1. Nomenclature Ryan Hong Erin, Hannah April 2012

2. Questions Big picture question: How does culture influence how parents select their children’s names? Small picture question: How do American and Korean names differ in meaning and how do those meanings affect parents' decisions of naming their children?

3. Hypothesis In America, multiculturalism and individualism will result in a greater variety of naming practices. Conversely, in Korea, collectivism and the ethnic majority will result in naming practices that rely on only a few traditional naming practices.

4. Methodology Research Survey

5. Korean names are traditionally based on Chinese characters, though some are unique Korean words The vast majority of Korean names follow a set 3 syllable format Family Name (1) + Given Name (2) One part of the given name is a generational syllable shared by all members of a given generation. Use of generational names is decreasing in the younger generation Under Japanese rule some Koreans were forced to assume a Japanese name With the growing use of English many Koreans adopt an American name as well as a Korean name Research Summary USA Bigger population, more ethnically diverse –> names from different nationalities may contribute to the statistical outlook of the American name database English names are more generic – less association and more incentive to be unique and strive for individualism Rigid rules for name selection are usually found in tradition bound societies Research shows that different states have different trends Massachusetts -> tend not to name children after their relatives; in the 19 th century Biblical names dominated Puritan New England Virginia -> biblical names are more prominent today - > Bible belt state Utah -> 2/3rds of Mormon children were named for kin KOREA

6. Survey Methodology Sample Size = 160 people (80 Americans, 80 Koreans) Surveys were given over 3-4 days in mid-March Korean survey was done at Coex Mall Only individuals with a legal Korean name were surveyed American survey was done in Normal, IL Individuals with a Korean name were omitted Subjects were given a standard explanation sheet and then orally reported to the researcher who tallied the result manually Researchers intentionally strove for a diverse age range to minimize the impact of naming trends or fads on results

8. Survey Data – Normal, IL Non-Material CultureFamily Tradition/RitualOther Factors BiblicalNamesakeUnique Legacy (Patrimony) Con- sanguine Pattern Parental preference Name Meaning Subject does not know Ages 5-1800145300 Over 185271572254 Total52819122554 %6.252.51023.751531.256.255 % by category 18.7538.7542.5

9. Survey Data – Seoul, Korea Non-Material CultureFamily Tradition/RitualOther Factors BiblicalNamesakeUnique Legacy (Patrimony) Con- sanguine Pattern Parental preference Name Meaning Subject does not know Ages 5-18008003740 Over 18003002260 Total00110059100 %0013.750073.7512.50 % by category 13.75086.25

10. Data Comparison

11. Analysis Americans demonstrated naming practices involving all seven of the categories, and Koreans demonstrated naming practices in only three categories. Parental preference was the largest factor in both Korean and American subjects. Americans had a tendency to “create” a family name through legacy naming and consanguine patterns, while Korean respondents did not demonstrate this pattern.

12. Potential Errors Researcher bias: Research was conducted prior to the survey and as a result may have subconsciously affected the way in which questions or options were presented. Though the two research groups in Seoul and Normal, Illinois discussed the desire for age variety, it was not standardized and the Seoul sample has a greater proportion of under 18 subjects. Some names are selected for multiple reasons, though respondents were only allowed to select the primary naming practice. Subjects, in some cases, may have reflected their opinion of their parents motives or naming practice rather than the actual practice used. The two researcher groups did not use a set script, so there may have been a difference in methodology. Sample size of 80 across 7 categories was rather small to draw substantial conclusions.

13. Conclusion Overall, the results seem to support our hypothesis that American parents use a greater variety of naming practices. The results also show that religious names play a larger role in America. Interestingly, though our research clearly shows a deep cultural tradition of generational naming in Korea this was not reflected in our survey sample. This suggests that perhaps the practice is so pervasive it is not part of the conscious naming practice. Further research is necessary to evaluate this claim. Parental preference dominated in both American and Korean subjects which suggests that there is a cultural transcendence within the naming process that functions independently of cultural variables such as individualism and collectivism.

14. Works Cited Darlington, Roger. "The Use of Personal Names." Roger Darlington's World. Web. http://www.rogerdarlington.co.uk/useofnames.html. Interpol, United Kingdom. “A Guide to Names and Naming Practices.” Section 28. Korean. P. 62-64. PDF. Jayson, Sharon. "USA TODAY." USATODAY.COM. USA Today, 1 Dec. 2011. Web. http://yourlife.usatoday.com/parenting-family/babies/story/2011-12-01/Pressure-is-on- parents-to-pick-perfect-name-lists-help/51512970/1. Rhymes, Besty. Naming as Social Practice: The Case of Little Creeper from Diamond Street 25.2 (1996): 237-60. JSTOR. Cambridge University Press. Web. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4168697. Rochman, Bonnie, Alice Park, and Maia Szalavitz. "Baby Name Game: How a Name Can Affect Your Child’s Future | Healthland | TIME.com." Time. Time, 2 Dec. 2011. Web. http://healthland.time.com/2011/12/02/how-baby-names-affect-your-childs-future/. Suddath, Claire. "Twilight Zone: Why Do Babies Have the Same Names?" Time. Time, 10 May 2010. Web. http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1988092,00.html.