Hong Kong name

Personal names in Hong Kong generally contain differences from those in mainland China due to the use of Hong Kong Cantonese language, ethnic diversity, and the presence of English as a second language.

An example of a Hong Kong name in English is Carrie LAM CHENG Yuet-ngor, which follows the English name + Hong Kong Cantonese Surname + Personal Name format. The surname is located in the middle of the name, which is usually capitalised.

Generally, the Cantonese majority employ one or another romanization of Cantonese.[1] However, non-Cantonese immigrants may retain their hometown spelling in English. For example, use of Shanghainese romanization in names is more common in Hong Kong English than in official use in Shanghai where pinyin has been used since the founding of the People's Republic of China.[2]

Chinese names and sometimes Chinese surnames in Hong Kong may be supplemented by or replaced by an English name when using English. As with the unrelated actors Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and Tony Leung Ka-fai, Hong Kong names may follow an English personal name + Cantonese family name + Cantonese personal name format. The use of English names in Hong Kong is not well researched or documented.[3] English names in Hong Kong can include names that are not often found in the Western world, with some examples being Rimsky Yuen, York Chow, and Moses Chan. Inspiration for English names in Hong Kong can come from the names of months, sports brands, and luxury labels. More conventional English names can undergo distortion by the adding, substitution, or deletion of letters (e.g. Sonija, Garbie, Kith), as well using suffixes like -son (e.g. Rayson). They also sometimes come from mimicking the sounds of the Chinese name, like Hacken Lee from Lee Hak-kan (李克勤).[4] These categories (addition, substitution, phonetic-based, etc.) are the fundamental ways of generating creative Hong Kong names.[5]

Hong Kongers may also append a middle name. For example, the 4th Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet Ngor, Yuet Ngor is her given name, Cheng being her maiden name, Lam being the surname of her spouse.