What do Daniel's (Deming's) two names represent in the novel, The Leavers?

Deming’s two names—Deming Guo and Daniel Wilkinson—are symbols of his connection and/or disconnection from his roots. When, in order to assimilate Deming into Ridgeborough, Kay and Peter change his name to Deming, it is symbolic of the cultural erasure that assimilation often entails.