Advice on a Chinese name

[Timtim]

Hi everyone! Here I come, like many before me, to ask for help with a Chinese name. I’ll be studying in China next year so I thought I should get one ^^

I’m not looking for a phonetic transcription although I would like my Chinese name to sound a little like my original name, which is Timothee (Tee-mo-tay in French, though I like the American pronunciation better).

Some website translated it as 恬云, but even though I quite like the meaning of it, I don’t know whether it actually looks and sounds like a good Chinese name.

So I’ve been looking for some characters on my own and here are a few that I like:

恬

途

晓 or 熹 ?

霾

梦

I am completely open to suggestions though! Let’s say I am a calm, dreamy and optimistic kind of person (xD), and I would like my Chinese name to convey that sort of message. I don’t think “glorious sword” or “strong bull” would fit me

As for the pronunciation, I would like my name to begin with T, D or X to keep close to what my French name sounds like. The 2^nd character doesn’t have to start with a M, the most important is that the whole name should sound right.

I’m not so sure about the family name. Mine has a lot of A’s in it and starts with a “K” sound, but I quite like 林. I actually don’t really care as long as my Chinese name sounds and looks nice

Thanks a lot for your help

[skylee]

Hi, Tim. Regarding "American pronunciation", did you mean English pronunciation?

I suggest the following -

Single-character names (these three words' Cantonese pronunciation is tim) -

恬 tian2 (as in 蒙恬, a general of the Qin Dynasty, who is said to have invented the ink brush)

添 tian1

天 tian1

Two-character names -

添楙 tian1 mao4 (the second character means lush)

添懋 tian1 mao4

天牧 tian1 mu4

天慕tian1 mu4

天明 tian1 ming2

天祥 tian1 xiang2 (as in 文天祥, the great hero of the Song Dynasty)

天翔 tian1 xiang2

[linsanity]

恬梦曦 - a very very beautiful name, even in China

[陳德聰]

I actually prefer the English pronunciation of Timothy to the American one, must be something about the final vowel quality ;P

I really like skylee's suggestions, but in particular, 天翔.

For some reason I don't like the idea of picking something like "TianMu" or something that sounds so close to Tim.

[skylee]

恬梦曦 - a very very beautiful name, even in China

I find it pretentious.

[Timtim]

Thank you all for your help

Regarding "American pronunciation", did you mean English pronunciation?

Sorry, I guess what I meant was English pronunciation with an American accent.

I didn't state it but I'd like my name to be 3 characters, including one for the family name. It sounds more balanced to me. 恬梦曦 sounds too much like a phonetic transcription (and doesn't it kinda make 梦曦 my first name?)

How about 恬梦 though ? Does it look pretentions?

I don't know about 天翔, it sounds a little too aerial or ethereal to me. I'm very skinny and it almost looks like strong wind could carry me away, so I think this name is a little TOO appropriate

I do like the meaning of 天祥, though I'm not so fond of the pronunciation and aspect of the characters. How is it considered to have a historical hero's name in China?

I like 恬better than 天, but I don't know with what I could combine it..

[skylee]

How about 恬梦 though ? Does it look pretentions?

As a name, and if you are not selling mattresses, yes.

Never mind 天祥 was a hero's name. It is not a rare name.

You can use 恬 alone. If you want to combine it with something, perhaps you could consider 恬熙 (tian2 xi1). Hmmm, sounds good.

[Timtim]

I'm tempted to go for a 恬 alone, but it just feels "too simple" . How common are 1 character names in China?

As a name, and if you are not selling mattresses, yes.

I hadn't thought about that

Thanks alot for your insight ! I'll keep pondering it.

Another question about family names : should I pay attention to something in particular when picking one? Like the tone pattern of the whole surname + first name, or whatever?

[Glenn]

Just for reference, the guy who runs Hanzismatter's name is 恬.

I can also remember a 林森 and 許波 who were anchors for VOA's Mandarin program. I feel like they're common enough (but don't go by just what I said).

[Lu]

One-character given names are very common in mainland China, rather uncommon (although not unheard-of) in Taiwan. 恬 is a very nice given name imo.

[陳德聰]

Strangely enough, according to google translate, 恬 "means" Tim so BAM there you go.