The Republic of Name

People in the West often name their children after themselves or respected or well-liked family members. However, this is a no-no in China. In ancient times, it was considered taboo to have your name sound or looks like the names of royals, especially the emperor.

In China, it’s customary to keep a written family history. In reviewing my own family records, as well as official historical government records I learned that a thousand years ago one of my ancestors was a famous artist who worked in the palace for the emperor. Unfortunately, our surname shared the same character as the new emperor’s given name. To avoid being perceived as disrespectful and putting the whole family in danger, he decided to change his surname.

I can see why Chinese think it’s disrespectful to name a child after a parent or grandparent. Imagine you named your son after your father David. “Stop that, David! Or I’ll spank you!” Now, that’s disrespectful!

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