# Why do Asian-Americans name their daughters these names? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 9, 2015, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-asian-americans-name-their-daughters-these-names/719643 "2015-05-09T19:35:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2015, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-asian-americans-name-their-daughters-these-names/719643/41 "2015-05-12T13:59:11Z")
What’s funny is that yes, names do bob back up like corks, but some get left behind. And you wonder why? Bertha, for example, used to be a very popular name. A beautiful young woman’s name. That’s one that ain’t never coming back. See also: Beulah, Eunice, Irma. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2015, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-asian-americans-name-their-daughters-these-names/719643/42 "2015-05-12T14:07:47Z")
The sushi restaurant we frequent is staffed by people from China who typically work a year or two, then are gone. The names they print on checks is their “American” name, assigned by the restaurant, like “Pete”, “Mike”, “Linda”. I told one of the waiters that using their real names would be kinda cool. He told me his name. I tried to say it. He corrected me. I tried again, he winced again. OK then, Mike it is! ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2015, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-asian-americans-name-their-daughters-these-names/719643/43 "2015-05-12T14:09:10Z")
> [@sonder999](#): > > Simply put, they are different culture, and just plain stupid probably. And you, a beacon shining brightly, represent western culture, huh? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2015, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-asian-americans-name-their-daughters-these-names/719643/44 "2015-05-12T15:45:37Z")
> [@sonder999](#): > > Damn OP you think these are bad? Have you heard about Mary, Linda? These are the real cringe-worthy ones. > > The reason is most newly-immigrated Asian Americans, especially the Chinese, don’t know shit about western culture. > > When I had English in elementary school back in Asia, we had these western females named as Linda and Mary and obviously those who had been taught these lessons when they were young students, grown up thinking these old-fashioned, horrible names are the “norms”. > > Simply put, they are different culture, and just plain stupid probably. **Moderator Note** **sonder999** , I don’t know whether this is serious or intended to be sarcastic. Either way, it’s inappropriate for General Questions. Neither bigoted statements about ethnic groups, nor pokes at other posters, are permitted here. No warning issued, but don’t do this again. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2015, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-asian-americans-name-their-daughters-these-names/719643/45 "2015-05-12T20:15:39Z")
I grew up in a place that was 60+ percent Asian-American. Maybe some daughters get their names by whatever’s easy for their immigrant parents to pronounce, but regional trends are just as likely. From my parents’ generation (baby boomers), Cheryl and Sharon and Donna were popular. So was Lei. We didn’t have a lot of Wendys, Kimberlys, and Tammys. Biblical names were common among Christians, so mostly Koreans and some Chinese. I had friends named Timothy, Eunice, and Sara(h). ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2015, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-asian-americans-name-their-daughters-these-names/719643/46 "2015-05-12T20:23:58Z")
As an Asian-American myself, I think it’s because first-generation immigrants do not have the familiarity with American society to know what names are really modern and which are not. Imagine being an American, immigrating to Japan and trying to pick a Japanese name for your child. You might just go by a name dictionary and pick Ayako, Haranu or Souta, which are perfectly fine names, but would they be names that seem outdated? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-asian-americans-name-their-daughters-these-names/719643/47 "2015-05-13T00:19:56Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > Spanish-language, not Spanish-from-Spain. “Vallez” with that spelling is very, very common in the Americas. > > An example “Spanish-sounding” name might be “Arnulfo.” Hypercorrection still, and Arnulfo sounds like a Goth king (it’s not, just German in origin). Apparently St Arnulf of Metz is the patron saint of [beer](http://lossaboresdemexico.com/san-arnulfo-santo-patrono-de-la-cerveza/) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-asian-americans-name-their-daughters-these-names/719643/48 "2015-05-17T09:25:14Z")
> [@Terminus\_Est](#): > > One other thing Filipinos love is nicknames. Witness these names of the current and past few presidents: > > Corazon “Cory” Aquino > Fidel Ramos > Joseph “Erap” Estrada > Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo > Benigno “Noy-noy” Aquino III [the incumbent] > > Three out of five have a nickname by which they are commonly known. Some of these are obviously derived from the given legal name. Others are a whole other unofficial monniker. One recent senator was named “Joker” Arroyo (no relation to Gloria); I can’t even tell you what his legal name is. Fidel is Eddie, Gloria is Ate (sister) Glo, Benigno jr is noy-noy but should be nonoy which means sonny or junior. Joker is really Joker. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2015, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-asian-americans-name-their-daughters-these-names/719643/49 "2015-05-18T02:18:17Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Hypercorrection still, and Arnulfo sounds like a Goth king (it’s not, just German in origin). Apparently St Arnulf of Metz is the patron saint of [beer](http://lossaboresdemexico.com/san-arnulfo-santo-patrono-de-la-cerveza/) 🙂 Next time I see Arnulfo, I’ll have to invite him to have a Singha (not a lot of choices there, and it’s better than Chang)! ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2015, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-asian-americans-name-their-daughters-these-names/719643/50 "2015-05-18T05:03:35Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > Any bets on a big crop of little Charlotte Elizabeths starting school in five years time? Some sources are predicting it will decline in popularity. It was already at 17th place, and now some new parents will shy away from it because of the royal association. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2015, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-asian-americans-name-their-daughters-these-names/719643/51 "2015-05-27T19:56:48Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > What’s funny is that yes, names do bob back up like corks, but some get left behind. And you wonder why? Bertha, for example, used to be a very popular name. A beautiful young woman’s name. That’s one that ain’t never coming back. See also: Beulah, Eunice, Irma. It’s kinda fascinating to me, because when I was a kid I thought almost all of my grandmothers and aunts had old-fashioned names that would go extinct. But surprisingly Selma and Amelia have made significant-seeming comebacks. However Melva and Myrtle do appear to be dieing out as I expected. Meanwhile my father’s name, George, which I thought entirely unremarkable as a kid, also seems to be on the decline ( at least anecdotally ). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-asian-americans-name-their-daughters-these-names/719643.md?page=2)