What to Call me, Gia or Gina?

Lately I’ve been getting a few inquiries about my name. Is it Gia or Gina? Just when you thought there were only two choices. Ha! I actually have three names:

1. My birth name consists of three Chinese characters; phonetically they sound like Sum Ga Ying. Since my parents are both Chinese, I was called by this name from the time I was born until I entered middle school. The characters are lovely when written, their significance is also very precious to me. The first child of a Chinese family is very important, even better if it’s a boy, nevertheless, my parents were happy to have me. They chose a name that bestowed upon me all their loving intentions. Although my dad describes it more elegantly, Sum Ga Ying means, “the bowl that is always overflowing”. They hoped my bowl, symbolic of my life, would always overflow with good things and I would never be wanting. Only my Chinese relatives, the ones who don’t speak English fluently, call me Ga Ying.





This my my dad in a cafe in 1969.



This is my mom in 1966.

2. My second name Gina Parsons, Gina an American/Italian? name was given to me by my American godfather and his Thai wife. I spent some time living with them in Thailand when I was between 2 and 3 years old, as my parents were getting acquainted with their new life on Guam. Parsons is the surname I borrowed from my godparents while I was living with them and it stuck., My parents call me Gina; my sisters, some of my extended family and my friends call me Gina. Sometimes Deme calls me Gina too but he switches back and forth between Gia and Gina. Deme tries Ga Ying, but since he is a bit tone deaf, messes it up everytime.

3. Gia Dinh Parsons is my official U.S. government and now my official Italian government name. This name is a bastardization and botched up translation of my Chinese name, Ga Ying. If you’re an immigrant or refugee from any country then you might have had an experience with a botched translated name. This was my name in college and so all my college friends call me Gia. If I have to fill out an official form/resume then Gia is the name I have to use. I think I am called Gia by about 30-35% of the people who know me.

Because my name is Gina and Parsons, I have been mistakenly accused of being of mixed race, Caucasian and Chinese. Look at the photo below, I’m almost 2 here and in Vietnam, I don’t think I looked mixed at all.