Roy? An English Name or A Chinese Name?

Well, Roy is what my friends, relatives, coworkers usually call me, and I've got used to this name for almost 2 decades.

Hong Kongers usually give themselves an English name when they are in secondary schools. Many modern families would give their children an English name by birth.

When I was in Form 2, (equivalent to the 8th Grade in American education system), my uncle suggested "Roy" to me.

Why "Roy"?

I was sold on the beautiful signature design which my uncle drafted. The name "Roy" was used.

Do you have a Chinese name?

Yes, I do have a Chinese name.

My surname is Chan, which would be spelled as Chen, or Tran if I were born in China or Vietnam, respectively. They refer to the common surname, same as Smith in the Western world.

I used to have difficulty to understand why "last name", "surname name" or "family name" would refer as the same thing.

Why would "Last Name" goes in front of any given name? In Chinese, family name goes first.

At some point in time, it was really confusing, to me.

Jokes On The Chan

"Chan" is a common surname.

As my sister-in-law often comments, she feels herself married to half of the Chinese population, when someone calls her "Mrs. Chan" :)

You will get a lot of attention, if you call someone as "Mr. Chan" in the middle of Ladies' Street in Mong Kok.