1904 Novel Name of the Day

Zimon Chan, chairman and executive director, InspiringHK Sports Foundation (www.inspiringhk.org), Hong Kong 

About Novel Names
Name Category: Creation; Substitution

1903 Novel Name of the Day

Wyman Wong Wai-man (Mr), "lyricist-cum-fashion maven" (as described by SCMP), Hong Kong

Wyman Wong by Jonathan Wong 

see 0933, 0701 and 0846 Novel Names of the Day  

About Novel Names
Name Category: Creation; Phonetic-based

1902 Novel Name of the Day

Teddy Mars O Romulo, P276xxx, Notice of Bankruptcy Order in the High Court of the HKSAR Court of First Instance, Hong Kong (29 July 2016)

Note: not sure what nationality this HKID card holder is! Can anyone help?

About Novel Names
Name Category: Rare

777 Unlucky Chinese Carrie Lam

Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor will become Hong Kong's first female Chief Executive after securing 777 votes from the 1,194 member (s)election committee. The CE-elect's rivals John Tsang Chun-wah and Woo Kwok-hing gathered 365 and 21 votes, respectively.

But the important question here is: is 777 an unlucky number??

 

The current CE, the unpopular Leung Chung-yin, garnered 689 votes in the 2012 CE (s)election. Ironically, all three numbers 6,8,9 are considered lucky by Chinese but this auspicious triple number did not give much luck or goodwill to CY Leung during his tenure. 

To Chinese, the number 7 is undesirable because it sounds like "cheat". It is obvious Carrie Lam will face sarcastic "777" criticisms, particularly since she was not Hong Kong's popular choice compared with John Tsang. 

Also, there were 4 invalid votes, and we all know what that number means in Chinese culture! Death!

This blog has often commented on Silly Chinese Superstitions  and numerology is just one silly belief that is entrenched in Chinese culture. Nevertheless, because of this, there is much creativity and cleverness in how people in Hong Kong can provide social commentary about their perceptions, beliefs and feelings. Let the social commentary begin ...

1901 Novel Name of the Day

Simone Chan, K941xxx, Notice of Bankruptcy Order in the High Court of the HKSAR Court of First Instance, Hong Kong (18 November 2016)

About Novel Names
Name Category: Rare

1900 Novel Name of the Day

Wanting Qu, 32, Vancouver pop star and lover of 51-year-old Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson (reference 30 July 2016 SCMP news).

 Wanting Qu (right) with her mother, who is accused of embezzlement, bribery and abuse of power 

Another example of a mainland China novel name Jessea Lu

About Novel Names
Name Category: Creation; mainland China novel name; Phonetic-based?

1899 Novel Name of the Day

Henson Wang, 20, university student, had flown in [to Hong Kong] from Qingdao [China] and was hoping to get back to Melbourne, Australia before his classes started. His 12.30am flight, CX105, had been cancelled due to Typhoon Nida in 2016. (Reference: 1 August 2016 Typhoon Nida approaches HK)

see Jessea mainland China novel name

About Novel Names
Name Category: Creation; mainland China novel name; son-suffix

1898 Novel Name of the Day

Alvina Fok, 16-year-old 'whizz kid' and a Year 12 International Baccalaureate pupil at South Island School (Feb 2012). Alvina was one of 17 pupils in Hong Kong who achieved top scores (10 A* grades) in the Cambridge international examinations in June 2011.

see other Alvina's at 0607 and 1403 Novel Names of the Day 

About Novel Names
Name Category: Rare

Modern Standards at SCMP

For those who may not know, Mike Rowse (also known as "Mickey Mouse") from Hong Kong is a retired civil servant from the British colonial era, who probably objectifies women like any old fashioned British gentleman does.



Reference from SCMP

Note from the editor-in-chief regarding Mike Rowse’s column: ‘How women manage to dress so well in cold climes’

PUBLISHED : Friday, 17 March, 2017, 3:53pm

UPDATED : Friday, 17 March, 2017, 4:57pm

Comments:  

Note from the Editor-in-Chief

The SCMP takes very seriously our role as a forum for meaningful discourse in society. We welcome diverse views and never shy away from controversial issues. However, we will not be a platform that perpetuates the objectification of women, nor the demeaning of any group in society.

In this case, our online posting of the column “How Hong Kong women manage to dress so well in cold climes” represented a serious lapse in judgement. We realised shortly after posting the column online that it did not meet our high standards. We removed the article from our website and deleted the relevant Facebook post and tweet as soon as was practicable. We also removed it from the list of articles to be published in the next morning’s print edition.

We did so not because the article was controversial, but rather because it goes against the SCMP’s editorial and company values. We have notified the author of our decision and stand by it.

We take full responsibility for this mistake and apologise to our readers for not living up to the standards that they deserve from us.

Tammy Tam,

Editor-in-Chief

1897 Novel Name of the Day

Sunny Chan Dart-sun, restaurateur, Slow Experience (organic food) cafe, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

Note: could have named himself Datsun!

About Novel Names
Name Category: Phonetic-based; Somewhat common in Hong Kong

1896 Novel Name of the Day

Howie Lee, Ma On Shan, Hong Kong (SCMP letters 20 August 2011)

see 1093 and 1175 Novel Names of the Day 

About Novel Names
Name Category: Rare

Vanity Car Plate: CHAMPION

Champ or Chump?

About car plate, licence plate, number plate, registration plate, vanity plate

More Vanity Car Plates

1895 Novel Name of the Day

Athena Chu Yan, actress, Hong Kong and new face for American skincare brand Kiehl

 Athena Chu visits the Spastics Association's Shek Wai Kok kindergarten (Feb 2012)

About Novel Names
Name Category: Rare; Self-important

Brain Surgeon Cuts Wrong Side of Patient’s Head

A neurosurgeon in Hong Kong made a major medical blunder when performing urgent brain surgery on a 54-year-old woman at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

The right craniotomy began on the patient's left side of her skull with the neurosurgeon removing a bone flap. The anaesthetist realised the error during the operation, at which time the neurosurgeon replaced the left bone flap, while a second neurosurgeon performed the craniotomy on the right side of the patient's skull.

Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong

UPDATE UPDATE

A Hong Kong brain surgeon who operated on the wrong side of a patient’s skull may have made a crucial error well before surgery even began, according to the city’s health minister.

Secretary for the Food and Health Dr Ko Wing-man described an incident at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in which the left side of a 54-year-old woman’s skull was cut open instead of the right, as “a serious mishap”.

He stressed that doctors had followed procedure prior to the surgery, but it was possible the doctor involved wrongly identified the correct side of the skull from the brain scan images.

Update Reference (SCMP) 11 March 2017, 11:38pm




Reference: (SCMP.com)

Hong Kong brain surgeon operates on wrong side of patient’s skull

The medical mistake was promptly corrected and the patient’s family informed, according to the Hospital Authority; a probe is under way

PUBLISHED : Saturday, 11 March, 2017, 8:33am

Comments: 8 

Christy Leung

 

A serious medical blunder at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in which a doctor operated on the wrong side of a patient’s skull, has led to an investigation by the facility.

The doctor cut open the left side of a woman’s skull, when it was actually the right side that was bleeding and in need of surgery.

The 54-year-old woman was transferred to Queen Elizabeth Hospital on Tuesday night.

A brain scan conducted the next day showed that the patient suffered from an aneurysm in the right brain causing an increase in intracranial pressure.

The woman was battling a critical and life-threatening situation.

“The neurosurgeon arranged an urgent craniotomy to drain the cerebrospinal fluid to release high intracranial pressure, but removed a bone flap on the left side of the skull inadvertently,” the Hospital Authority said in a statement on Friday.

The surgeon only realised the mistake when an anaesthetist spotted the error while reviewing the report during the operation.

“The neurosurgeon immediately placed back the bone flap on the left side of the skull while another neurosurgeon performed a right craniotomy.

“The neurosurgical team explained the situation to the patient’s family in the afternoon on the same day,” the statement further read.

The correct operation drained the patient’s cerebrospinal fluid and removed blood clots. A clipping of the aneurysm – to prevent risks from bleeding – was also performed.

The authority said the hospital noted that the medical team had provided prompt clinical treatment to the patient and that it had apologised for the mistake.

The patient is still hospitalised and in a stable condition.

The authority is expected to receive the investigation report in eight weeks.

1894 Novel Name of the Day

Ki Ki Chu Yuen-tung, Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong (SCMP letters 29 Sept 2011)

About Novel Names
Name Category: Creation

1893 Novel Name of the Day

Miki Lee Yuk-kuen, founder and president, Hong Kong Memory Study Association, Hong Kong

Japanese and Hawaiian origin, and the meaning of Miki is "three trees together; quick, nimble".

see Mikki Yao

About Novel Names
Name Category: Rare

1892 Novel Name of the Day

Kitty Poon Kit (Dr), undersecretary for the environment, Hong Kong

see 1170 and 0083 Novel Names of the Day

About Novel Names
Name Category: Brand-based; Phonetic-based?; somewhat common in Hong Kong

HKSARblog moving to www.NOVELNAME.com

Effective now, this blog has its own custom domain name at: www.NovelName.com

Please be kind enough to amend your bookmarks, links, blogfeeds, etc. Thank you!!

1891 Novel Name of the Day

Kineta Hung, professor, Hong Kong Baptist University

Greek origin, and the meaning of Kineta is "active", from the same root as "kinetic".

About Novel Names
Name Category: Rare

1890 Novel Name of the Day

Kandy Chan, Corporate Communications Manager at Cathay Pacific Airways, Hong Kong (Sept 2004)

About Novel Names
Name Category: Rare

About Notable Names

This public collection of weird names began because it was noticeable that people in Hong Kong have a high proportion of notable English first names that are, to say the least, creative, funny and even daring. They stand out amongst traditional and somewhat ordinary (or common) names like Elizabeth, Margaret, Thomas and William.

For instance, a pre-2007 analysis of registered solicitors in Hong Kong revealed 2.5% (i.e. 143 out of 5,707) have notable names. These are legal professionals who consciously like to be called Alcid, Baptista, Crimean, Ferant, Kiril, Tennessy, Urania, Wimmie and Winchester. Where else in the world are there a bunch of educated, smart professionals who have silly first names? A more recent observation in 2017 shows 19% (8 out of 43) of people working within a charity group called InspiringHK have notable names. Chances are for every 5 or 6 people you meet in Hong Kong, at least one will possess a weird and notable name.

A Notable Name here is defined as uncommon, unusual or unique. Over the years in Hong Kong, I have collected a fair number of notable names (which is why this site features a regular "Notable Name of the Day" post).



Possessing a notable name is a phenomenon that is observed most frequently among Hong Kong Chinese, whereas it is relatively less common to spot a notable name among, say, mainland Chinese, Singapore Chinese and Taiwanese (although in all likelihood there will be a growing number of people from China, Singapore and Taiwan who will probably choose interesting "Western" names too). But what is it about the psyche of Hong Kong Chinese that compels them to lead the way in creating and using odd-sounding notable names? Some academics (featured here) have had a crack at explaining this phenomenon.

From my understanding, when individuals in a society are unaware or are ignorant of name rules or memes (due to English being a second or foreign language) then, depending on how that society regards the values of "creativity" and "conformity", there will be individuals who will adopt rare, uncommon names (e.g. Adolph) and perhaps even create their own notable names (e.g. Alnwick). Dare I ask whether expressions of creativity and free thought are relatively more common in Hong Kong compared with, say, Singapore and mainland China?

There are other possible reasons (e.g. mainland Chinese are relative latecomers in adopting English first names, Singaporeans have a relatively better grasp of traditional English, etc). It would be fascinating to hear other people's thoughts on this, so here are other articles about the subject of Notable Names: What's in a Hong Kongers Name? (SCMP.com); Hong Kong Loves Weird Names (The Atlantic); Your Name Reveals More Than You Think (BBC.com) and Hilarious English Names Chinese People Choose (TheWorldOfChinese.com).

In the meantime, I hope this site's "Notable Name of the Day" feature will bring enjoyment, laughter and curiosity to readers.


HOW YOU CAN HELP
If you come across any strange, weird names that really stand out, please pass it on to this site (email: spotshk at gmail.com); you will be credited. If you can include the person's full name, occupation, location and if possible a photo or a reference link, that would be extremely helpful. Thank you!

Disclaimer: To the best of our knowledge all Notable Names or Novel Names or HKSAR Names on this site represent real people with legitimate and officially-recognized names.  

NOVEL NAME CATEGORIES (of mutations)

Brand-based (e.g. Kitty, Mercedes, Fanta, etc)

Complete Creation (e.g. Quesifer, Esvin, Evon)

Creation (e.g. Chlorophyll)

Deletion (e.g. Phenix, Daris)

Geography-based (e.g. Chelsea, Brooklyn)

Insertion (e.g. Shally, Aprille)

Job-based (e.g. Mango for a chef, Vinci for Southeby's worker, etc)

 

Literature-based (e.g. Ulysses, Byron, Dumas)

Name-son; son-suffix (e.g. Revson, Kenson)

Nature-based (e.g. Apple, Koala, Daffodil, etc)

Phonetic-based (e.g. Hacken, Sherlock)

Self-Important (e.g. Adolf, Athena, Caesar, Cleopatra, Wise, etc)

Substitution (e.g. Alax, Ulfred)

Translocation (single, double, multiple) (e.g. Gloris)

Related Posts:

Literature-based Novel Names

Monster Novel Name Grabs Media Spotlight

0649 HKSAR Name of the Day

0324 HKSAR Name of the Day (see comments, which are insightful)

Picking and Choosing Names: Korea

Mr Bean On Silly Names

About Novel HKSAR Names (see comments, which are insightful)



 
Other people's thoughts on novel names:

What's in a Hong Kongers Name? (SCMP.com)

Hong Kong Loves Weird English Names (The Atlantic) 

Your Name Reveals More Than You Think (BBC.com)

Mun Yin Liu: Why are Hong Kong names so weird?  (CNN Travel)
 
Shanghai Surprise
 
Named

What's in a name?

What Are the Weird English Names of Chinese People?

Funny English Names by Hong Kong People

10 Weird Things About Hong Kong that FREAK OUT Foreigners

Hilarious English Names Chinese People Choose

1889 Novel Name of the Day

Newman Lam, lawyer, Hong Kong representing 74-year-old mainland farmer Zhu Rongchang who became the first person to be jailed for burning the national flag in Hong Kong (Sept 2011)

About Novel Names
Name Category: Rare