International Programs

This project discusses the topic of personal names and the cultures of different
peoples and their particularities, specifically in Vietnam and Denmark. The first part of
this paper gives a brief history of naming traditions (mostly relating to Western European
traditions). The second part of the paper compares two families of different ancestries
(the Trbhs and the Albertsons) and their naming strategies as they immigrated to the
United States. By looking at the names given to each child in the Trinh family in different
generations, it is possible to describe the merging process taking place between the
Vietnamese and American cultures. Likewise, with the Albertson family, it is possible to
describe their family history by looking at their surnames over the generations as they
immigrated to America from Denmark. Materials cited in this research include personal
interviews, books on culture and language (in English and Vietnamese), as well as
various data records (in English and Danish).