Fangfang

The name Fangfang comes from the Chinese character 芳, read fāng, which names the scent of grass and flowers. Doubled into 芳芳, it reads as fragrant, beautiful. Reduplication like this is ordinary in Chinese given names, and it gives the spoken name a soft, close ring.

In classical Chinese, 芳 shows up in words for perfume and for flowering plants, so the name keeps company with orchids and blossom. Given names built on it went far more often to girls than to boys. The two identical syllables make it easy to say and easy to hold in the ear.

The origin sits outside Europe. Polish name books trace Latin, Greek and Slavic roots, and Fangfang belongs to none of them.

In Poland the name is rare. It arrives with Chinese family ties or a marriage. At the urząd, a clerk may check the spelling twice before entering Fangfang on the form.