I just think it’s ignorant and silly to use a name from any language or culture that you aren’t completely familiar with (even if your grandparents were from [name]Italy[/name], you aren’t really Italian; if you like video games, you aren’t Japanese; if you spent your honeymoon in Thailand, you aren’t Thai). You risk offending others or exposing your child to ridicule should she ever chose to be a part of said culture.
(I’m not including “place names” here because they have been used as names for centuries and more a question religious/poetical/inspirational context than cultural appropriation.)
I do have a problem with people:
- mispronouncing/misusing foreign names ([name]Elena[/name] as “uh-lay-na”, Esmé on girls…)
- naming their kids random words in other languages (which aren’t used as names originally)
- using names without understanding their religious/political/cultural/generational connotations ([name]Cohen[/name], [name]Adolf[/name], [name]Mohammed[/name], [name]Kaiser[/name], [name]Lucifer[/name], you get the point.)