Jinyoung

ESL 100

September 15, 2026

My name made by my parents

My name is Jinyoung An, and I was born in South Korea. When my mother was pregnant, my parents were thinking hard about my name. At that time, my father was a Christian and my mother was a Buddhist. Although they had different religions, my father respected my mother's opinion. In Korea, Buddhism is a big part of our history and culture, so visiting a temple is very natural for many people. They went to a Buddhist temple to get a good name for me because going to a monk for a baby name is a famous Korean tradition for good luck. The monk recommended five beautiful names, and then my parents picked three of them. They had a long argument about picking the best one, but after I was born, they finally decided on Jinyoung An. My parents told me that 'Jin' means a star in the sky, wishing me to have a bright life, and 'Young' means the top part of a flower, which means living a beautiful and great life. I inherited my last name 'An' from my father, which means being peaceful and safe. According to traditional Korean culture, people usually follow their father's last name. Following the father's last name wasn't just a choice it was a cultural rule that connected us to our family roots. However, since 2008, this strict culture has changed, and now parents can choose to follow either the mother's or the father's last name. Still, my family name means a lot to me, and I want to live a good life that matches the beautiful meaning of my name. I really love my name.