Hello to Me

You would like to believe your name is unique. It identifies you. It belongs to you. Yet no matter what you might suppose, even that as the child of immigrants who belong to an ethnic minority where you grew up you are different, I will bet there is another one of you. I realized that certainly is true of me, that there are dozens of other people who call themselves “Frank Wu,” including where I live and within my profession. 

After a mix-up on my credit card, over the internet, which thankfully did not involve any actual breach of confidential data, I decided to reach out to the others. I sent invitations through LinkedIn to the first few pages of search results who shared my moniker. I actually have had three other incidents of this confusion. When I was eighteen, I received an official notice from the Defense Department about failing to register with the selective service (i.e., for a potential draft, though none was operational at the time). Ironically, I later was sent sew-on name tags for an Army uniform, “Wu.” Finally, I have been confused more than once for an artist who illustrates science fiction novels and has achieved significant success in that field (four Hugo Awards!). He has a note on his website about whether he is the one you’re looking for, for this very reason. So it turns out Googling yourself can serve a purpose other than gratifying your own ego. You can discover those who are imposters — or you to them, who is to say.

Almost all of the people I contact are amused and willing to “connect.” I have had folks turn down the request though. I suppose I cannot be offended. We are not actually related in any manner other than humanity having grown from a single family tree. Perhaps he has been embarrassed by the association unbeknownst to me.

Those more expert have explained to me it is not surprising many Chinese guys would be named “Frank.” Although I was born in America, and my “real” name is in fact “Frank,” given by my parents and listed on my birth certificate, many of the others are immigrants or expatriates or not even in the West, who have been able to choose for themselves how they would like to be known. They have studied the definition of “Frank” as they consider how to present themselves. Its meanings include “free” and “honest,” and that appeals to many people as a self-description. The surname of “Wu” is akin to “Smith,” if not even more common. There must be many millions of us, especially since “Wu” or “Woo” can refer to multiple ideograms, including the number five.

I am not alone in another sense. Others have this curiosity too. A Korean American woman made a documentary, The Grace Lee Project, about the phenomenon. She wanted to challenge stereotypes of race and gender, showing the individuality of those who defined themselves in every manner. English comedian Dave Gorman came to fame on his search for namesakes. I'm told he's hilarious.

It is an interesting experiment, to introduce yourself to your doppelg?nger. I welcome all the other Frank Wu’s out there to say hello, and I encourage you to look for yourself about who is out there who could be you.