Understanding Names: A Comparative Study of Vietnamese and Chinese Naming Structure

Authors

  • Thao Thi Minh Le

    Department for Scientific Research and External Relations, Hanoi Open University, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
  • Hung Quang Nguyen

    Faculty of Chinese Language and Culture, VNU University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i1.7998
Received: 6 December 2024 | Revised: 2 January 2025 | Accepted: 3 January 2025 | Published Online: 15 January 2025

Abstract

This study examines naming practices in Vietnamese and Chinese cultures through a comparative analysis of 10,022 contemporary names (5,004 Vietnamese and 5,018 Chinese) collected from institutions and universities. By applying the mixed-methods analysis, we aim to identify the structural patterns, differences by gender, and variations by region in the naming conventions and take socio-cultural factors into account. The findings indicate significant differences in the culture’s perspective of tradition and modernity between the two cultures. The Vietnamese names are more traditional in their structure as 71.7% of the names had a three-component structure, and the middle names helped in distinguishing between the genders. The Chinese names are more flexible in their structure, and there is no clear distinction in gender. Regional analysis indicated a significant north-south gradient in traditional structure adherence (North Vietnam: 78.3%, South Vietnam: 65.2%; East China: 71.5%, South China: 58.9%) and pronounced urban-rural differences in naming complexity (15.3% difference in Vietnam, 12.7% in China). The results of statistical analysis show that there is a strong association between cultural background and name structure (χ2 = 876.43, p < 0.001), and specifically with the gender marking patterns (Vietnamese: β = 0.847, p < 0.001; Chinese: β = 0.124, p = 0.286). The findings have implications for onomastics as they show how naming practices can be used as cultural resources to maintain and transform social identities. The findings also offer practical applications for those working in cross-cultural communication and documentation as well as for understanding the evolution of naming practices in response to modernization.

Keywords:

Personal Names; Linguistics; Cultural Factor; Gender Factor; Social Factor; Onomastics; Sociolinguistics; Naming Structure

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How to Cite

Le, T. T. M., & Nguyen, H. Q. (2025). Understanding Names: A Comparative Study of Vietnamese and Chinese Naming Structure. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(1), 1046–1057. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i1.7998

Issue

Vol. 7 , Iss. 1 (January 2025)

Article Type

Article

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Copyright © 2025 Thao Thi Minh Le, Hung Quang Nguyen

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This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.