Cultural appropriation is definitly something i am aware of and respect. With this in mind, what are your thoughts on using baby names that belong to other cultures?
For example, I love names like [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f] ( irish) and [name_m]Lazlo[/name_m] ( hungarian) , but not being irish or hungarian makes me feel weird about wanting to use them maybeš
I donāt think itās a problem. I think that as long as you respect the culture that your childās name is from its fine. I think it is a beautiful thing to except and celebrate other cultures. I believe that naming your child is your business and it doesnāt matter what the country of origin the name is from. There are biggger problems in the world than baby names! You do you!!
https://forum.nameberry.com/t/cultural-appropriation-and-names/354023
Here are some recent threads on the subject.
Itās good to keep these things in mind. The main thing to look out for. If youāre white, is whether or not you are using a name that is sacred to a population that is oppressed (persons of color and non-Christians).
I think both your names are ok. Iām a bit more hesitant about [name_m]Lazlo[/name_m], I would need to do more research on it. But at first glance, it seems fine.
Thank you for your input! I like these names for the way they sound and their meaning!
Thank you for your input! I definitly donāt want to trample on any cultures. It seems both names are fairly popular where they are from.
The way I see it, itās only unusable if itās from a culture that continues to be oppressed. Names like [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f] and [name_m]Lazlo[/name_m] would be fine (but be prepared for questions), but names like [name_m]Cohen[/name_m] and [name_u]Cherokee[/name_u] would be unusable because of anti-semitism and oppression against Native Americans. As long as you respect how a name is used in the original culture (that also fits with the first point I made), go ahead and use it.
I would avoid using a name from another culture if itās discouraged by people from that culture.
Usually this is because the name has special significance in the culture or because the name is treated differently on a white person (cool and exotic) vs on POC (difficult and complicated).
On [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f] (from @Florimell on the āHot Takesā thread):
I think there are a few different points
1.) if you cannot pronounce it correctly you should not use it. (Americanized [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f]/seer-shuh could be read as disrespectful)
2.) if the name or culture has been targeted or marginalized. (One big example for me is [name_f]Hadassah[/name_f]. This is the name of ā[name_f]Queen[/name_f] [name_f]Esther[/name_f]ā and I could see a [name_u]Christian[/name_u] wanting to honor her with her original name. But the reason she went with [name_f]Esther[/name_f] over [name_f]Hadassah[/name_f] was to hide from Jewish persecution. Therefore I think it would be disrespectful to use [name_f]Hadassah[/name_f] as a [name_u]Christian[/name_u]). I think itās similar with [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f], but Iām not Irish.
There are other things that I would consider and some names that donāt fit these criteria but it would just be considered āweirdā to use if you werenāt part of the culture (ie [name_m]Jose[/name_m], [name_u]Yuki[/name_u]). I personally wouldnāt use a name from a foreign culture that I have no relation to. And there are nuances - I think a Hungarian name like [name_m]Lazlo[/name_m] is fine but a Chinese name like [name_f]Mei[/name_f] is odd (for a white child unrelated to the culture).
Well, I think it depends on the name, but also your relation to it. For example, I am not Hispanic or Spanish or anything along those lines, but someone very close to me is, and I could use her name on a future childās middle, because itās an honor. But a name from roughly the same roots is [name_m]Joaquin[/name_m], which I actually really like, but I am not close to any [name_m]Joquin[/name_m]ās so that would be weird. [name_f]Hope[/name_f] this helps and makes sense!
I agree with @EllArePea, and Iād like to add that @MargotAbeline has a good perspective on this.
oh yeh i forgot haha @anon80426808
My opinion is that it becomes cultural appropriation when a name has a very specific religious or cultural meaning that when used by a person not of that religion/culture/origin is inappropriate.
Some examples include:
Mohammed (and spelling variants)- the name of a sacred prophet in Islam, has significant meaning to followers of the religion.
Cohen - A name used within the Jewish community that has a deep religious/cultural background and from what I understand holds significant value and importance.
Saoirse - This one is controversial and some donāt see the issue with using it. However, it should be noted that using the name [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f] first began in [name_f]Ireland[/name_f] as a symbol of [name_u]Freedom[/name_u] after the war of independence against [name_m]Britain[/name_m] and after years of oppression from them. The meaning of [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f] is āfreedomā and represents strong national and political pride for the Irish.
some names are generally more common in certain countries or regions for example [name_u]Julian[/name_u] and [name_f]Lucia[/name_f] are common names in the Spanish speaking world and are more common on children with that ethnic background. However, as far as I know they donāt have any specific cultural or religious significance and therefore wouldnāt be considered appropriating culture.
If the name is generally used in its own culture, I think youāre good. I would discourage someone from using a name that has very strong religious connections if their child wonāt belong to that religion.
If you want to name your child [name_m]Wolfgang[/name_m] or Filibert, I wouldnāt care one bit. Someone else might. You have to remember that one opinion is one opinion, even if it comes from someone in that culture, what is important to one may not be important to most.
[name_m]Lazlo[/name_m] is quite popular and is a totally normal and popular name. As for [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f], maybe someone would mind, most people would probably not even bat an eyelash and if they do, you can always tell people you named your child after [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f] [name_m]Ronan[/name_m] 
Just to reiterate what everyone else has already said: just be respectful and do your research! Names of importance to a culture you do not belong to are off limits, always. I love international names ā and I love researching names used out there in the Big [name_u]Blue[/name_u] World because I find them to be such a fascinating window to culture & daily life, but using a name you like with respect & understanding and using a name because you just like it are super different things.
Just as an example, Iām not native Hawaiian, so I cannot speak for how native Hawaiians feel, but I have done as much as possible to learn Hawaiian culture & language and listen to native Hawaiians contextualize the sociopolitical issues in Hawaiāi and so on. In traditional Hawaiian culture ā-laniā denotes chieftain class. Again, canāt speak for Hawaiians, but I would not use a ā-laniā name as a non-Hawaiian based on what I have learned & heard from Hawaiians (who also do not speak for all Hawaiians). Thereās also the fact that rarely do people pronounce them correctly (LAH nee/LAW nee when the correct pronunciation is more like LUH nee, rhymes with honey) and use them specifically because they have nice meanings and sound exotic.
Saoirse is similar, to my understandingādenotes something specific to the Irish, so I would just tread lightly! [name_m]Laszlo[/name_m] Iām pretty sure was a saints name ā Saintsā names are almost always free game!
I donāt think you have to choose a name from a country you live in or have ancestors in. But I also think it depends on how āmainstreamā it is. For example, I donāt think many people are going to question why you named your child [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] if youāre not Greek. But some white people naming their kid Mariko is probably going to raise some eyebrows.
I donāt know anything about [name_m]Lazlo[/name_m] but I donāt think you should use [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f] unless youāre Irish. And I mean really Irish, not just āmy great great grandpa was Irish so Iāll drink a Guinness on St. [name_f]Patty[/name_f]āsā Irish. (Itās [name_u]Paddy[/name_u] but thatās another issue lol)
Itās connected to the oppression that Irish Catholics have endured since the [name_f]English[/name_f] decided to take their country.
Iām Irish, my grandparents immigrated fleeing the violence in their towns, and I honestly donāt think it would be right for me to use it since I never experienced any of the violence or discrimination myself.
There are loads of beautiful Irish names, and [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f] is one of my favorites (and used to be #1 on my list), but I feel like itās in poor taste.
Edit: actual Irish people (I.e. citizens) whatās your take? Iād love to be wrong.
But did the people who are currently naming babies experience that? Where are the lines drawn? This is truly an honest question.
Ireland still isnāt free so yeah. Itās been a little while since the troubles, but not that long. They ended in ā98 and there are still problems.
I see multiple factors in this so Iām kind of torn, I think if you are from Ireland or you have Irish ancestry a prominent Irish name like Saoirse is okay to honor that part of your families history. I do recognize Saoirse Ronan has made the name for well known in mainstream, so if the actress or the name brings a good personal memory to you (maybe your first date with your spouse was to see a movie of hers so you like the name connected to that memory) I like to think itās usable.
However, I have had similar conflicts with the name Bodhi. While itās my favorite boy name and I love that bodhisattva - jizo is the guardian protector of souls who have passed on through miscarriages or stillbirths - I wanna use it to honor those in my family who have passed under these circumstances I feel conflicted to use it as I am not Buddhist and the name is often tied to Buddhism.
I like to believe if you do your research, respect the culture, religion, background history of the name, etc then it is okay to use as long as itās in respectful taste