Assigned or chosen, some international students, especially those from Asian countries, acquire an English name in various ways and for various reasons.
Jessica Lin, a freshman from China majoring in graphic design, said, “My Chinese name is Chun Qin Lin. Usually when people pronounce it, they pronounce it wrong. Chinese names are typically hard for Americans to pronounce. That’s why some Chinese people choose an English name because it’s easier for Americans to pronounce and to remember.”
Though many have an English name, it is by no means a requirement when coming to the United States. Lin continued, “Most Chinese students have an English name, but some will choose to keep [their Chinese name].”
According to Byungkwon Kim, a junior from South Korea studying exercise sports science, the majority of Korean students will either shorten their name, choose an English name that begins with the same letter as their last name, or choose a new name altogether.
Kim said, “They just choose any English name that they like. There isn’t any specific rule to choosing a name.” Lin shared her story of choosing a name.
“I researched a lot of names online,” said Lin, “because I wanted to know the meanings of the names. I wanted to choose a meaningful name for myself.” Lin sifted through lists and lists of hundreds of English names and meanings. “I became too tired to pick one,” Lin said, “so I was listening to a song, and the song’s name was called Jessica, so I just picked that name randomly.”
Jessica said that the name has functional use due to how common it is in America. “For me, a name is just a name. It doesn’t really have that deep of a meaning to me. As long as it is easy for people to remember and pronounce, it works for me,” she said.
Echo Wu, a freshman from China majoring in communication and peace building, had a very different experience. Echo was given her name by her first English teacher when she was 5 years old. “My teacher said, ‘Here are a few names. Which one do you like?’ I asked her what the name Echo meant and was told that it meant repeating sounds, and I was learning to sing at the time, so I chose Echo.”
Others like Tiffany Au, an undecided freshman from Hong Kong, have English names given to them by their parents at birth. Au related her mother had always loved the name Tiffany, which is why she gave it to her.
For some, one pro of an English name is that it can be changed easily if it doesn’t fit the person. Yi-Ting Chu, a freshman from Taiwan studying business management, said, “My English name is Aubree.”
She is a returned missionary who served in Taiwan. “Aubree is a name given to me by my zone leader. He always said, ‘You look like an Aubree.’”
She chose to go by Aubree instead of her elementary school-given name, Lisa, because it never quite connected with her, she said.