I’m puzzled by the fact that Albert is a Western name, yet I’ve met barely any Caucasians named Albert, but a lot of Asians. A while ago, I decided to test my theory by searching my school’s website for students named Albert. Sure enough, they all had Asian last names! Anyone have any idea as to the origin of the name’s popularity among Asian-Americans?
It’s not only that name. “Old-fashioned” (read= non-trendy) names are common among Asian Americans.
Also, just because there are a lot of Asian Alberts in your school, that doesn’t mean that the name is popular among all Asians. My schools were 90% Asian, and I only knew one Albert.
It’s not just around here that I’ve noticed it; it was just that my college’s website was the first place I could think of to do a search for names and only get people. I’ve definitely been noticing it for years.
But come to think of it, you are on to something: there is an age factor involved. With older guys, the name Albert seems to be evenly distributed among various ethnic groups. With people around my age, the Alberts are disproportionately Asian, at least in my experience.
Was there a famous Asian named or nicknamed Albert?
There are probably more Western Alberts than you think; Albert can be shortened to Al or Bert, and there are plenty of those. Most Westerners go with a variation of their birthname in everyday life, anyway.
What Audrey said. In fact, it’ll be less of a general Asian thing than a specifically Chinese thing.
Chinese-Australians love classic, old fashioned, Victorian names. The guys like to use Albert, John, William, James, Robert, and the like. You won’t see much in the way of Justin, Brett, Jason, etc. Similarly the girls will be called Emily, Victoria, Lily, Eleanor, Jane, you’ll have more trouble finding a Chinese Kylie, Sandra, Tamara…
Fom my Singapore days: I have worked with Chinese who called themselves:
M: Henry, Ian, John, Jonathan, Wilkin, Alan, Allan, Albert, Peter, Gavin, Nixon (:))
F: Serene, Wendy, Carol, Eilene, Audrey, Kelly, Maggie, Jaslyn, Evonne, Linda, Irene
All in all, indeed fairly traditional I would say.
WAG - Chinese may put more emphasis on the meaning of names (Albert means bright nobility). So, along with choosing traditional names, the more common selections may be keyed to the meaning of the name.
Could it be also influenced by the traditional Chinese reverence for one’s elders, which would make them more predisposed to choose “older” names than people raised in cultures where youth is seen as a virtue?
What everyone said.
The Chinese prefer traditional Western names. I’ve met a Eugene, a Gabriel, a couple Alexanders, and yes, an Albert.
As to the OP’s question about the origin of such names’ popularity among this ethnic class, I can but theorise. The conversion to Christianity and the adoption of the West has been a fairly recent phenomenon among the Chinese. I suppose taking traditional names compensates in some way for their comparative lack of Western cultural history. It might even be related to the fact that Asians are a fairly conservative bunch of people, generally speaking. Consequently, they might naturally be attracted to more staid names. Just guessing.
Honk Kong was a British Colony of sorts. Maybe it’s because it was the name of a revered British royal (con)sort.
Sometimes, an Asian with a Western name can produce some amusing results. Mostly, I think it’s because the person’s parents just didn’t know any better.
When I was in junior high school, I had a Chinese classmate named “Charlie”. This was funny because of “Charlie” being the US military slang term for “Chinese” during the Vietnam War. Charlie spoke with a bit of an accent, so I kind of suspect he may have been born in China. I know that the immigration people will often assign a Western name to non-English-speaking immigrants, so the name “Charlie” may have been some immigration official’s idea of a joke.
The former president of the local community college was an Asian named Woody Ahn (last named pronounced like “on”). Think about it, and you’ll see the humor there.
Could it be for Albert Einstein?
I’ve known many Asian kids (first or second generation) who were named after people their parents hoped they would be like. So, my friend Karl has some pretty weird Marxist parents, and all the Asian Alberts I know are pushed to excell in school somethin’ fierce.
Hong Kong parents often give their kids Westernized names that somewhat resemble their original given names, presumably to allow them to fit in better overseas. (Prior to the handover, the British government paid for Hong Kong students to attend private schools in England since Hong Kong schools were so crowded and it was cheaper than buying up land to build more, given HK land values.)
So, while I was a student in England, I was friends with a Wilson Chu (captain of my fencing team, amusingly enough), an Ernest Wong, an Aaron Chu, a David Ying… and a Sean Gnagnalingam, which is clearly the coolest surname ever.