3

A dear friend of mine is from Vietnam. In one of our conversations, I asked her whether I can call her "ABC", but she replied that is my domestic name.

Maybe what she meant by domestic name is the name that her family calls her by. I am wondering whether she is correct in her English when she used the words "my domestic name".

3
  • 2
    I fail to see why people hesitate. We don't say domestic name in English. We say nickname. She means a name her family calls her, or, I imagine, close friends, too.
    – Lambie
    Sep 29, 2016 at 18:31
  • What was the context where you heard the name ABC, and what is (a good stand-in for) the name you usually call her? These answers might help give a better idea of context, and thus better answers. For example, another possibility that hasn't come up yet is that she makes a distinction between her Vietnamese name and a more English-friendly name, and is somehow using domestic in the sense of foreign vs domestic (as in domestic policy).
    – 1006a
    Sep 29, 2016 at 22:22
  • @200_sucess, Please don't report my question as duplicate. My post was about using the terminology "domestic name". And I think this was never asked before. So I request you to remove the duplicate tag from my post and the link to a similar question and its answer.
    – Syed Ahmed
    Oct 2, 2016 at 16:21

4 Answers 4

9

Because English is so universally spoken, one challenge is that it has to accommodate many different nationalities and cultures. So while there are certain "standard" parts of a name (first/given name, middle name, surname/family name, suffix), it's possible that some cultures will have special naming distinctions that may or may not relate to other cultures.

However, Wikipedia says that Vietnamese expect to be called by their given name, even in formal occasions. Since the order of their names follows the Chinese pattern of family-name first, you may have mistaken her family name for her first name. So by "domestic name", she probably meant "family name".

To finish a roundabout answer to your question: "domestic name" doesn't sound right, possibly because it sounds like "domesticated", as in "domesticated animals" (cows, dogs, cats, chickens, etc.) Ordinarily you wouldn't call a person "domesticated" unless you meant to imply something fairly negative. The usual way to say this in English is "family name", or "surname".

4
  • 1
    Indeed, in British English not so long ago, 'domestic' meant 'household servant'.
    – TonyK
    Sep 29, 2016 at 17:46
  • 2
    We can't know that. She could mean nickname, used at home.
    – Lambie
    Sep 29, 2016 at 18:32
  • @Lambie see my first point about different cultures with different naming conventions. It's possible for some cultures to have an "internal" name that only close family use. However, Wikipedia makes no mention of this practice in Vietnamese culture, so my educated guess is "family name" and not "nickname".
    – Andrew
    Sep 29, 2016 at 18:38
  • 1
    Coming from a country nearby, I think it's most likely that by "domestic" she meant "at home", i.e., the name that she's only called when she's at home. So, I agree with Lambie. Sep 29, 2016 at 19:30
4

That's impossible to say without knowing something about Vietnamese culture. She may be referring to her given name or you may have used a diminutive form that only family and close friends may use, or you may have used her family name when you should have used her given name. You really need to ask her for clarification.

In English (Christian) culture we have:

  • Given names (or first names - these always come first)
  • Middle names (sometimes called Christian names - there may be none or many)
  • Surnames (or last names, family names - these always come last)
  • Diminutives (or pet names, nicknames - these can be used instead of given names)

Christian names are the names that you are baptised with. They can be first names and/or middle names.

Diminutives are used by lovers, family, friends or even colleagues. You may have the same diminutive for everyone's use (I do - see my username) or special diminutives for certain people.

3

Without knowing all the specifics I would say that "Domestic Name" is incorrect.

There are two probable situations that I can think of. The first being that she (like most Vietnamese) has her Family name, then her given name. What she was trying to say is that you used her family name, when her given name was more appropriate.

Or, you called her by a name that only her close family or husband may use. A nickname, or familiar name, that is rude for anyone else to use besides her husband or close family.

The general rules are that a Family name is passed on to children. All members of the same family share the family name (ignoring marriage)

A given name, is the individual name. This name is specific to each person.

A nickname is a name given to someone by someone else. Usually a joke, jest, affectionate, or personal name. Common ones that would not be acceptable to strangers and friends would be things like "baby", "cupcake", "honey", "love", "darling" etc. etc. Some times though these can be odd. They may even be part of a real name. I have a friend named Richard, his wife calls him Dick. Though a normal shortening of the name, he doesn't like it when others call him by that name.

Short version, Domestic name doesn't sound right. Unless she is trying to say that the name you used may only be used by her husband and children. Even then, it's an odd way to say it. She probably meant "Family name" or "private nickname".

1
  • However, I do actually quite like it as a term. "No, that's my domestic name" is shrouded in mystery, intrigue and implied complexity ... it comes off a lot less complainy than "no, that's my nickname" (which, to me, just says "we're not friends mate - do one"). Sep 29, 2016 at 19:47
3

I am wondering whether she is correct in her English when she used the words "my domestic name".

No. That is not common English and most native speakers would be as confused as you are by what she meant.

Google's NGrams shows basically no hits for "domestic name"

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .