American entrepreneur helps Chinese choose English names
It's common for Chinese to take an English nickname. Chen Yinge and Wang Jing go by "Ellen" and "Jean."
Zhou Peng goes by "Vic."
"Everyone has one at work," she said.
But many nicknames don't exactly translate well to native English speakers. On the streets of Shanghai, we came across "King," "Ghost," and "Right."
American Lindsay Jernigan was introduced to this phenomenon when she moved from Washington D.C. to Shanghai and started meeting people.
"Their names were Yo-Yo, Eleven, Apple -- and then there were normal ones that just didn't fit, like Edison -- Eddie, for short," Jernigan said. "I was sort of confused -- like, why is this your English name?"
In all of this, the 26-year-old saw a business opportunity and launched a website to help Chinese find an English name.
"Our target audience is really 18 to about 30," Jernigan said. "It's people that are kind of getting a bit more serious about their job or studying abroad or going abroad, or even working in China in a multinational company."
Users can take a quiz or get a 30-minute one-on-one consultation for $45. Jernigan explains the meaning of names and says Chinese often want one that's uncommon and similar to their Chinese name.
"We never say that Chinese people have to have an English name," Jernigan said. "It's very much a resource for people who are actively already looking for an English name."
Keira, 28, says almost all of her friends have English names. She formerly went by "Eleven," the number of her favorite soccer player, but it ran her into some trouble.
"(People) always say, 'Where's seven?' - you know, 7-Eleven." Keira said. "And you'd say, 'Oh gosh, another 7-Eleven joke."
After working with Jernigan, "Eleven" became Keira.
"Keira is not that common, right?" Keria said. "Keira sounds smart... and Keira Knightley."
Jernigan said it can be hard to explain why some names just don't work.
"You run into people here named 'Green' or 'Yellow,' but you have the name 'Scarlet' and 'Violet,' so I totally understand why it's confusing," she said.
There's a learning curve for all involved. One juice store manager was formerly known as "Ding." His new name, Evan, which came courtesy of Jernigan, took some practice for his father, who had difficulty pronouncing it.
Meanwhile, for our very own Seth Doane, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave him a Chinese nickname; "Do An," which means "much kindness."