Our Given Names (Me, My Sister, and My Cousins on My Mother’s Side)

Screenprint, transferred ink and vinyl on paper
18 in x 24 in
2021

This list pairs our official, mostly Anglicized and fairly generic names with our given Vietnamese names, used at home by our parents and even with each other. Like a family tree, our names are organized based on the birth order of our parents, whom we respectfully address by their birth number. Our names are also aligned to the location of our births: Vietnam, Malaysia (refugee camp) and the US or Canada.

My uncle Steve Nguyen assisted with research and the Vietnamese spelling.