Raymond

When Your Parents Procrastinate On Naming Their Child

by Raymond Li

The most common English names for Asian American boys are David, John, and James (Bartz). So why in the world am I called Raymond? Raised by two first generation immigrants from China, I expected my name to be something really generic. I’ve always thought my parents probably just heard the name Raymond from the news about some serial killer on the run or some coffee barista down the street whose name was coincidentally Raymond. Little did I know, they never thought about a name for me at all until the very last moment. Funny enough, my mother’s obstetrician was called Raymond. 

The name Raymond has a Germanic origin that means “protecting hands” (theBUMP). On the contrary, I have no recollection of anything I have protected. I was always the one who stood behind others and followed the lead of my friends and cousins. Unlike the obstetrician who monitors women during pregnancy and delivers babies, I have never really acted as a protector for anyone. To be honest, it was my parents who have been protecting me throughout my life. However, when I discovered a distinct family photo of my parents and I when I was three years old in the drawer, I understood why my name is Raymond. 

The photo was old and losing its color. In it, I sat on my dad’s shoulders while my mother was laughing and holding my hands. Although I have no distinct memory of when this picture was taken or what we were doing, a familiar feeling of warmth and happiness radiated from the photo. Looking at the big smiles on my parents' faces, I realized that I was a protector for my family. Immigrating to America alone with a small suitcase and a couple hundred Chinese yuan, my parents were anxious and terrified. They went through numerous hardships that sent chills down my spine when they talked about them. But things changed when I was born. I brought happiness and laughter to the family which motivated my parents to overcome barriers. With me, they weren’t tackling problems alone anymore. We were together during hard times as a family. 

Work Cited:

Bartz, Kevin. “English First Names for Chinese Americans.” Social Science Statistics Blog, 13 Mar. 2009, https://blogs.iq.harvard.edu/english_first_n. 

“Raymond - Baby Name Meaning, Origin and Popularity .” The BUMP, https://www.thebump.com/b/raymond-baby-name.