What's in a name? Everything! In China, you can't call yourself Dumbledore

Name choosing just got a whole lot harder. Especially if you’re Chinese. For folks in China, CCTV news has some sound and strange advice: Don’t pick Dumbledore when picking an English name. Or, as CCTV puts it, stripper names like ‘Candy’, not if you want to be taken seriously. “As with ‘famous people’ names, these only work if the name is common anyway. Choosing Harry, from Harry Potter is ok. Hercules, Satan, Dumbledore or Jesus, is a different story,” says CCTV passing on sage advice to any one who would listen. [caption id=“attachment_1768773” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational Image. Reuters[/caption] “To put bluntly, names like Candy, Lolly, Sugar (think anything sweet), are typically thought of as ‘non-smart girl’ names, or ‘stripper’ names,” the article says in it’s infinite wisdom. BBC explains the reason behind CCTV’s advice: “Many Chinese people prefer to use an English name, particularly if they conduct business with the West. But CCTV says people should avoid fictional characters, names with the potential for sexual innuendo, or random words like Dragon, Fish or Lawyer, which could come back and haunt you “if you want a call back from that serious law firm in America”.” So what works, you ask? Obama, Einstein, because they stand out. And Elizabeth, Michael, William, Catherine work thanks to their ‘Caucasianess’. What not to call yourself? Well that’s a long one: Surprise, Dragon, Fish, Lawyer, Apple, Candy, Sugar, Cherry, Vampire, Satan, Medusa, Edward Cullen and how could we forget: Nicole Kidman. Not if you want a serious American law firm to call you back anyway, claims CCTV.