New Post
Search
Help
ArchivesNewspapers' articles about name change
Two articles about immigrants' name change in UK and in Ireland.
I'm an immigrant: call me Kevin, from The Sunday Times (01/20/2008)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3216741.ece
And
Foreign names get Irish slant
By Ross McDonagh
Metro (Ireland edition), Monday, January 21, 2008, page 8
A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, even if it insisted on being called a shamrock.
Immigrants have been taking the mick by Irish-ifying their names, figures have revealed.
According to the Central Office of the High Court's official deed poll, the number of people changing their names here increased by more than 50 per cent last year.
Some 504 people opted for a new handle in 2007, compared with just 327 in 2006.
Officials claim that the majority of these are now foreign nationals altering their monikers to sound more Irish, or dumping their name completely in favour of something more indigenous-sounding.
Examples include a Najeeb becoming Patrick and Karim to Kevin. Surnames were also given Oirish makeovers, with a Hossain becoming Lawlor and Petrova becoming O'Leary. Others were a little more attached to their birthnames, opting instead for a mere drop of Irishness in the middle, such as Abdullah Elfayoumi becoming Abdullah O'Fayoumi.
Lumia
http://onomastica.mailcatala.com
I'm an immigrant: call me Kevin, from The Sunday Times (01/20/2008)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3216741.ece
And
Foreign names get Irish slant
By Ross McDonagh
Metro (Ireland edition), Monday, January 21, 2008, page 8
A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, even if it insisted on being called a shamrock.
Immigrants have been taking the mick by Irish-ifying their names, figures have revealed.
According to the Central Office of the High Court's official deed poll, the number of people changing their names here increased by more than 50 per cent last year.
Some 504 people opted for a new handle in 2007, compared with just 327 in 2006.
Officials claim that the majority of these are now foreign nationals altering their monikers to sound more Irish, or dumping their name completely in favour of something more indigenous-sounding.
Examples include a Najeeb becoming Patrick and Karim to Kevin. Surnames were also given Oirish makeovers, with a Hossain becoming Lawlor and Petrova becoming O'Leary. Others were a little more attached to their birthnames, opting instead for a mere drop of Irishness in the middle, such as Abdullah Elfayoumi becoming Abdullah O'Fayoumi.
Lumia
http://onomastica.mailcatala.com
1
Replies
I think it is sad
I can understand if the name is very complicated to say or means something bad in English. But change all your names (fn, mn and sn) is like deleting your past.
And the day Kevin (ex-Karim) come to an interview, he will still look foreign.
I think it is sad that you have to change your name (which is like having to change your identity) to be accepted:
"I am of Muslim origin who after graduation couldn't get any reasonable job interviews for 18 months despite having a first class honours degree in Mathematics from a top ten UK university. Upon changing my name to a "normal" English type name, I re-applied for a number of jobs and received several invites for interviews within a few weeks. I recommend all Muslims having trouble finding employment to consider this course of action as the hardest task in the employment maze is being given the opportunity to get in front of your potential employer."
I can understand if the name is very complicated to say or means something bad in English. But change all your names (fn, mn and sn) is like deleting your past.
And the day Kevin (ex-Karim) come to an interview, he will still look foreign.
I think it is sad that you have to change your name (which is like having to change your identity) to be accepted:
"I am of Muslim origin who after graduation couldn't get any reasonable job interviews for 18 months despite having a first class honours degree in Mathematics from a top ten UK university. Upon changing my name to a "normal" English type name, I re-applied for a number of jobs and received several invites for interviews within a few weeks. I recommend all Muslims having trouble finding employment to consider this course of action as the hardest task in the employment maze is being given the opportunity to get in front of your potential employer."
1