English names of Chinese people

[skudge.livejournal.com]

Yifan / Ivan (f)
Lin Tsai-Chuan / Linda (Lin is the last name)
Fang-Yuan / Erica
Fang-Ling / Jennifer
Fang-Fei / Ann
Fang-Zheng / David
Mengxin / Amy
Mengjie / Jack
Xin Di / Cindy
Lingnan / Claire
Ming Xuan / Michelle


Notes: X makes the "sh" sound, Zh makes a sound a bit like a thicker J, Y is silent before I. Most of these people don't have a middle a name. I think Amy and Jack might, but I don't know what they are.

I could have made this a much longer list, but I decided in the end to limit it to only those people who chose their own English name, not people who were given both an English and a Chinese name by their parents.

If anyone knows any more English names that people from other countries chose for themselves, please post, both the English and the original name! :)

Comments

[becomingun.livejournal.com]

One of my best friends taught in China for a year and had students who chose Rock, Water, and 007 as their English names.

[hermione-vader.livejournal.com]

In my freshman year of college, I had a friend who was a transfer student and originally from China, and she went by Pinky. I think her Chinese name was Lian, from what I remember. Last year, I met an exchange student (he may have been from Korea, though) who told me his Korean name, then said "Or you can call me Ryan."

In reverse, I had an American friend named Giovanna who was planning on going to Germany and let the German exchange students call her Johanna.

[sparklymoon.livejournal.com]

When my friend and I lived in Germany, I was renamed Zara (from Sara) and my friend Rosanne's name was too hard to pronounce so everyone called her Roxy. There was also a Polish girl named Jacqueline who renamed herself Chaka.

I work with a Laotian guy named Chanthanaphone and he goes by Jeff.

[snailrevolution.livejournal.com]

My sister Rachel studied in Japan a few years ago and her roommate, Haruka, preferred to go by an English name, Gene. Rachel's name was a bit difficult for some of her classmates to pronounce; it eventually got shortened to "Cherri."

A few of my classmates were Taiwanese. Unfortunately I only remember Michelle's real name, Pei-wan. I think my favorite of their adopted names was Ginger. It's a cute name. :)