Full name: Nguyễn Hoài Phụng Instructor: Tran Thi Thanh Dieu

Student ID No.: 1657010231 Subject: Sociolinguistics

GENDER DISCRIMINATION IN ENGLISH NAMING

INTRODUCTION

A name is a special symbol of a person in social life. Different nations have

different naming methods. There are rich cultural connotations behind them,
reflecting different social classes, social status and social power. This article
mainly describes the reflection of gender discrimination in English names, and
discusses the cultural connotation behind this phenomenon.

The name consists of two parts: “last name” and “first name”. The “last name”
is the symbol of the family, which symbolizes the inheritance of the lineage.
The “first name” is the identification mark used to distinguish each other.
Name is a special symbol with rich social and cultural connotations. In addition
to being a specific sign that distinguishes others, it is also a manifestation of a
certain social and cultural life. English names reflect discrimination against
women from one side. Name as a symbol of a person, the most basic
interpersonal title in human society, fully reflects the history, religion, cultural
traditions and customs of various ethnic groups. When these symbols undergo
major changes in the social structure, their forms and their usages and
meanings also change, reflecting the transformation of social nature from one
aspect. This article tries to explore the phenomena of discrimination against
women in English names and the elimination of this phenomenon, from the
lineage of father's surname, the difference between male and female names, and
the change of the names of married women.

SEX DISCRIMINATION IN ENGLISH FIRST NAMES

The value orientation of the first names of men and women also reflects the
concept of “male and female humility” in the patriarchal society. The first name
of the man embodies the masculinity of strength and power, while the woman
is given the gentle and simple meaning of gentleness. This actually reflects the
male’s willingness to dominate the society to rule others, reflecting the
society’s disadvantage of giving women a dominant position.

The method of English naming

In English-speaking countries, children generally follow the father's surname,

and this is passed down from generation to generation. After the woman is
married, she will take her husband’s surname. At the same time, the first name
is also influenced by social values. In most cases, we can see the gender from
the first name. To female names, they often use words that refer to beauty, sage,
elegance, and cuteness. Susan (Susan) is derived from Hebrew to mean
elegance and affability. Diana (Diana) is derived from the Greek language,
meaning "the goddess of the moon", a symbol of beauty, elegance and dignity.
When a man takes a name, the symbolic meaning is very different from that of
a woman. Most of them reflect strength, bravery, the pursuit of freedom, having
high ideals and being ambitious. For example, Richard (Richard) is derived
from Saxon and means powerful. Andrew is of Greek origin, meaning bravery
and straightforwardness. Lewis is derived from French and means the protector
of the people.

According to the above-mentioned analysis of English first names for women,

it is not difficult to see that the names of English women are now basically
from the father's surname; the names they take are often dominated by words
that are weak and subordinate to men. It can be seen that the development of
English names is not only dependent on the history of the human name symbol,
but also the history of the idea of “male respecting women”, which reflects the
male centralism under the patriarchal system.

SEX DISCRIMINATION REFLECTED IN ENGLISH SURNAMES

Changes in the surnames of married women in English

In Western countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States,
marital relations also reflect the dominant position of men and the subordinate
status of women. After marriage, their surnames must be changed according to
the husband's surname and lose their maiden name. If Mary White marries John
Brown, his name is changed to Mary Brown, and the original surname
disappears. Women who are married can also be referred to by “Mrs.+
husband’s name”. For example, Mary White can also be called Mrs. John
Brown or Mrs. Brown. This not only indicates the dependence of women, but
also reveals the marital status. Women not only lost their surnames, but even
their names were concealed.

CATEGORIES OF FEMALE NAMES IN

ENGLISH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES

Categories of female names in English-speaking countries

In English names, the surnames are mainly passed down from the older
generation, having certain constancy, out of option, but the names are different.
If a name does not have a special meaning, it has something to do with other
things that are of interest to the naming person, or for some special reason. For
example, the names Mary and John are not only specific, but also the names of
two important Christian figures in Christianity. In general, English names can
reflect the following information:

From the English Name Dictionary, we can see that women and men have
different types of names, and the information they reflect is also different:

a. The name stands for beauty, elegance and love. Amiable (lovely), Amy
(loved) Blanch (beautiful), Blossom (flower), Vivian (active), Nancy (elegant)

b. The name stands for flowers and grass.

Such as: Lily, Poppy, Daisy, Rose

c. The name represents precious stones.

Such as: Amber, Percy, Ruby, Titan

d. The name is related to the people in the house.

Etta (the manager of the house), Miriam (woman who wants to give birth to
children)
e. The name stands for gentleness, simplicity and friendliness.

Such as: Angles, Alice, Cherry, Vida, Katrina

Categories of male names in English-speaking countries

a. Names represent the magnanimity and success. Such as:

Aaron (High Mountain), Blair (flat ground), Kent (vast native land), Orville (a
golden city), Shelly (a village full of willow trees), Silas (belong to forest)

b. The name is related to the animal. Such as:

Adolph (wolf), Arnos (hawk), Lowell (small wolf), Caleb (dog, brave)

c. The name is related to the occupation. Such as:

Baker (person who makes bread), Barker (person who processes hides), Calvert
(herdsman)

d. The name represents the ruler, the conqueror and the leader.

Such as: Alaric (ruler), Jerrold (govern), Lord (noble), Ronald (powerful ruler),
Donald (the leader of the world)

e. The name represents courage and preciousness.

Such as: Augustus (lofty), Cloven (famous fighter), Gogh (soul), Iron (warrior)

f. The name represents being from the heaven.

Such as: Godwin (the friend of god), Michael (a person who is like a god),
Maxwell (the greatest), Osmond (god-protect), Robert (famous), Owing (god-
friend)

g. The name represents the winner. Such as:

Howard (guardian), Sewell (victory), William (powerful guardian)

REASONS FOR GENDER DISCRIMINATION IN ENGLISH NAMES

Originally, names are used to differentiate among people, but when people
choose their names, they put their own subjective wishes, social attitudes and
other ideas and ethics into the name consciously or unconsciously. Through
names, people can not only feel the difference in gender, but also feel
discrimination against women.

Religious or historical reasons

Religion plays a very important role in the history of the development in the
English nations. Not only believers, but even the lives of ordinary people are
deeply affected. The Bible is the most widely spread and most influential book
in Western society, with the largest circulation and the largest number of
readers. The religious consciousness has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the
people. Therefore, a person’s name has a great relationship with the religious
belief, or their national tradition to a large extent.

Social customs: male superiority

The difference between male and female surnames and first names actually
forms discrimination against women in the patriarchal society, and is a true
reflection of women's disadvantaged status as second-class gender. Although
the gender differences in names have their certain epochality and relativity, the
high degree of consistency in gender differences in English name seems to
indicate that if the male-dominated social structure does not fundamentally
change, this difference Will not completely disappear.

The English surname is “from the father before marriage, from the husband
after marriage”. With the further development of the Western feminist
movement in the 1960s, there are also a few women who still use the original
father’s surname after marriage and do not use the husband’s surname. All in
all, women are essentially subordinate to men.

The "man" in English represents the human race. In the classic Bible of English
culture, the God created the world on the 7th. On the sixth day, he created a
man in his own image. Being afraid that he might feel lonely, the God took a
rib of the man and a little dirt to make a woman.

Traditional expectations
Married women often use their father’s family name or their mother’s name as
their middle name to show their blood relationship. In English-speaking
countries, a man chooses his grandfather or great grand-father’s name as his
middle name to show his nostalgia or express some kind of admiration and
encouragement.

In addition, in most cases, parents often give their children a name that is
auspicious, cute, or contains some kind of good hope. The famous American
poet - Frost (1874-1963) was named "Robert Lee Frost" (Robert Lee Frost),
whose father sympathized with the South during the American Civil War, and
the famous general of the South, Robert Edward Lee (1807-1880). With the
respect for Mr. Lee, his father borrowed “Robert Edward” to name his son.

The original name of the American Red Cross founder, Clara Barton, was
formerly known as Clarissa Harlowe Barton. The name was taken from the
name of the heroine in the famous novel of the 18th century in the United
Kingdom by Charson, "The Miss Carla" (a young lady's story). The heroine in
the novel is very delicate and beautiful, very cute. It can be seen that Clark
Barton's parents are like ordinary people, and they hope that after growing up,
their daughter would be a good wife and a good mother.

In addition to this, there are many other various motivations or reasons for
personal naming, because the selection of the name is purely a personal
behavior. Then it can be said that there is still a lot of randomness in choosing a
name, for example, considering the name of his brother or sister, or the
pronunciation structure of a certain name, perhaps for a special reason.
Sometimes in order to choose a good name, not only must the pronunciation of
the name make the sounder feel good, but the name is not related to the existing
name and the existing words in the language. For example, the word "Golly" is
a newly created name for a woman, which has no meaning and has no formal
or meaningful connection with existing English words. This phenomenon is
also very common at present, reflecting people's pursuit of a different
psychology.
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