Guidance on naming systems

Theory Into Practice Strategies | leadership and administration

Working in student service areas requires extensive work with database systems, spreadsheets and tables, as well as the reconciliation of lists of names from a variety of sources around the University. Lack of familiarity with names perceived to be ‘unusual’ can cause misunderstanding, miscalculations and, occasionally, the creation of two sets of records for the same student.

The ability to work with names that may be different from those considered mainstream reflects a knowledge base about diverse cultures and signals acceptance of difference.

Common problems

• How should we refer to someone whose name/s come/s from a naming system that is not familiar? • How should names that don’t ‘fit the format’ be recorded, and how should a name be pronounced to avoid offence or confusion? • How can lists of names be clarified to match a second list for administrative purposes? • Ask how their name is spelled and pronounced. • Ask them to write it down for you. Being aware of the established naming systems of a country or • Ask how they prefer to be addressed. religious group can provide better understanding; but it should • Use the person’s name at least once when you talk to them. not be assumed that everybody from that country or group will • Appreciate that naming systems may be used in a variety follow the same rules. Some minority groups may adapt their of ways. names for specific ethnicity, religious or community identification. • Check whether there is a family name that has not yet been Naming systems generally reflect how family and community life provided to the University. is organised, and this varies widely around the world. Although the use of student numbers can, at times, circumvent Examples of naming systems the need to understand and work with names that are not mainstream, developing good understandings of such names It is important to remember that these are only guidelines and and the ability to use such names comfortably, affirms student’s not all students from the following cultural or religious groups will diverse identities. necessarily follow these naming systems.

There are instances when the pronunciation of certain non- International students Western names can result in them sounding offensive in the mainstream environment. This may cause embarrassment to the Students from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, student and others, and it is advisable to sensitively discuss the Indonesia, Malaysia, India and Japan account for more than two ways of addressing the matter with the student. thirds of the international students enrolled in 2012 (excluding international offshore students). These countries usually have General guidelines Hindu, Muslim or Chinese naming systems.

Not everyone in Australia will follow a Western naming tradition. The following examples provide a general and brief outline So it is best to avoid using the term ‘Christian name’, and of traditional naming systems and do not account for regional, instead use ‘personal name’ or ‘given name’. The terms ‘family dialectic and other factors that result in different approaches name’ or ‘last name’ should be used in place of ‘surname’. to naming within a country or religious group. As a result you may encounter names that do not reflect the information • Ask for a person’s full name. provided here. • Ask which is their first, middle and family/last name. • Ask which name they have used to enrol.

Cultural Diversity and Inclusive Practice Toolkit cdip.staff.uwa.edu.au Hindu names Chinese names

Hindu names are used mostly in India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Not gender specific, Chinese names do not reveal whether Singapore, and usually by people of Indian origin. The naming a person is male or female, like many European names. of a child is one of the most fundamental Hindu ‘samskars’ or The family name comes first, followed by the personal name. scripture based rites. This can cause confusion with European systems that are the other way around. Coupled with unfamiliarity with Chinese The name is selected so that its meaning can inspire the person family names, inappropriate naming could occur on graduation to follow the path of righteousness. The name given to newborn parchments, computer user names, name tags, etc. babies are generally suggestive of divine qualities of the Vedic deities. Mainland Chinese names tend to comprise two words – family name in bold, e.g.: A common practice among Hindus is to name their children after Zhang Jiangguo, Li Yonghong, Wang Zhif the names of sages, saints, holy persons, deities and the names of the incarnation of God. It is believed that by repeatedly calling Taiwanese Chinese names tend to hyphenate the given such names one is reminded of the Lord. names, e.g.: Tsang Ting-Hwa, Huong Mei-Li, Hsia Hsiau-Chu Northern India Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysian Chinese names tend to Given name Complementary name Family name have three parts, e.g.: Manju Rani Agraval Cheung Fatt Fatt, Wong Lai Chai, Yong Ee Leen, Ong Ti Mah or Mahesh Kumar Sharma Note: The spelling of a family name may vary considerably, e.g. Siew, Siow, Seow and Siaw are all variants of the same Southern India name, as are Low, Loh, Lau and Lo. Father’s given name Given name See http://chineseculture.about.com/library/weekly/ Krishnan Sivanathan aa122000a.htm or K Sivanathan

Muslim names

Muslim naming systems operate in many parts of the world and further information is available at: http://www.names4muslims.com/ http://www.creedopedia.com/search.php?kp=muslim+names http://www.behindthename.com/nmc/ara.php

Malay names are common in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia and reflect customary Muslim naming systems.

Names are written with the person’s religious name (a religious title) or given name first, plus bin (for men) or binti (for women), and then their father’s given name. Malay people have not traditionally used ‘family’ names. So, a family’s lineage will contain many different names. Family names are being used more frequently in recent times.

Women use the title Puan (Mrs) following marriage, often retaining their own names. Some examples:

Religious title Given name (male) Father’s given name Haji Yousef bin Khalid

Note: Haji is an honorary title that shows the person has completed a pilgrimage to Mecca.

Married title Given name (female) Father’s given name Puan Rafidah binti Aziz

CRICOS Provider Code: 00126G UniPrint 74467

Cultural Diversity and Inclusive Practice Toolkit cdip.staff.uwa.edu.au