm sure someone who thinks he does will rise to the occasion.
MG

They always have in the past, MG.

Be sure to tell your aunt, the one you say is in the AV photo with you, that she has great, well, taste in animals.

Just-Legal, maybe you could be "Helen of Hogwarts"

Rumple Foreskin.

 

[destinie21]

My mother wanted my name to be Nicola my father wanted Rosanna as a result I became Nicola-Rosana one name not two

the latter pronounced
Rose-an-a
not Rose-anna

as a kid I hated it now I enjoy it
as a kid everyone called me Oscar. That's what I told them my name was and wouldn't answer to anything else.

I was a strange kid