Nearly 3590 Chinese people share the name Aoyun, or "Olympics", according to a report released by the website id5.cn on Tuesday.
The graph posted on id5.com on October 23, 2007 shows the numbers of people having the five Chinese surnames "Bei", "Jing", "Ao", "Yun", and "Hui". Those with the familiy name "Yun" are ranked first, followed by "Ao", "Hui", "Jing" and "Bei". [id5.cn/chinadaily.com.cn] |
It also goes on to say that all of the five Chinese characters "Bei, Jing, Ao, Yun, Hui," which together mean "Beijing Olympic Games", are currently among China's 4,100 surnames. Some 16,609 people have the family name Yun, followed by Ao, then Hui, Jing, and Bei.
"These statistics are all provided by China's Identification Numbers Search Service Center under Ministry of Public Security," adds the report.
In addition, many more men have the given name "Aoyun" than women. Statistics show there are 3,216 men with the name "Olympics", 1,000 percent more than women. "In Chinese parents' minds, a man should be more athletic and fonder of the Olympics," explains id5.cn.
Meanwhile, the survey predicts next year will see a rise in the number of people bearing the name "Olympics", as more potential parents are trying to have "Olympic babies." A recent report by chinadaily.com.cn says many Chinese couples are trying to have an "Olympic baby" delivered at 8:08 pm, on August 8, 2008, when the opening ceremonies begin.
Currently there are 100 frequently used surnames out of the existing 4,100, which accounts for 84.77 percent of the population.
As a result, repetition is one of the problems facing parents as well as public institutions. Parents try to choose original or significant first names for their babies, hoping their children will stand out from others. In an extreme case, a Chinese couple tried to name their baby "@", saying the symbol sounds like "love him" to Mandarin speakers and therefore showing their love for the child.
