NomenclatureRyan Hong

Erin, Hannah

April 2012

QuestionsBig picture question: How

does culture influence how parent’s select their children’s names?

Small picture question: How do American and Korean names differ in meaning and how do those meanings affect parents' decisions of naming their children?

ObjectiveNon-material culture

Biblical purposesNamesakeDeliberate selection of a unique name

Family tradition/ritual Patrimony

Legacy

Name meaning

HypothesisAmericans will be liberal in their selection of

names while Koreans will be conservativeThe influence (i.e. non material culture, family

tradition, and meaning) of names will be more affluent in America

Division of Research

Prior Notions America

Bigger population, more ethnically diverse –> names from different nationalities may contribute to the statistical outlook of the American name database

English names are more generic – less association and more incentive to be unique and strive for individualism

Rigid rules for name selection are usually found in tradition bound societies

Research shows that different states have different trends Massachusetts -> tend not to name children after their

relatives Virginia -> biblical names were prominent (puritan, New

England) Utah -> 2/3rds of Mormon children were named for kin

Collected Data

AnalysisAmericans value their familial and religious

namesake more so than the Koreans The Korean alphabet may account for the lack of

namesake – creates more room for creativityKoreans tend to create names based on their

pronunciation and meaning