Weird English Names in China

As someone who has lived in China for a few years, and as someone who has his very own pair of ears, one of the strangest things foreigners notice when visiting China is the blatant silliness of English names that some citizens choose. This is not meant to disrespect the country in any way, but rather a personal observation over why some Chinese pick the names that they do.

Let's start with a little bit of background. In China, many of the names actually have a meaning. This isn't to say Western names do not, but it is definitely more blatant over here. Traditional names are supposed to be strong, usually including the characters of strong animals, or powerful weather phenomena. In the West we say if you want to give your son a strong name...Kings or Presidents has been the motto. Over here, it is not unusual for someone's name to translate to Big Dragon or the like.

Some Chinese pick their name because it is easy for foreigners to pronounce, as Mandarin is an absolutely horrid language to learn. With the variety of tones, as well as many multiples of meanings just for a single character, it can take years of study to become proficient. In this regard, someone picking the name Apple (either the fruit or the company) is just easier for non-natives.

A short list of some of the more humorous names I have come across:

1. Rainy (usually taken because of a certain K-Pop star)

2. Superman

3. Batman

4. Dog

5. Skillet

6. Book

7. 7

8. Samsung

9. Cinderella

10. Bob (A girl)

At the end of the day, it really is not that big of a deal, I mean, unless you want people to take you seriously professionally. I personally have totally given into it for the reverse. Hence my own "Chinese Name" 椅子, which means chair. Because it was the first thing in my line of sight when someone asked me what my Chinese name is.