Chinese people often take a "yingwen ming" or "English name" in order to help foreign friends or potential employers who struggle to pronounce or remember their Mandarin⁴ ones.

 

But such names were often appallingly⁵ chosen, said Lindsay Jernigan, who was born in Memphis but spent six years living in St John's Wood, London.

 

Hoping to change that, Ms Jernigan recently launched BestEnglishName.Com, a website designed to help Chinese name-seekers avoid embarrassment⁶.

 

"We can help you find a name that is cool and unique but that won't make Westerners feel uneasy," the website promises.

 

Ms Jernigan, who lives in Shanghai, said poorly chosen names could lead to their owners being "marginalised" or "laughed at behind their backs".

 

"Your name is your first impression, it is what people are going to remember you by, it is your personal brand. So if you have one that makes people uncomfortable or is just completely confusing then it is going to be a barrier in all future conversations, introductions or relationships."

 

For 15 yuan, visitors to the website can take a quiz that supplies them with five "automatically generated names" that have been vetted⁷ by the company.

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