My Name


 

ESL 100

Wei Li

January/15/2026

Awesome Name

       My name is Wei Li (威李). It is a Chinese name, so when it is translated into English, it sounds weird.  I never asked my parents or family why they named me “Wei Li”.  However, I remember my father told me the word “Wei” means awesome.  In Chinese, Wei (威) also means power, prestige, and majesty, so my father hoped that I would be a great person.  To be honest, I don’t think there was a history or story behind my name because it’s not unique, but my father told my he had another option for my name when I was born.  Unfortunately, he didn’t use that one because he didn’t like the way it sounded.  On the other hand, I have an English name which is full of story.  When I knew I would come to U.S., I realized I needed a new name, an English name.  I thought a lot and found names such as Mike, Carl, William, because I wanted to sound like an American.  Finally, I chose David, not only because it is common and it sounds like an American, but also my father usually calls me “Da Wei (大威)”.  This story goes all the way back to my childhood.  I have a younger brother.  In Chinese, “Da (大)” can mean older, and my father combined “Da” and my first name “Wei” together to give me a nick name “Da Wei”, which sounds like “David”.  Because of these, I chose David to be my English name.  In summary , even though my name is not very important, the story that behind it makes it meaningful and vivid.

Comments

  1. Naila BencellaFebruary 5, 2026 at 12:44 PM

    The meaning of your Chinese name is really powerful. Combining it to your nickname to choose your American one is really well thought, and more than awesome. Thank you for sharing your beautiful story.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Aria HuangFebruary 6, 2026 at 7:59 PM

    The connection between your Chinese name and your English name makes your name special and thoughtful!

    ReplyDelete
  3. QitingFebruary 6, 2026 at 9:48 PM

    WOW! The story behind your English name is really interesting.

    ReplyDelete

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