Olympic Baby Names

Olympic Baby NamesTrends in Chinese baby names touch on social themes, Rosetta Stone nature and celebrity.Some parents choose words such as responsibility (Ze Ren) or social security (She Bao) for their children, and more than 6,600 Chinese are named for democracy (Min Zhu) [source: Xinhua News Agency]. Some parents match their surname with a given name to create words; for example, the Chinese characters He and Xie together (He Xie) mean harmony.Peter Parks/AFP.The 2008 Beijing Olympics has influenced trends in Chinese baby names.According to China's Identification Numbers Search Service Center, part of the Ministry of Public Security, roughly 3,500 children have been named Aoyun (meaning Olympics) [source 9News.com, KUSA-TV]. Some people, mostly males, have Aoyun as their given name, and many parents with the surname Yun are choosing to combine their surname with the given name Ao to create the word. Parents searching for creative names are also looking to the five Beijing Olympic mascots, the Fuwa: Bei Bei the fish, Jing Jing the panda, Huan Huan the Olympic flame, Ying Ying the Tibetan antelope and Ni Ni the swallow. Together -- Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni -- they mean Beijing welcomes you! More than 4,000 Chinese have been named for the mascots: Bei Bei (880 people), Jing Jing (1,240 Rosetta Stone V3 people), Huan Huan (1,063 people), Ying Ying (624 people) and Ni Ni (642 people) [source: 9News.com, KUSA-TV]. Hello, My Name is @Imagine being known as 1A. Or @. Some parents in China are lookingto symbols, numerals and ancient characters in an effort to createunique names for their children.Creative? Maybe too creative. Sixty million Chinese have names thatcannot be recognized by computers, including China's Ministry of PublicSecurity database used to issue electronic identity cards. In response, the government has banned names that use Arabicnumerals, foreign languages and symbols that do not belong to Chineselanguages. Naming habits aren't the only way the Olympics are influencing Chinese culture. The government has launched self-improvement campaigns to boost public etiquette and cultivate good manners in preparation for its Olympic hosting duties. In Beijing, for example, the public is being asked to curtail its notorious spitting habit -- local residents are asked to use napkins or bags, and fines are imposed on people who are caught spitting in the street. Local and government officials are also trying to improve and standardize English translations on signs and improve hospitality toward strangers, all in an effort to make foreigners more comfortable during their visit. So long to the infamous Dongda Anus Hospital (now known as the Dongda Proctology Hospital). And self-improvement isn't just suggested, it's practiced. The Rosetta Stone Greek 11th day of every month is Queuing Day, when people are encouraged to practice waiting in line instead of crowding and jumping queues. Seat-giving Day, held on the 22nd of each month, promotes to commuters the idea of giving up seats for the elderly, children, pregnant women and the disabled while riding public transportation. For more information about the China, Olympic history and baby naming, visit our related information on the following page.-