What is your last name?

[tapestrybabe]

I'm going to this ECASU (http://tfme.net/ecasu2003/page.php?action=main) event this friday... and i'm taking a workshop called... What is your last name?? Adoptees in the Asian American Community... and here's a synopsis of the program... which i think relates to this hapa forum... when discussing identity issues and who exactly is asian american...

The (in)visibility of adoptees today reflects the need to spread awareness, inside and outside the Asian American community, about adoptees and adoptee issues. As the second major wave of international/transracial adoptees have now become college age, there is a growing number of Asian American adoptees questioning what it means to be "Asian American." This leads us to ask who is Asian American, what makes you Asian American?

Anyways, my last name is Hinnen...
its a Swiss last name...

[Napoleon Chynamite]

Ma last name is Luke.

Americanized Chinese last name :o

[BeTheReds]

My last name is Whong. This is because immigration officers from the south who hear "Hwang" will write Whong. It means yellow. It is Korean, but chinese people and vietnamese people have the same name.

I want to change the spelling of it legally.

[Hiroshi2]

Eh, so I'd be considered less asian since i have an american last name. I could kinda sorta see the justification behind that. Except i've seen some people who i would've thought were fully asian had it not been for their totally american names, like steve brown (just throwing out an example, not actually naming anyone) or something like that.

[kimpossible]

It may be related to patriarchal lineage. As in the children of an Asian man will be considered Asian but the children of a non-Asian man aren't. This is why I argued in another thread that out of the bunch of us here blkazngirl, yuhei and eugene stood the best chances of being considered Asian by Asia standards. However, if we're talking about Asian American standards of who AA would consider Asian, I would say that it would default to whoever looks the most Asian and is steeped in AA culture.

[maldito]

Mondoy

It's of Basque origin, yet there is a town in the Galiza region carrying that name. But from what I can tell no one in Spain has that surname.

Those of us that do carry that surname are either Nicaraguans or Filipinos. I've seen 1 Mondoy in the 1800s in Uruguay, a few in Colombia and 1 in France while the variant spelling Monduy is used with Cubans.

[thaite]

I think that standard in the US dictate that if you look Asian you're Asian, despite what your last name may be.

[Hiroshi2]

Originally posted by thaite@Feb 21 2003, 05:37 PM
I think that standard in the US dictate that if you look Asian you're Asian, despite what your last name may be.
That is for the US. But I think what HH may have been trying to say is that it might be different in asia?? It makes sense to me.

[thaite]

Uh yeah... that's why I said "in the US."

[Hiroshi2]

Well, now that I go back and read my post, it does look rather idiotic doesn't it? But what I was trying to say is that it might be different depending on which side of the Pacific you're on.......looking asian despite your american name here, while it may be your last name (and probably your looks as well) that would determine "asian-ness" in any given asian country.

Sometimes it's pretty hard for me to convey what I'm trying to say to other people, so bear with me ;)

[GuoLe]

My last name is Green, seriously.

[Fireblade]

Louie is my last name.
It's a pretty common name for asians in San Francisco, and the surrounding bay area.

But if I were to go out of state, it's more rare. *shrug*

[himura-dono]

Originally posted by Fireblade@Mar 7 2003, 11:42 AM
Louie is my last name.
It's a pretty common name for asians in San Francisco, and the surrounding bay area.

But if I were to go out of state, it's more rare. *shrug*
lol, i knew a bunch up here at ucd. man, i miss my friend monica.

[sandra]

Originally posted by Fireblade@Mar 7 2003, 11:42 AM
Louie is my last name.
It's a pretty common name for asians in San Francisco, and the surrounding bay area.

But if I were to go out of state, it's more rare. *shrug*
this is random. do you know who kitty louie is? the real estate lady in s.f. i have collected a bunch of notepads with her picture and name on them over the years. i'm guessing everybody in s.f. knows who she is. do you?

[golden_buns]

Originally posted by BeTheReds@Feb 18 2003, 08:14 PM
My last name is Whong. This is because immigration officers from the south who hear "Hwang" will write Whong. It means yellow. It is Korean, but chinese people and vietnamese people have the same name.

I want to change the spelling of it legally.
They did the same with my last name, all of my family have Jeong on their passport except my parents and me. They put Chung, instead of Jeong so everyone thinks I'm chinese.

[Fireblade]

Originally posted by kasia@Mar 7 2003, 05:16 PM
Originally posted by Fireblade@Mar 7 2003, 11:42 AM
Louie is my last name.
It's a pretty common name for asians in San Francisco, and the surrounding bay area.

But if I were to go out of state, it's more rare. *shrug*
this is random. do you know who kitty louie is? the real estate lady in s.f. i have collected a bunch of notepads with her picture and name on them over the years. i'm guessing everybody in s.f. knows who she is. do you?
My dad has been in contact with Ms. Kitty Louie in terms of real estate, but I don't believe we're related. *shrug* But considering that my family has history in s.f. since the beginning of chinatown (yes, I'm from that part of the louie family), we've kinda just faded out of the community. But yea Kasie, I know what you're talking about.

[BeTheReds]

Originally posted by golden_buns@Mar 8 2003, 03:33 AM
Originally posted by BeTheReds@Feb 18 2003, 08:14 PM
My last name is Whong.  This is because immigration officers from the south who hear "Hwang" will write Whong.  It means yellow.  It is Korean, but chinese people and vietnamese people have the same name.

I want to change the spelling of it legally.
They did the same with my last name, all of my family have Jeong on their passport except my parents and me. They put Chung, instead of Jeong so everyone thinks I'm chinese.
Laws suck.

Living in Japan for the past few months, I rarely ever write my name in English. So when I traveled to Korea, I wrote it Hwang and got thru fine since they knew. Comng back to Japan, I had problems cuz they said my name was different on the entry document and on my passport. It looks REALLY bad when you try to get thru customs looking like a white guy trying to get into the country on a misspelled Asian name.

LOL.

[sandra]

Originally posted by Fireblade@Mar 8 2003, 03:44 AM
Originally posted by kasia@Mar 7 2003, 05:16 PM
Originally posted by Fireblade@Mar 7 2003, 11:42 AM
Louie is my last name.
It's a pretty common name for asians in San Francisco, and the surrounding bay area.

But if I were to go out of state, it's more rare. *shrug*
this is random. do you know who kitty louie is? the real estate lady in s.f. i have collected a bunch of notepads with her picture and name on them over the years. i'm guessing everybody in s.f. knows who she is. do you?
My dad has been in contact with Ms. Kitty Louie in terms of real estate, but I don't believe we're related. *shrug* But considering that my family has history in s.f. since the beginning of chinatown (yes, I'm from that part of the louie family), we've kinda just faded out of the community. But yea Kasie, I know what you're talking about.
:lol: i knew it! she's famous.

[angelwiththesword]

my last name is Chan in cantonese, Chen in mandarin, and Tan in singaporian

i go by chan

[jare2003]

My last name is Stoltzfus.

Since I look Chinese, most people are understandably confused why I have a primarily Amish last name (yes, Amish). My (German) dad grew up on a Old Order Mennonite dairy farm, fled the religious sect/community when he was 18, and met my mother, who had recently immigrated from Hong Kong.

(for your info---Stoltzfus is like Smith in the Amish community---about 20-25% of all Amish have that last name)

Every Stoltzfus in the US stems from one Amish immigrant in the 1700s, so if I meet another one, we're related somehow.

Understandably, this leads to some confusion sometimes, and should I marry an Asian girl, it'll be even more interesteting, as my kids will look almost full asian, rather than hapa, despite having a German monstroisity of a last name.

[YuheiCarreau]

Originally posted by jare2003@Mar 9 2003, 08:04 PM
(for your info---Stoltzfus is like Smith in the Amish community---about 20-25% of all Amish have that last name)

Every Stoltzfus in the US stems from one Amish immigrant in the 1700s, so if I meet another one, we're related somehow.
Sounds like that original Stoltzfus did a whoooooole lotta baby-makin' if his family name dominates the Amish community like that.

[angelwiththesword]

amish people kick ass...i wouldn't want to be one, though, because than i wouldn't have a computer.

[PuChAi]

Well my last name is SUPATANAMPON , can any1 of yu beat all the leter?lol but seriously thats wut it is.I have my moms last name.We were given the choice as so is many thai/lao and cambodian children who usually take the mothers last name and then if they want to take the fathers if they like.

[Ogumo]

My last name is Masakazu.

[Hanuman]

You probably have a lot of people out there who are too nervous to give out their last names here,  I'm like that.  My last name is so unique that if anyone wanted to look it up they'd only be me  :(

[Ogumo]

I DIDNT EVEN THINK ABOUT THAT!

[purezero]

My last name is Cheung. The 'e' throws off so many people. So they have trouble pronouncing it, much like my first name (which really isn't that hard).

[supernova]

:D my last name is pham........i want to americanized it into fame lol ....