Which Name Combo Looks and Sounds Better?

General Name Discussion
1

I’m having a baby girl that will be due soon. Her dad is Vietnamese so I am picking a Vietnamese middle name and an Anglicized first name for her.

I really like the name Tien and was even thinking about choosing Tien as her first name. However, since it is not an Anglicized name, my mother told me she was afraid that my daughter would encounter some discrimination when she applies for jobs in the future.

I am thinking of naming her either [name_u]Tracy[/name_u] Tien Tran or Tien [name_u]Tracy[/name_u] Tran? What do you think? I would love to hear opinions and suggestions.

Thank you!

2

Honestly, I think I would use Tien as the first name. I’m not a fan of [name_u]Tracy[/name_u] because it feels so 1970s. If a future employer tosses your daughter’s résumé because she has a Vietnamese name, it’s for the better. Would you really want your daughter working for such a prejudiced person?

3

I definitely understand the resume issue. Name discrimination happens every day, however, I don’t agree that names should be watered down so they’re perceived as white. I like Tien as her first name. If she worries, she can always use [name_u]Tracy[/name_u] on resumes or it’s common for “foreign” names and names perceived as female to be shortened to initials, so T. T. Tran.

4

I would use Tien as a first name. I know a Tien at college with me and she’s wonderful. So professional, knowledgable, beautiful, intelligent, and Vietnamese. I really like it, spunky, underused, ages well, go for it.

5

You’re right. Thank you for your opinion!

6

So would you think that the name Tien doesn’t sound too foreign and shouldn’t bring some disadvantages to her in the future?

7

Aw, I personally really like the name as well. It’s good to know that such a non-Anglicized name didn’t cause your friend any troubles. Thanks for sharing!

8

I don’t see any disadvantages. I think that Tien is unique, yet won’t cause any problems. To me it personally looks unisex but sounds feminine. Advantage wise, I think on paper a person might not know if she is a girl or boy, and maybe make it a little less gender bias?

9

I think our children’s generation is going to be so racially diverse it won’t matter! Also names are becoming so diverse now that using an ethnically tied name isn’t a big deal. I’m a believer in if you love a name use it!