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).
I got my Chinese name last year from 3 LTL teachers who came up with 夏塔呀:
夏 – for summer, because my birthday is in August
塔 – standing for “sweet” because I love sweet things
呀 – for elegant
I was so excited when they gave it me! I really hope you found yours
Yesterday, I had a conversation with a friend from Guangdong. She told me that parents there don’t choose a baby name in advance. Instead, they calculate the baby’s birth date to determine which element—metal, wood, water, or fire—the baby lacks. Based on that, they name the baby accordingly. For example, if the baby lacks wood, the name will include something related to trees.
I found this really interesting. In Vietnam, parents usually name their baby based on their hopes and wishes. For instance, if they wish for their child to be smart, they might choose the name “Minh” which means clever. My parents wished for me to have a peaceful life, so they included “An” in my name, which means peace.
How about in Western countries? Is there a common way parents choose baby names there?
In Italy, the process of choosing a baby’s name is way less poetic
Sometimes parents-to-be might choose the name their babies after their own dad/mom’s name or grandad/grandmother’s name (this was really common in the past, now it’s less used).
Nowadays tho, Italian parents are choosing more “international” names that might sound less common in our country.
I’ve just chipped into this topic and I’ve always wondered what Chinese name I should choose because in Vietnamese my name means sun but it also means sea or even the lamb, and in the end, I found Yang was way too masculine for me
