_MrCliff

What do you think of the name Cliff?

https://lemmy.world/post/44071201

What do you think of the name Cliff? - Lemmy.World

It’s the English name I recently chose because people kept having difficulty pronouncing my Chinese name after I arrived in England last year. I really like it, but I’d be interested to hear how it comes across to others, especially Anglophones.

Mar 10 at 10:27amWeb
Show threadPM_ME_VINTAGE_30S [he/him]Mar 10
It’s good 👍. People might assume it’s short for Clifford.
Show threadJeeBaiChowMar 10
Thats rad, dog!
Show threadJohnnyEnzymeMar 10

That’s generally a very safe assumption!

Btw, someone mentioned the name being a bit old-timey, and it is. But I think it’s one of the ones that sounds rather stylish & hip, FWIW. Unlike say Melvin, or Herbert, or Horace, or Elmer, or Mortimer.

Show threadFinjaminPoachMar 10

Pictured: Clifford

Show threadTheLeadenSeaMar 10

It sounds very butch 🤣

No, it’s a cool name though - short and snappy ;)

Show threadMultiplexerMar 10
No native anglophone, but hearing “Cliff” I immediately think “Cliff Stoll”, so you are good with me! :-)
Show threadhomesMar 10

My sister-in-law is Chinese. Her name is Lu Dong, but, here in the states, she is called Grace.

Although I think it’s a lovely name, I prefer to call her by her real name. So does she

Show threadneidu3Mar 10
Before going by Grace, how often did she here jokes about Lewd Dong?
Show threadhomesMar 10
I’ve known her for 25 years, and in that entire span of time, no one has lacked such Grace as to make such a comment
Show threadSlartifartblastMar 10
“Cliff” is simply short for “Clifford.”
Show threadhomesMar 10
Oh, I know. It’s just a personal preference. Names that are also things… I don’t care for that. Like I said, it’s a personal opinion.
Show thread5tooMar 10
Also Heathcliff
Show threadstarlingukMar 10
Cliff is a bad name to choose for England. Yeah, id choose something else too. Grace is lovely, by the way.
Show threadhomesMar 10
The UK has plenty of cliffs already. Lovely, gorgeous ones, globally famous ones. No need to name a person that.
Show threadnotsosureMar 10
I like to use the real name of people, because that is more personal, after all, parents have given their children names for a reason. But perhaps that is simply a European thing, many Chinese people simply adopt another name, perhaps given names do not have so much meaning in China?
Show threadMothraMar 10

I agree with the sentiment, however, some names in some languages are practically unpronounceable for 99% of native [insert language] speakers, and hearing your name butchered over and over or seeing people struggle over it gets tiring quickly.

I have experienced this myself in English speaking countries. My name is not impossible to pronounce, but stumps half the people when they try to read it the first time. They will also mishear it and call me something similar. Usually if it’s a colleague or someone I’ll be talking to more than once I will let them know if they got it right. It’s not difficult. But if I’m talking to a customer on the phone or ordering a coffee, I go with something easy.

I remember I had this classmate from Mongolia. She had one of those unpronounceable names. She would get very upset that nobody could say it right. There must have been some very specific sounds that only mongolian natives can pick up and reproduce in her name, because I’ve seen absolutely nobody, ever, from any background or nationality, be able to say it right. If you ask me, many did, and I could honestly not tell the difference between her pronunciation and that of most people. But she was outraged. It took her several months to get over it and accept nobody ever would get it right. She didn’t pick a new name, but resigned herself to the butchered version of her name.

So yeah. More power to Cliff if that’s a name they like.

Show threadMothraMar 10

I agree with the sentiment, however, some names in some languages are practically unpronounceable for 99% of native [insert language] speakers, and hearing your name butchered over and over or seeing people struggle over it gets tiring quickly.

I have experienced this myself in English speaking countries. My name is not impossible to pronounce, but stumps half the people when they try to read it the first time. They will also mishear it and call me something similar. Usually if it’s a colleague or someone I’ll be talking to more than once I will let them know if they got it right. It’s not difficult. But if I’m talking to a customer on the phone or ordering a coffee, I go with something easy.

I remember I had this classmate from Mongolia. She had one of those unpronounceable names. She would get very upset that nobody could say it right. There must have been some very specific sounds that only mongolian natives can pick up and reproduce in her name, because I’ve seen absolutely nobody, ever, from any background or nationality, be able to say it right. If you ask me, many did, and I could honestly not tell the difference between her pronunciation and that of most people. But she was outraged. It took her several months to get over it and accept nobody ever would get it right. She didn’t pick a new name, but resigned herself to the butchered version of her name.

So yeah. More power to Cliff if that’s a name they like.

Show threadsocsaMar 10
There is a very real bias against Chinese/SEA names in the west, whether it is intentional or not. Chinese students and expats know that they are far more likely to get eg, interviews and dates if they put a western name on their resume or dating profile.
Show thread5tooMar 10
That makes sense - I’d always assumed they did it so people wouldn’t trip all over a pronunciation style they’re not used to
Show threadScott 🇨🇦🏴‍☠️Mar 10

Its a fine name.

Right away I think of Cliff Clavin from Cheers.

Show threadneidu3Mar 10
It’s fine, but it’s mandatory that you start playing the bass
Metallica - Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth) Live Chicago 1983

YouTube
Show threadIWW4Mar 10
That is a great name. It is a classic “manly man” name.
Show threadSergioMar 10
Yeah same, I imagine it to be an old-time actor who played a lot of cowboys or soldiers. I’m not in England tho.
Show threadIWW4Mar 10
Agreed. Someone who wears knee high boots!
Show threadtangibleMar 10
Sounds a bit old-timey. I refuse to believe that there are people younger than 60 years old with that name.
Show threadclifMar 10
Ouch. I mean, you’re not wrong… But still.
Show threadRegularJoeMar 10

Cliff Clavin approves.

Show threadclifMar 10
I approve.
Show threadFinjaminPoachMar 10

I think it’s a really good choice of name 👍

It’s rare in England (from my experience) but we recognise all American names from TV and literature so, being slightly American, I think it comes across as a cool one while not seeming unusual.

Show threadBasic GlitchMar 10

This guy

Show threadCmdrShepard49Mar 10
Him or the big red dog are where my mind goes.
Show threadLuminous5481 "Lawless Heathen" [they/them]Mar 10
I like it, but speaking perfectly honestly, I’ve never seen an Asian named Cliff
Show threadMajorMajormajormajorMar 10

Depends what variety of Cliff you are:

Show thread5tooMar 10
This is amazing
Show threadMajorMajormajormajorMar 10
No, you’re amazing 5too!
Show threadAllNewTypeFaceMar 10
It sounds American and mid-20th-century. If that’s the vibe you’re going for, great.
Show threadCandleTigerMar 10
USA perspective: I have a relative with that name (short for Clifford) who died in the ‘60s. Good name. Not common any more but ready for a fashionable comeback.
Show threadstarlingukMar 10
Is anyone saying it’s a great name actually in the UK? Because in the UK people will think it’s a rather odd and old-fashioned name (and not in a retro way).
Show threadMojoMcJojoMar 10
Meh, I’m on the edge with that one.
Show threadOwlMar 10
Cliff?
Cocomelon are we there yet meme

YouTube
Show threadcaptainlezbianMar 10
It’s a bit old fashioned and I’ll admit, I do associate it with a big red dog from some children’s books. That said, I like it and I think it’s really cool when folks’ English names are uncommon
Show thread「黃家駒 Wong Ka Kui」 | (aka: 鳳凰院 凶真 Hououin Kyouma)Mar 10

Lol I was born in China and now a naturalized US Citizen and I still have the “Pinyin Name” as my legal name… I just never felt like any “English-language name” fits me… cuz they all gives off the “vibe” of being a ABC (American-Born Chinese) and that feels so “phony” to me.

I’d say just embrace your real name…

(I mean usually how it works is that: you just “Anglicanize” it a bit and drop the tones when people ask “how do you pronounce it”)

Show threadmarighostMar 10
I used to work with a guy named Cliff. He was a really swell fellow. Sounds like a good name to me.
Show threadHubertManneMar 10
Like the postman from cheers.
Show threadotterMar 10
Oooh… edgy.
Show threadfinallymadeanaccountMar 10
I’m over it.
Show threadJoeTheSaneMar 11

My grandfather (2nd generation polish immigrant) used to hate having to correct people on how to speak and pronounce our family name and decided to change it to something more “Americanized”. It took me a while to understand why until I spent 40 years having to correct people on the spelling and pronunciation of the Americanized version.

Then, two of my kids turned out to be genderqueer and they both chose new first names for themselves. It was them that I realized that choosing your own name is a powerful thing and you should be proud of forming your own identity. So, ignore everyone who questions choosing your own name. It is a good thing!

As for Cliff, I like it! It sounds good and it’s a name you hear a lot. Stick with it if you also like it!

Show threadGreenBottlesMar 11
Great name