Your nonna was right, but that was then and this is now. Back then America was a true melting pot - people changed their names to sound more "American." Actors anglicized their names - Dino Crocetti became Dean Martin. Penny Marshall who played Laverne DeFazio on "Laverne & Shirley" was actually Italian - Penelope Masciarelli. It's a lot different today - De Niro, Pacino and Leonardo Dicaprio didn't change their names.
There is a father and son who are NFL announcers - Ian Eagle and Noah Eagle. "Eagle" is a weird last name, right? That's because Ian's father changed his last name from the German "Adler" to the English translation - "Eagle." Likewise, "Weiss" became "White" and "Schwartz" became "Black."
Today's immigrants have more pride in their heritage. There are a lot of Persians in L.A. They came in 1979 after the fall of the Shah. They didn't change their long-ass last names which are difficult to pronounce and they also still give their kids Persian first names.
OTOH, Koreans have simple surnames - Kim, Lee, Park, Choi, etc. But many have both Korean and English first names. The Korean name is used among the family and the English name to the general public.
Do you understand now, you mezza fanook?
-- Modified on 9/17/2024 6:04:19 AM