The form won’t let you specify that you want your name to have something to do with 朋友 but you can always add a suggestion as part of the first name e.g. Matt (can we create a name using 朋友).
You can also change your Chinese name whenever you want. I was stuck with the rather dull, and usually mocked 马克思 for years (it’s the same name as Karl Marx hence always got a laugh from the locals).
It wasn’t until recently one of the LTL staff members helped me come up with a new one which I really like.
I second what Ben says - consulting a native is best. Do you know any Chinese friends you could speak to? The more they know you, the better, because they will be able to use your personality traits when creating this name so it has genuine meaning.
It’s honestly so nice to see them spend so much time trying to find you the perfect name based on who you are. Very different to the naming culture in the west!
So what is your new Chinese name, Max?
I thought 马克思 is quite cool
Some English name does sound quite horrendous when translated directly into Chinese characters… For example my friend is called Laura. In Chinese her name is 老拉… She hated this name, understandably… haha. Maybe it’s time for her to change her Chinese name, too!
I also thought it was quite cool… until I spoke to a lot of Chinese natives!
To be honest I’ve always been fine with it but I love the meaning and thought put into other names so I finally made the decision to push for a new one.
All credit goes to the LTL Beijing staff, I sat with them on a recent visit and Linda in particular asked me a number of questions about me, my personality and my general life outlook (deep indeed).
