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The most popular names in the West
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看似简单的英文名字其实大有学问。
词数：210 建议阅读时间：6分钟
EVERY year in English-speaking countries, people list the most popular names. Here are some examples. In the United States at the moment the three most popular names for girls are Emily, Emma and Madison. For boys, they are Michael, Joshua and Mathew. In Britain a parent today might call their little girl Grace, Jessica or Ruby. If they have a little boy they could call him Jack, Thomas or Oliver.
In China names have very clear meanings. If a girl is called Mei her name means, "beautiful". If a boy is called Wu, his name means"like a soldier (士兵)".
Names in English-speaking countries are like this too. The girl's name Joy is probably partly chosen because the parents wish their daughter to be joyful and bring joy to others. If a girl is called Ruby, it may be because of the beautiful red precious (宝贵的) stone.
Parents often pick names that can be shortened (缩写). This can be confusing (困惑的) for Chinese people. Parents might choose such names because they want to be able to speak to their kid in a personal way.
For example, a popular name is William. But William can be shortened to Will, Willy, Bill and Billy. The same is true of the favourite old name for a girl, Elizabeth. Elizabeth can be shortened to Beth, Liza and Liz.
Another reason kids get the names they do is that parents want to name their boy or girl after someone who is famous, such as an actor, pop star or sports personality. David is a popular name in Britain, partly because of the fame of the footballer David Beckham.
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