Most names are given by the elders of the family (parents or grandparents), and some are changed by the individual after adulthood.
(1) The name reflects the personality and psychological characteristics of the person who gave it
A person's name can sometimes reflect the cultural literacy of the one who named them. People with high cultural literacy often choose names that are vivid, subtle, meaningful, and thought-provoking. This is because they often use rhetorical devices such as metaphor, symbolism, and references (classical allusions) when naming, making the name sound pleasant and interesting.
Additionally, the psychological characteristics of the one who gives the name also influence the naming process. For example, people with a strong sense of following trends may choose names that are in fashion, follow the crowd, and thus their names may be similar to others'. This phenomenon was particularly evident during the Cultural Revolution. A name may reflect the personal psychology of the one who gave it, which may be conscious or unconscious. For instance, names given by modest and cautious individuals often sound subtle and indirect, while names given by proud individuals may seem too arrogant, such as "Chaoqun" (Supreme), "Jingtian" (Amazing), or "Ruoxian" (Like a Fairy).
People who are happy and excited when naming often choose names that sound loud and clear, while those who are sad and depressed tend to choose names that sound low and dull.
(2) The name creates an expectation effect
The five thousand years of Chinese character culture have created unique forms of Han literature, such as poetry, ci (lyric poetry), qu (verse), and couplets. These literary forms are used for expressing aspirations. Naming may have been influenced by these literary forms, resulting in names that have a strong tendency toward expressing aspirations and emotions.
"Aspiration" refers to ideals and wishes; "emotion" refers to feelings and hobbies, and can also refer to thoughts and social customs. Names of this type are everywhere around us. For example, if people hope for wealth and honor, they might use the characters Fu (wealth), Gui (honor), Fu (blessing), Lu (fortune) for naming. If they hope for steady progress, they might use Sheng (promote), Zhuo (elevate), Ju (appoint), Deng (ascend). If they hope for longevity, they might use Shou (longevity), Yan Nian (prolong life), Qianqiu (eternity). If they hope for smooth sailing, peace, health, and well-being, they might use Ji (auspicious), An (peace), Heng (prosperity), Li (profit), Tong (smooth), Kang (health), Jian (strong), Qu Ji (remove illness), Qu Bing (remove disease) for naming. If they hope for a girl to be beautiful, they might use Mei (beautiful), Yan (bright), Jiao (delicate), Yan (rosy), or use names of flowers, such as Lan (orchid), Mei (plum), Ju (chrysanthemum), Lian (lotus), He (lotus), Wei (sweet osmanthus) for naming. Characters like De (virtue), Zhong (loyalty), Xiao (filial piety), Ren (benevolence), Yi (righteousness), Li (ritual), Zhi (wisdom), Xin (trustworthiness), Wen (gentle), Liang (kindness), Gong (respect), Jian (frugality), Rang (humility) express the pursuit of ethical and moral values. Names such as Xingzong (revive the clan), Yaoxian (glorify ancestors), Jizu (continue the lineage) express the hope of continuing the family line.
It seems that a name always reflects, to some extent, the expectations of parents for their children. Sometimes, it is also a change made by oneself after having a significant aspiration. In China, these expectations include hoping for sons to become outstanding, serving the people, having superior intelligence, being knowledgeable, enjoying happiness and wealth, being healthy and long-lived, having smooth sailing, possessing good character, noble qualities, strong willpower, being motivated, and having interests in careers. From the perspective of the theory of dominant motivation, if the expectations of parents are reflected in the name, they are usually strong or important expectations. Once the child is born, the parents will influence their child through their words and actions, and most children will act according to their parents' wishes. As a result, when the child grows up, they often develop personality traits consistent with the expectations reflected in their name.
The expectation reflected in the name is manifested in its meaning and intention. Whether this meaning and intention are intentional or not, it will have some impact on the growth of the person who bears the name. This impact has two aspects: first, the person who gave the name influences the person through behaviors related to the psychological intention of naming; second, the person who bears the name understands the meaning of their name, and the people around them also understand the meaning of the name, leading to corresponding behavior. If the meaning of the name is positive, it brings pleasant associations and even becomes a driving force that motivates people to strive forward. On the contrary, if the meaning of the name is negative, it leads to unpleasant associations and sometimes becomes a laughing stock. Because names have this dual associative effect and are reinforced by being called by others (or oneself), they eventually influence a person's personality, such as self-awareness, self-confidence, and inferiority complex.
The most typical reflection of expectation in names is the distinction between male and female names.
Since children are generally named by their parents or elders after birth, most names reflect the expectations of the parents or elders for the next generation. Some are changed by the individual themselves after becoming an adult, due to dissatisfaction with the name given by their parents, or due to special events, to express their own aspirations. Additionally, sometimes it is others. For example, in feudal society, emperors would rename or bestow names upon their ministers, or people would voluntarily give names to their friends. The degree of realization of expectations from these three types of name-givers, arranged by the level of rationality, should be: self-naming, naming by parents or elders, naming by others.
