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