Chinese Names

When the Chinese first started making up Chinese versions of western names, were they having a laugh or what?
Andrew = 安德鲁 = calm + kind + crass
David = 大卫 = big + to guard (which is OK, but isn't that a picture of a man about to be hanged?)
James = 詹姆斯 = talk too much + matron! + to lop off

Perhaps they weren't laughing as much as when I used to repeatedly shout ting! to get the taxi to stop (hurry, listen, dragonfly, pavillion!)