1. Introduction

1.1 Research background

Name is an important symbol of individual identification in human society, which has special functions that cannot be replaced by any other symbols. Besides, it is a kind of cultural phenomenon beyond time and space. In the perspective of historical development, name is not only a symbol of individuals, but also the epitome of the specific region and period of time. In the view of humanities, name embodies the emotion and hope of human. As a significant part of the history and culture, name is intensely connected with social practice of human society. Derived from two distinct historical and social background, it is inevitable that Chinese nation and the Great Britain differentiate them for each other in the name culture. However, due to the similarity of the process of human society, the Chinese and English names, to some extent, share some features in common.

Chinese family name rooted in the tribal totems, which were the symbol of the primitive tribes. In ancient times, the Chinese family name had two types. One was called ”xing” and the other is ”shi”. ”Xing” deprived from matriarchal society, served as the title of family to distinguish different tribal groups. Since the Western Zhou Dynasty (c.11th century-771B.C) , along with natural increase and movement of the population as well as emergence and development of new occupations, the descendants of the same clan ancestors gradually divided into a number of smaller groups. Originated in the male line,”Shi”, emerged as the branch of the ”Xing” to satisfy the need of the divisions. In essence, both ”Xing” and ”Shi” were products of the feudal development. For a long time, only the nobility could use the family name, while the common people just had names, which marked the person#8217;s identity, rather than his social status. After the Han Dynasty, Chinese family name gradually became the norm and generally used by the public, having formed the name foundations of the Chinese nation.

Similar to Chinese name, the family name didn#8217;t existed in the English name in the beginning until the Norman conquest of England in 1066. Since then, the Anglo Saxons nobility, the British ancestors, began to employ the family names to represent their patriarchal clans. At first, the family name was used to commemorate the glories of family honors. Yet as the memorable surname was passed down generation by generation, it was gradually considered as conventions. Around mid-thirteenth century, the common people began to adopt the surname time. In avoidance of the sameness, an increasing number of new surnames sprout up. Different from Chinese surnames, which were often granted by monarchs, most English surnames were created by the common people based on their preferences.

After eighteenth Century, with the colonial development of the British Empire, the English surname spread to the United States, Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and other English speaking countries. Thus, the existing family names passing down from the ancestors couldn#8217;t meet the huge requirements of the rapidly expanding nation. Numerous new surnames came into use, of which many surnames deprived from local name culture. This phenomenon can be seen as the initial cultural exchange between the Great Britain and other parts of the world, and it indeed enriched the English naming culture. Coincidentally, Chinese naming culture also exerted an huge impact on the surrounding countries, like the South Korea, Democratic People#8217;s Republic of Korea, Vietnam and Malaysia.

Through the research on the emergence and development of the Chinese and English names, we found that although the Chinese name culture is different from the English, it still share something common with its counterparts. This thesis intend to investigate the similarities and differences of the two name cultures and find out the factors causing the disparities.

1.2 Need for the study

Theoretically speaking, this thesis can give scholars more hints at studying cultural differences in Chinese and English names from new research perspectives. A new classification of names will be adopted in the thesis, which can provide a new thinking in the comparison of name culture. Last but not least, readers can have a comprehensive understanding of Chinese and English name culture and the deeper knowledge of the cultural differences.

Practically speaking, with the elevation of the culture in promoting the economic development, the public will attach greater and greater importance to the cultural research. What#8217;s more, in the recent years, the increasing intercultural communications require more guides from the theoretical level. Name is the window of individuals. In the foreign-contacts, if we can learn something from the persons#8217; name, we may forecast the cultural and social background of person, which can facilitate the exchanges of both sides.