What's in a Name?

(not the most interesting post, but a look-inside my classroom nonetheless)

Now, as the end of my stay looms near, I believe it's finally time to share one of the brightest joys of my teaching... My students' choice in English names. While I post these names because some of them amuse, while others cause may cause disbelief, it's important to understand the process by which they're arrived at. Each English major in my college is required to choose an English name at the beginning of their studies. There are several ways by which this is done, but nearly all of the students have absolutely no idea what name to pick, as per commonality, etc. Thus, many names are chosen from a variety of sources:

Literature - i.e. I have students named both Jane and Eyre, as well as Elizabeth, a la Lizzie Bennet of 'Pride and Prejudice.'

English /American Cinema - "I found my name in a film that was about a girl who fell in love." Somehow, this has led to a multitude of Jenny's, Annie's, and Ella's.

The Dictionary - Many of my students have Chinese-English dictionaries with a section on English names. Unfortunately, these sections don't say anything about the meaning of the names, nor the popularity/timeliness of it... Therefore, in every class I have 20 year old students named Alice, Ruth, Jean, Janet, Joan, Martin, Edward, Belinda, Melba, and my favorite... Fanny. (and yes, I realize these are the names of many of my relatives, but they are all over 35)

I Made My Own English Name! - This is how I found Henty, Wanny, Denty, Salida, Domy, and Kanony.

Seemingly Random Words, Used as Names - To be honest, these are some of my absolute favorites. Cry, Grape, Heaven (a boy), Tear, King (a girl and a boy), Germ, White, Tree, Spring, Summer, Dawn, Water, Sunshine (and they've never even heard of Haight-Ashbury!), Sunlight, Sunny, Skye (who sits next to Sunny), Iceless, Monkey, Seven, Star (another boy), Spark, and Doing.

Music/Pop Culture - Thanks to Pop Music from America (or is it Colombia?), Korea and China, I have students named Shakira, Rain and Sweet. I was also graced with the pleasure of one of my more shy Tibetan students approaching me to ask me if she could change her name to Beyonce.

Sports - Thank goodness for the NBA. Without it I wouldn't have a McGrady or an Alston, and I would be at a total loss without an Allen or two in every single class. A couple examples of the joy these names bring me:

Hilary: What's your English name?

Student: Kobe.

Hilary: Kobe like the beef, or Kobe like the alleged rapist? (I promise I only said this part to myself)

"Dear Teacher, I am ill and I would like to go rest so can I leave class early?
- #23 Allen Iverson"

And there you have it. In the meanwhile, I will do my best to keep occupied during my last couple months in China. My current modes of spending my copious free time include: sleeping, eating, and reading menus for the restaurants I plan to frequent when I get home. And of course, attempting to gather much more entertaining material for my next post... It would sure help pass the time if someone commented on my blog, and by someone, I mean anyone...Was that too subtle?