Many students whose names have been misspelled or mispronounced at establishments such as Starbucks consider it to be a form of assimilation. Names are a part of one’s cultural identity, and being forced to alter it can negatively impact students who experience name assimilation.
Students with ethnic names have been forced to change their names to assimilate into American culture by anglicizing them, or making them more English-sounding.
Many students feel the need to alter the pronunciation of their name to make it more palatable, or even to adopt an entirely new Americanized name.
“I don’t want to feel compelled to adopt a cover name in place of the beautiful name my mother carefully chose, imbued with meaning and beauty. I wish I didn’t have to change my name for anyone, but in today’s society, name assimilation, nicknames, and that ‘look’ I get for being different and special have become normalized to the point of no return,” said Gül Surucu, a sophomore at Carlmont High School.
Name assimilation is characteristic of racial discrimination within the classroom, which many generations of immigrants face due to their ethnic names. Although many students choose to change their names, this change is primarily motivated by concerns that they will not fit in with their American classmates otherwise, or due to their ethnic name being frequently mispronounced.
“I would define name assimilation as someone either willingly changing their name to be more in line with the country or language that they’re participating in, or the country itself taking it upon itself to change that person’s name to fit with their current standards. I think both are harmful, because you’re either making a conscious choice to change your name and your identity, or the country is taking it upon itself to change who you are in an effort to fit in with their model and their mold,” said Dina Cousin, an ethnic studies teacher at Carlmont High School.
Many other students with frequently mispronounced names have similar experiences, sometimes choosing to simplify their names to make it easier for others to pronounce.
“I make an effort to avoid adopting an American accent when introducing myself in the hopes that others will pronounce my name correctly. I only shorten my name in minor situations, like getting a reservation at a restaurant, where I’ll go by ‘Sue’ just to make it easier for the other person,” said Supriti Bhopale, a junior at Carlmont High School.
However, many believe that the mispronunciation of names is not necessarily a reflection of assimilation but rather a language constraint.
“A lot of the names that we have that we struggle to pronounce are a struggle because the English language doesn’t have the framework to pronounce those names. It might not necessarily be someone attempting to be disrespectful, but the English language is limited, and therefore, just like any other language, is limited by its own constructs,” Cousin said.
Students with ethnic names often get used to mispronunciations for this reason, and do not view unintentional alterations to be a form of assimilation.
“I’m pretty accustomed to my name being mispronounced, so I typically don’t mind it. I’ve heard some pretty egregious mispronunciations of my name, but those don’t impact me that much. On the other hand, it’s exciting when someone is able to pronounce my name properly on the first try,” Bhopale said.
However, students are often upset by the assimilation of their names, whether they choose to change them by choice or due to societal pressure.
“I personally believe my name is beautiful, but in school and to those who are American, I resort to being called ‘Gul’ or ‘gool’, which distorts the sound of my name, which originally has a soft, feminine, and almost poetic quality with a Turkish accent. This transformation makes it sound out of place, crude, and harsh,” Surucu said.
“Gül, in Turkish, means rose — a symbol of beauty, love, and elegance. I’m deeply unhappy with the way I changed a part of my identity to conform to societal expectations, and I firmly believe this is a form of name assimilation,” Surucu said.
According to an article published in Labor Economics, the majority of U.S. immigrants in the early 1900s adopted common American first names, which were associated with a more successful assimilation.
However, students today are determined to hold on to their original names and the cultural identity their names carry with them.
“My name helps me take pride in my Indian culture by connecting me with my heritage and religion. I enjoy having a traditional Indian name because it reminds me of my grandparents and my love for my family,” Bhopale said. “However, my name is mispronounced most of the time, as the soft ‘thee’ sound is not common in many American names, so I often get ‘Sue-pree-dee’ rather than ‘Sue-pree-thee.’”
“While it saddens me to see others feel like they have to change their name to assimilate, I fully understand the rationale behind name assimilation. Having an ethnic name can create unnecessary barriers in social situations, especially for children who are introducing themselves or for adults applying for jobs, for instance,” Bhopale said. “I’d like to think that we’ve progressed enough as a country to be inclusive of all names, but I acknowledge that isn’t the case nationally.”
Despite the progress the country has made recently, the United States has a long history of name assimilation, starting from America’s early days as a British colony.
“Name assimilation has been in the United States for years. You have Native Americans having their names changed when they’re forced to go to boarding schools. You have people’s names being changed at immigration ports like Ellis Island and Angel Island, and whether it was because the person that was working immigration didn’t know how to write that person’s name, or they just had the thought of ‘we can change your name,’ both are negative,” Cousin said.
However, due to the large number of immigrants now residing in the country, America is often viewed as a melting pot of different cultures, perspectives, and names brought to the nation.
“I think the United States finds itself in an extraordinary position of having such a diverse set of people that live here with diverse languages and diverse cultures. It’s trying to balance maintaining its own identity as a nation while also being accommodating of the different people that live here,” Cousin said.
Anglicization of names goes beyond avoiding discrimination and having an easier-to-pronounce name. According to the American Economic Review, applicants with white-sounding names received 50% more callbacks for jobs than those with distinctive African American names.
“There’s something known as unconscious bias that plays into this, where when we see names that we are not familiar with, we then tend to become more scrutinizing of that name and who that person is, even though they might be 100% qualified for the job,” Cousin said.
Students hope that in the future, schools and workplaces will stress the importance of correctly pronouncing names and resisting assimilation. They also hope that other establishments such as Starbucks and fast-food restaurants will make more of an effort to stay true to their customers’ ethnic names.
“Encouraging cultural and ethnic clubs at the school level is an excellent way to preserve cultural names. Creating a school atmosphere that celebrates cultural diversity and respect is essential to countering name assimilation for youth,” Bhopale said.
Although there is more work to be done to ensure name assimilation is not considered a requirement for those with ethnic names, most continue to agree that it is important for those with such names to stay true to themselves and their identity.
“Our names, typically, are the first things that we share with other people. So if we walk away from that, or we change it to fit into a certain mold, then we are just buying into that rhetoric, voluntarily or involuntarily,” Cousin said.