What's In A Name?

Was just recalling a scene from Chestnuts when they did a spoof of Riis Low's (imaginary or otherwise) sister.

Qn:- So what's your name?
Ans:- Ivory. My Chinese name is Ah Q so my full name is Low Ah Q. Ivory Low Ah Q...

That memory aside, it made me think about how people, in order to differentiate themselves (I suppose), make slight modifications to some otherwise very common English names. I have seen names like Janyce (Janice), Charen (pronounced Karen) and any number of variarions of Jolin, Joline, Jolene or Jolyn.

I also have a friend called Karenina. She is always at great pains to explain that she gave herself that name not in a quest for uniqueness but because of inspiration derived from reading Leo Tolstoy's famous novel Anna Karenina. So, Karenina Chow she was for many years. By some cruel (or some say humorous twist of fate), she married some bloke called Edwin Bay and adopted his surname so Karenina Bay she is now. All those of you who still haven't got the nuance might want to imagine her being introduced to the audience by a fast-talking, slurry speaker at a Hokkien Gala dinner.

But I have to hand it to Karenina sometimes. She told me recently that she thought it more appropriate to add her maiden surname to her husband's. So she asked me which I thought sounded better: Chow-Bay or Bay-Chow. Definitely Chow-Bay, I told her. "But why?", Sze Wai (that's her Chinese name) asked. "You tell me, Mrs Karenina Bay-Chow Sze Wai", I replied.