Councilman Anglicizes his Vietnamese 1st name
Like other politicians, Truong Diep says change is for ease.
WESTMINSTER – Truong Diep, the city's newly elected councilman who won a close race in November, has changed his Vietnamese first name to one he believes is much easier and convenient for city staff and his constituents: Tyler.
Diep made the switch last week, but says he plans to officially change his name in the next couple of months.
Tyler was a name, Diep said, he used briefly as a college intern.
"I worked as a receptionist in a predominantly Caucasian area and no one really got my name," he said. "So I just started to call myself Tyler."
He said he liked the sound of that name because it wasn't too commonplace. But Diep, a public administration major from San Diego State University and a politics junkie, also liked it because it was the last name of a former United States president, John Tyler.
Switching from ethnic to Anglicized first names is hardly uncommon in the political arena. There are many examples in Orange County politics. Andy Quach, Diep's fellow councilman, did the same when he became a naturalized citizen.
"Having a recognizable name just makes things friendlier and more welcoming for everybody," said Quach, whose Vietnamese name is Tuan Ngoc.
The change will hopefully help city staff members and others pronounce and spell his name correctly, Diep said.
Name changing is a trend among younger generations of Asian Americans, not just Vietnamese Americans, said Linda Vo, chair of Asian American Studies at UC Irvine.
"With Vietnamese people in particular, a common reason to change names is because there are so many common first and last names that there is too much confusion and misidentification," she said. "When you pick an Anglo name, it reduces that confusion."
Diep said his parents and friends understand the reason for the change and have accepted it.
"For an immigrant kid who came to this country at the age of 8 with nothing more than the baggage we brought along, this has been an awesome experience," says Diep, one of the youngest city officials in Orange County at the age of 25.
"This is another way of showing my appreciation for this country that has given me so much already."
It is fashionable among politicians to make a switch from a Vietnamese to an "American" name before an election, Vo said. But in Diep's case, it is different because he did it after he won a close election, she said.
"He already had name recognition," Vo said.
Diep's name was never an issue politically, says Assemblyman Van Tran, who is Diep's boss and political mentor.
"He won every election with his Vietnamese name even when he was the underdog," said Tran, who is one of the few Vietnamese American politicians who did not go for the name change.
"He's been doing pretty well as Truong and he'll continue to do well as Tyler."
Contact the writer: 714-445-6685 or dbharath@ocregister.co
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What do you all think about Diep changing his name? Do you think he should have done it? How can you relate REACH!'s meeting on "generational gap" to this article? Tell us what you think!
-PA
I understand Diep’s explanations as to why he changed his name, but I personally don’t think it was necessary. I remember in elementary school, my dad gave my sisters and I the opportunity to change our Vietnamese names to an American name. I was tempted to change my name because it was annoying how my name was butchered. I told everyone to pronounce my name as “Naw” because the real pronunciation was too hard. However, because of the spelling, people would butcher it in other ways saying “Nuhgah, Inga, etc..” However, in the end, my sisters and I chose to keep our Vietnamese names, a decision I am very proud of. I would much rather have everyone else pronouncing my name wrong than having an American name that my own parents would pronounce incorrectly. Our name is our identity, and I am proud to be identified as Vietnamese. I don’t agree with Quach when he says that having a recognizable name is more friendly. So does that mean that ethnic names are hostile?! The most obvious example of a generation gap regarding this topic would be the difference in our names. Parents who have non-American names go under one category and their children with American names go under another category, thus increasing the gap. I understand parents who are trying to assimilate to the American culture, but I feel that our names are something that shouldn’t be compromised.
ReplyDelete-Quỳnh Nga