Kelvin Teo
In the western world, there is a certain convention in which a person names himself. Consider this fictitious name “Lim Bee Kiat”. If this name is presented to a westerner, the implicit assumption is that “Lim” is the first name, “Bee” is the middle name and “Kiat” is the surname. Thus, the conventional order in which one presents his name in the western world will start with the first name, followed by the middle name and last name.
However, the Chinese way of naming is the complete opposite. It is the family name that comes first, followed by the first name and middle name. Suffice to say, “Lim Bee Kiat” is a Chinese-styled name, with “Lim” as the family name. This Chinese way of naming is practised by Chinese communities all over the world, both in China and beyond, including Singaporean Chinese.
The naming convention is adopted for use in official documentary materials such as passports, birth certificates and even identity cards. One may ask, why the fuss over such naming conventions? Well, the crux of the matter is that such differences in naming conventions can be a pain in the bottom especially when a Chinese presents documentary evidence of his identity in a western context.
Take my experience as an example. I happened to sit for an American-based examination for a graduate degree programme. I had to register online for my examination, and so when I was prompted for my first name, middle name and family name, I produced them accordingly. Well, there was a problem. On the day of my examination, I have to produce documentary proof in the form of my passport, and the rules specifically state that the name registered online and the one on my passport must match equally in terms of order. Obviously, this wasn’t possible, and I had to go through a lot of hassle to have my name changed, which meant a lot more administrative work.
Another relevant experience of mine was when I needed to register for a university identity card in my university, which was based in the west. As usual, I entered my combination of first name, middle name and family name. When I had to produce an identity document to verify my identity, I had no choice but to use my passport according to the stipulated rules. When the administrator saw my passport, he looked at it for quite some time, before I explained to him the difference in naming convention.
By then, there was a large crowd waiting behind me, which was a little embarrassing. There are more drastic cases of mishap due to difference in naming conventions. One is the failure to transfer funds from banks here in our part of the world to the west. The one who is doing the transferring to the recipient will typically supply the name in the first name, middle name and family name format. The problem will arise when the name is read in a western convention, and when verified against scanned identity documents, is inconsistent. As a result, the fund transfer process may in some cases, be aborted.
Thus, naming conventions really matters, with implications on commerce and administrative efficiency, especially where identity is concerned. As we move towards a globalized world, the question is which convention should be adopted? Perhaps, an accommodating solution for all which shows deference for naming conventions from all cultures is to implement a “naming convention generator” that captures the name in the presented format, and present it in whatever cultural format.
For instance, if I register at a western website, producing my family, first and middle names, this convention generator is able to convert my name to say, for instance a Chinese format. In a way, the name captured in the system will also register my Chinese name as reflected in my passport. In our increasingly digitalized world, it is not that difficult to implement such a naming conventions generator. Either that or something which allows for recognition of names straddling different cultural boundaries has to be implemented.
Yes, our names do matter a lot, especially how we read and interpret them. And it is about time we do something about the part about the reading and interpretation part, albeit in a culturally sensitive way.
I was a bit puzzled with your made-up name, because ‘Bee’ is usually female, and ‘Kiat’ is usually male.
One solution is for people to be required to fill in items under the categories SURNAME, GIVEN NAME and PATRONYMIC, so that reordering is possible without any confusion. My own surname is stuck in the middle because I have English and Chinese given names!