[Opinions] name for adopted Chinese baby
We are adopting a baby from China. Her orphanage name is Fu Jing. This will become her middle name. We need a name that is not too ethnic (including white middle American), and fits with her siblings Malachi and Elias. Their names are what I call "exotic traditional". We don't necessarily need a Biblical name - in fact most are too common. I would like a name that sounds good with Fujing, and with our last name Dube (pronounced Du-bay).
Our choices so far :
Josephine Fujing
Sonia Fujing
Naomi Fujing (but Naomi is also Japanese, and giving a Chinese born baby a Japanese name seems improper to me)
Thalia Fujing
Zora Fujing
My questions :
1. Which names would least suprise you when a Chinese face went with the name?
2. Which names fit the sibs names the best?
Our choices so far :
Josephine Fujing
Sonia Fujing
Naomi Fujing (but Naomi is also Japanese, and giving a Chinese born baby a Japanese name seems improper to me)
Thalia Fujing
Zora Fujing
My questions :
1. Which names would least suprise you when a Chinese face went with the name?
2. Which names fit the sibs names the best?
Replies
My questions :
1. Which names would least suprise you when a Chinese face went with the name?
- Josephine
2. Which names fit the sibs names the best?
- Thalia
What about Keziah, Ariel, Bethany, Chloe, Esther, Eve (since she's the first girl), Jemima, Joanna, Leah, Lydia, Martha, Mary, Miriam, Phoebe, Rachel, Rebecca, Ruth, Selah, Tabitha, Talitha or Zoe? I think it would be nice to have a biblical name for this child too.
1. Which names would least suprise you when a Chinese face went with the name?
- Josephine
2. Which names fit the sibs names the best?
- Thalia
What about Keziah, Ariel, Bethany, Chloe, Esther, Eve (since she's the first girl), Jemima, Joanna, Leah, Lydia, Martha, Mary, Miriam, Phoebe, Rachel, Rebecca, Ruth, Selah, Tabitha, Talitha or Zoe? I think it would be nice to have a biblical name for this child too.
This message was edited 2/20/2007, 3:42 AM
As an Asian-American, I say kudos to you.
I think what you're doing is great. Not only adopting but trying to be respectful of where she's from and not ignoring or hiding it. I ended up with a full name that completely omits that side of my ethnicity (I'm not adopted but my father is white so I had a white last name). I don't mind my first name (Leigh, which is usually mistaken for Li anyway) but I wish I had a middle name that tied me to that side, rather than my middle name, which had no thought put into it other than it was trendy at the time.
Just by having her middle name reflect her culture will likely be enough. It gives her choice and for that, thank you.
I like Sonia the best (my first association is actually with Korean-born Sonya Thomas, even though I speak Russian) but Thalia might fit the sib-names better.
I think what you're doing is great. Not only adopting but trying to be respectful of where she's from and not ignoring or hiding it. I ended up with a full name that completely omits that side of my ethnicity (I'm not adopted but my father is white so I had a white last name). I don't mind my first name (Leigh, which is usually mistaken for Li anyway) but I wish I had a middle name that tied me to that side, rather than my middle name, which had no thought put into it other than it was trendy at the time.
Just by having her middle name reflect her culture will likely be enough. It gives her choice and for that, thank you.
I like Sonia the best (my first association is actually with Korean-born Sonya Thomas, even though I speak Russian) but Thalia might fit the sib-names better.
This message was edited 2/20/2007, 2:35 AM
Sonia
sdsd
sdsd
LOVE Thalia
I vote for Thalia
Sonia sounds nice, but English-speakers took up the name from the Russians, where... it's a nickname only (for Sofiya). I just can't get the nicknamey-ness of Sonia / Sonya out of my head, sorry.
Thalia Fujing Dube sounds absolutely gorgeous to me, at least in the pr. THAL-ee-a. But, come to think about it, TAL-ee-a and THAY-lee-a also sounds really nice in the combo.
Sonia sounds nice, but English-speakers took up the name from the Russians, where... it's a nickname only (for Sofiya). I just can't get the nicknamey-ness of Sonia / Sonya out of my head, sorry.
Thalia Fujing Dube sounds absolutely gorgeous to me, at least in the pr. THAL-ee-a. But, come to think about it, TAL-ee-a and THAY-lee-a also sounds really nice in the combo.
HOW ABOUT:
--------------
Esther
Hannah
Grace
Joy
Hope
Faith
Charity
Judith
Elizabeth
Zion
Abigail
Shiloh
Ruth
All beautiful biblical girl names
--------------
Esther
Hannah
Grace
Joy
Hope
Faith
Charity
Judith
Elizabeth
Zion
Abigail
Shiloh
Ruth
All beautiful biblical girl names
Josephine is my favorite, but I also love Naomi. Although it is a Japanese name, I think if you are using it in the Biblical sense then it would be okay. And about this whole debate of ethnicity being assigned to names, I feel that sometimes certain ethnicities are deeply associated with names. And whether that be right or wrong, you are looking out for your child when asking that question. You realize that there are insensitive people out there who hear the name Emma or Emily or Ashley and will say something ridiculous like "I didn''t know you were Asian" when your daughter walks into the room. Every name came from somewhere and when any name was starting to spread it probably got strange reactions from people. Trust me, I just sat with my mother and read her my favorite names the other night and every one was met with "Too Italian" "Too Irish" "Too African-American" "Too something" and yes it was very frustrating. So, I do not think you are closed minded at all, just wanting to protect your daughter from the closed mindedness that still exists in the world. And the main people who matter in the decision are your family and community. But thank you for sharing it here with us. I hope our opinions help you out!:)
I quite like all of the names. I think I like Sonia or Josephine best, but any would be fantastic. If you don't feel sure about Naomi, I'd strike it of the list, you have other options.
I don't mean to labour the point, but I agree with Array, Adelle and others that it is completely unnecessary to map names onto ethnicity. I actually found your question a little offensive. My ex was Chinese and called Vincent, he never had any problem with that or wanted to go by his Chinese name (his mn). I never noticed a reaction of surprise when he told people his name. I have Asian friends who have adopted a Western name, for example Mike rather than Myung. I have another friend who never uses his western name (his fn on birth certificate). This is a rather long way of saying I don't think she will have too much of a problem having a western fn and I don't think anyone is going to be surprised.
I don't mean to labour the point, but I agree with Array, Adelle and others that it is completely unnecessary to map names onto ethnicity. I actually found your question a little offensive. My ex was Chinese and called Vincent, he never had any problem with that or wanted to go by his Chinese name (his mn). I never noticed a reaction of surprise when he told people his name. I have Asian friends who have adopted a Western name, for example Mike rather than Myung. I have another friend who never uses his western name (his fn on birth certificate). This is a rather long way of saying I don't think she will have too much of a problem having a western fn and I don't think anyone is going to be surprised.
Sorry, I didn't want to offend anyone. I know that most Chinese-Americans have western first names - but, they usually have Chinese last names too. Personally, I never make any assumptions these days about who is behind a particular name, but many people do. And like it or not, studies have found that names are a particular issue for adult transracial adoptees. Quite a large percentage of the adult Korean adoptees have gone back to their original Korean names, either legally, or just for use among other Koreans.
Take a look at this blog entry...
http://twicetherice.wordpress.com/2007/01/23/finding-our-own-names/
Take a look at this blog entry...
http://twicetherice.wordpress.com/2007/01/23/finding-our-own-names/
My ex wasn't Chinese-American. He was an ethnically Chinese Malaysian citizen. The link you provided was interesting. I can't comment on what it feels like to be an adoptee. However I think if you retain your daughter's Chinese name as a middle name and give her a western name too, she can choose which name she would like to use.
I would say either Sonia or Josephine, but I don't like any of your choices. I would say Rachel, or Rebecka would be nice.
Thalia Fujing is my favourite out of these combos. It has an exotic feel to it, yet I don't associate it with any particular ethnicity or nationality.
I think the name Thalia fits the sibs names best. You are right about Naomi being improper for a chinese baby.
Having read Array's comment further down and your reply to that, I can only say that I appreciate what you're trying to do, that you want it to be right and respectful and appropriate. However, the adopted people I know in Sweden have the same types of names as everybody else, and I've never heard of them disliking it.
To name a few, I know a:
Kristin ( Korea)
Josefina ( Korea)
Agnes ( Korea)
Lina ( I think short for Karolina) ( Asian, not sure of country)
Autumn ( American-Asian, not adopted as far as I know)
A Korean ( not adopted) girl named Jun-Hi Swedefied her name to Junni.
You could find names that mean something similair as one of her Chinese names, like:
Amala
Glenda
Phoebe
Reina
I like Sonia a lot, but it's very Russian to me, I'm not sure how it fits in with what you said. In spite of how popular Emma is, I think it'd be a nice choice, partly because of its meaning. Irma means the same. Chloe could work, very common though.
I'll think some more about this.
To name a few, I know a:
Kristin ( Korea)
Josefina ( Korea)
Agnes ( Korea)
Lina ( I think short for Karolina) ( Asian, not sure of country)
Autumn ( American-Asian, not adopted as far as I know)
A Korean ( not adopted) girl named Jun-Hi Swedefied her name to Junni.
You could find names that mean something similair as one of her Chinese names, like:
Amala
Glenda
Phoebe
Reina
I like Sonia a lot, but it's very Russian to me, I'm not sure how it fits in with what you said. In spite of how popular Emma is, I think it'd be a nice choice, partly because of its meaning. Irma means the same. Chloe could work, very common though.
I'll think some more about this.
We're in the United States, and to me at least, Sonia doesn't sound too Russian. If anything, it sounds more Indian to me - I've known several Indian Sonia's! That is what I like about the name - it is a kind of international name, used in Russia, Scandinavia, India, Brazil (think of Sonia Braga), and of course the U.S.
Now if we spelled it Sonya, it would seem more Russian, and Sonja screams Scandinavian to my ears.
Now if we spelled it Sonya, it would seem more Russian, and Sonja screams Scandinavian to my ears.
ok...
1. Which names would least suprise you when a Chinese face went with the name?
None, doesn't apply to me.
2. Which names fit the sibs names the best?
Sonia, Thalia and Naomi
Names I think fit with the siblings, her other names etc etc are (just throwing out ideas here, don't take offense please):
Amaya / Amalya
Aretha
Aviva
Bianca
Damaris
Galatea
Imara
( Iris )
Ines / Inez...
Jocasta
Leilani
Marian / Marion
Miriam
Odessa
Patricia
Ramona
Sabrina
Samara
Keziah
Simone / Simona
Tabitha
Veronica
And for the heck of it, other Russian names I like, which might not seem very Russian to all are:
Lara
Katya / Katja / Katia
Vanya / Vanja
Nadya / Nadja / Nadia
Tanya / Tanja / Tania
1. Which names would least suprise you when a Chinese face went with the name?
None, doesn't apply to me.
2. Which names fit the sibs names the best?
Sonia, Thalia and Naomi
Names I think fit with the siblings, her other names etc etc are (just throwing out ideas here, don't take offense please):
Amaya / Amalya
Aretha
Aviva
Bianca
Damaris
Galatea
Imara
( Iris )
Ines / Inez...
Jocasta
Leilani
Marian / Marion
Miriam
Odessa
Patricia
Ramona
Sabrina
Samara
Keziah
Simone / Simona
Tabitha
Veronica
And for the heck of it, other Russian names I like, which might not seem very Russian to all are:
Lara
Katya / Katja / Katia
Vanya / Vanja
Nadya / Nadja / Nadia
Tanya / Tanja / Tania
Thanks! Interestingly, there is a Leilani and a Miriam among the babies in our travel group (being adopted). And Simone was on my list but my husband doesn't like it.
Nadya/Nadia screams Romanian to me.
Vanya is very Russian, and I thought it was a boys name.
Tanya was a popular Southern U.S. name when I was growing up.
Lara and Katia seem like normal American names.
Nadya/Nadia screams Romanian to me.
Vanya is very Russian, and I thought it was a boys name.
Tanya was a popular Southern U.S. name when I was growing up.
Lara and Katia seem like normal American names.
you're right, I tend to forget...
Vanya is male. Somehow Vanja has become a Swedish / Scandinavian female name. It sort of bugs me, I'm not sure I can use it when it should be male.
I was in much confusion the first time I saw the Chekhov play "Uncle Vanya" as a teenager, it took me a while to understand how an uncle could be a Vanya ( spelled Vanja in Swedish translation).
Oh well, the everlasting labyrinth of names...
Good luck with / "congratulations" to the adoption. Just out of curiosity, are your sons adopted too?
Vanya is male. Somehow Vanja has become a Swedish / Scandinavian female name. It sort of bugs me, I'm not sure I can use it when it should be male.
I was in much confusion the first time I saw the Chekhov play "Uncle Vanya" as a teenager, it took me a while to understand how an uncle could be a Vanya ( spelled Vanja in Swedish translation).
Oh well, the everlasting labyrinth of names...
Good luck with / "congratulations" to the adoption. Just out of curiosity, are your sons adopted too?
I like Sonia Fujing best. That sounds the best to my ears. :D
if I ever adopt from China [or jsut an asian girl in general honestly]. I will be naming her London. Her MN will probably be her FN if she was given one, and if not I'd give her one to represent her heritage. I don't think a name *has* to go with a face. After all she'd be a Chinese girl named London! lol.
ETA: I like Thalia Fujing best.
ETA: I like Thalia Fujing best.
This message was edited 2/19/2007, 11:54 AM
Well I admit I got the idea from the Disney show Suite Life of Zack, and Cody. The Asian girl Brenda, her character is named London.
I thought it was very cute on her, and I liked it for an Asian girl ever since. I do like London in general though, I've been there so I really like it.
I thought it was very cute on her, and I liked it for an Asian girl ever since. I do like London in general though, I've been there so I really like it.
This message was edited 2/19/2007, 1:52 PM
Hah, that's what I thought it might be from. It is pretty cute on her, and I must admit I much prefer London on a girl than a boy.
hehe :) I like it for both, I don't know which I prefer
Sonia!
I really like the name Sonia. :)
Sonia Fujing Dube. Sonia Dube. Yes, I like it.
I really like the name Sonia. :)
Sonia Fujing Dube. Sonia Dube. Yes, I like it.
Me, too m +
Agree with Akis; great pick.
That being said, I hate when people assign an ethnicity to the name. Questions like "what name would you least be surprised to see accompanied by an Asian face" or whatever bother me. I wouldn't be surprised by any face, thanks; I don't really pigeonhole names by ethnicity.
+ This is the abbreviated version. Array linked to my full thoughts on it. (That was me when I had a different screen name.)
Agree with Akis; great pick.
That being said, I hate when people assign an ethnicity to the name. Questions like "what name would you least be surprised to see accompanied by an Asian face" or whatever bother me. I wouldn't be surprised by any face, thanks; I don't really pigeonhole names by ethnicity.
+ This is the abbreviated version. Array linked to my full thoughts on it. (That was me when I had a different screen name.)
This message was edited 2/19/2007, 6:08 PM
Zachariah or Zachary!
Naomi Fujing (but Naomi is also Japanese, and giving a Chinese born baby a Japanese name seems improper to me)
But Naomi in Japanese, IIRC, would be pronounced like NOW-mee (NOW with the OW as in cow), not nye-OH-mee or nay-OH-me, so I don't see a problem with it.
Naomi and Thalia (if you're saying THAY-lee-ah, which is apparently the original English prn. and which Cleveland Kent Evans has totally gotten me into, lol) are my two favourites, but any of them would sound fine with Malachi and Elias.
As for fitting best with "a Chinese face," I'll direct you towards a post Adelle made a while ago, which sums up all my frustrations with questions like that: http://www.behindthename.com/bb/arcview.php?id=761048&board=baby
Array
But Naomi in Japanese, IIRC, would be pronounced like NOW-mee (NOW with the OW as in cow), not nye-OH-mee or nay-OH-me, so I don't see a problem with it.
Naomi and Thalia (if you're saying THAY-lee-ah, which is apparently the original English prn. and which Cleveland Kent Evans has totally gotten me into, lol) are my two favourites, but any of them would sound fine with Malachi and Elias.
As for fitting best with "a Chinese face," I'll direct you towards a post Adelle made a while ago, which sums up all my frustrations with questions like that: http://www.behindthename.com/bb/arcview.php?id=761048&board=baby
Array
If you read writings by adults who were adopted from Korea in the 60's and 70's, you will find it is a very big issue for them. Many say they disliked intensely having names that didn't fit their faces (try Eileen, or Francesca, for example). And worse yet, they didn't like being given names that 'seemed' to fit but really didn't. The classic example was the name Kim - often given to girls adopted from Korea because the parents didn't realize that Kim is a Korean last name, not a first name. I have to pay attention to the feelings of those who have walked the same path.
If you read writings by adults who were adopted from Korea in the 60's and 70's, you will find it is a very big issue for them.
Which is interesting, since I know several people who were adopted from Asia and given completely new English names, and none of them have ever expressed frustration at this fact. And when I say I know them, I mean I know them well enough that they've confided in me about other such personal issues, so it's not a question of "Well, maybe they didn't feel comfortable talking about it with you."
I suppose it all depends on the adoptee him- or herself.
Array
Which is interesting, since I know several people who were adopted from Asia and given completely new English names, and none of them have ever expressed frustration at this fact. And when I say I know them, I mean I know them well enough that they've confided in me about other such personal issues, so it's not a question of "Well, maybe they didn't feel comfortable talking about it with you."
I suppose it all depends on the adoptee him- or herself.
Array
Of these, my pick would either be Josephine Fujing (especially with the nn Josie) or Zora Fujing.
1. Sonia
2. I like Josephine the best. It fits with Malachi and Elias and sounds good with Fujing.
2. I like Josephine the best. It fits with Malachi and Elias and sounds good with Fujing.
I think Thalia Fujing is the best.