Comments on: What’s my name?

By: bahia

bahia — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 22:04:45 +0000

It worked out well for because I go by my middle name (using it as my first name)! But I imagine for most other people it’s a great inconvenience.

By: Nihon on the Net - 10/5/08

Nihon on the Net - 10/5/08 — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 13:07:35 +0000

[...] Nick tell’s us about the struggles of having a foreign name in Japan in What’s my name? [...]

By: Nick Ramsay

Nick Ramsay — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 11:22:37 +0000

Good advice that, Jon. I’ll give it a try!

By: Jonadab the Unsightly One

Jonadab the Unsightly One — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 10:36:45 +0000

Meh. Why should you be confused? *You* know what your name is, you just can’t explain it to them. Okay, so let *them* be confused. When Japanese people ask what your name is, just rattle off something lengthy and vaguely European-sounding with a lot of blends and non-Japanese phonemes in it, along the lines of Niklaus Thurvelsgrolder
Eisenshietzerschtern III, Earl of Glouchestershire, Worchestershire, and West Central Transylvania.

Then, when the look of panic crosses their face, say “but you can just call me Nick”.

By: Jamaipanese

Jamaipanese — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 21:56:07 +0000

your problems with Nick is the same problem I have when Japanese friends try to call me Kirk. They end up shortening my real name and trying to call me Kelly…which ends up sounding like Kerry! thats a female name!

By: Mum

Mum — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 12:10:45 +0000

Great Nick, so Ricky is now unofficially Rikuto Caithness Hannant [Hidden] Ramsay. That should be enough of a mouthful for him. Ha ha!

By: Nick Ramsay

Nick Ramsay — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:26:54 +0000

You’ll have to encourage Mark to make some babies, one child is all we can afford I’m afraid. I’ll tell you what we can do, we can still give Rikuto those middle names, but keep them unofficial. Putting them on paper would make his life a misery. Just to emphasize my point, I can do banking in England with the name Nick Ramsay, but in Japan, it has to be Ramsay Nicholas Hannant or they won’t believe I am me!

By: Mum

Mum — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:30:53 +0000

I know there are problems with names in Japan, but Ricky should really have had Hannant Caithness in his name or the family names will both die out. That will be a shame. Failing that perhaps you should have a couple more little fellas to carry on the tradition.

By: Nick Ramsay

Nick Ramsay — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 03:23:32 +0000

The question, “What’s your name?”, has become so problematic (especially since any explanation why I can’t give a simple answer is lost on the person asking) that I’ve decided I WILL get citizenship and WILL change my name to an easy Japanese one…. eventually.

I’m glad I’m not the only one with this problem, not that I wish it upon anyone else!

By: Drew

Drew — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 01:39:33 +0000

I have the exact same problem. I am listed as “HAMILTON ANDREW WILLIAM” in my driving license, so that’s also how I have to fill out forms (usually in the katakana transliteration). Unfortunately, this is far too many characters for some forms. Add to that the fact that it often gets me called “William-san” (I never use that name). Actually, the only thing that people never seem to call me is “Hamilton-san” which is annoying since it’s the only thing that I consider acceptable for strangers to call me.

My second bank account, opened for me by a company I worked for who wanted to direct-deposit into it, was actually named “ANDREW WILLIAM HAMILTON”, but somehow the furigana of that was in the order “WILLIAM HAMILTON ANDREW”, which caused 3 hours of form-filling-in to rectify.

I think I should just register the name SUZUKI TARO and be done with it.