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Indian immigrants in UK opting for name change

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Agencies

Posted online: Sunday , January 20, 2008 at 11:22:08
Updated: Sunday , January 20, 2008 at 11:38:00


London, January 20: Thousands of newly arrived migrants in the UK, including Indians, are adopting common British names to avoid ‘discrimination’ and mispronunciation.

Indians bearing the surname Shital prefer to be known as Sheet while Arabic names such as Karim and Muhammad are being changed to Kevin and Michael, according to a report in The Sunday Times.

The trend is part of a boom in name changing, fuelled by websites that allow people legally to rename themselves by deed poll within a few hours, usually for about 30 pounds.

About 70,000 people are expected to change their name using either the UK Deed Poll Service or the Name Change Company this year, two of the most popular services in Britain, the report said. In 2001, the number of such people was fewer than 20,000.

The paper said Chinese people have anglicised their names by adding prefixes such as John, Jason and Sue. In one instance, a refugee from Uzbekistan called Avlar Jon Akherov became Adrian Barry Roberts. In another case, a young Polish woman with an 18-letter surname opted for the brevity of one of Britain's most common names - Hall.

The migrants coming to the UK are adopting common British names to avoid either discrimination or poor pronunciation, the report said.

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Kudos to British and their Christian faith whic by M. Theresa on 20 Jan 2008

Kudos to noble Chiristian British who are helping pagans, muslims and other non beleivers to improve themselves by getting a new life, and a new name that Joessus Chhrist has blest.

Crux of the matter by withheld on 20 Jan 2008

Will sadly be disappointed soon. Discrimination was never on the basis of name or its mispronounceabilty, was it ? Those who discriminate will discriminate anyway an dthose who do not will not. That's teh sad reality of life.

They will be changing more than the name. Eventually they get the same shit. by Anand Babu on 20 Jan 2008

That is hilarious. Only people with low esteem will do so. A spade is a spade what ever you call it. Let every one be called Charles, Elizabeth, Diana, Harry. Yeah dont pick the name Dodi. What to say?

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