I saw a documentary about a girl named Gpsy [name_f]Rose[/name_f]. Obviously, the doc wasn’t about her name, but I did start to wonder what people think about the name Gpsy. Would it ever be okay to use this name in any context or should ethnic slurs always be off the table?
Speaking of ethnicities, in my country, there is a big convo about cultural appropriation. I was wondering does anyone here think that applies to names? Like for example, is it okay for a 100% ethnically Norwegian couple to give their kid an Iroquois first name and a Japanese middle name? Or does it depend on cultural context, for example, would it not be okay for a 100% white couple in [name_m]New[/name_m] Zealand to give their child a M”ori name?
Or are names exempted from this debate since so many factors go into how a child is named that it’s not offensive to name your child a name from another culture.
I don’t think it is okay to a child to have an ethnicities name if they aren’t part of that ethnicity but I think that shouldn’t cover religious names if the family believes/practice the religion. And slurs shouldn’t be names.
Hmm, tricky one. As a 100% white couple in NZ I’ve certainly considered M”ori names… not ones that honour a particular tipuna or iwi as that would seem like appropriation to me (and why would we want to?) but names that have more common/simple meanings of birds/trees/rivers, such as Tui, [name_f]Moana[/name_f], Awatere. Those are the original names for those things in NZ, before Pakeha came along and added extra names, so it feels more like an essential component of our country than cultural appropriation? We also have some close family who are M”ori (half-siblings and the like), so there could be M”ori honour-names.
Also, my own name is originally [name_m]French[/name_m], as are many that are now common use… and we have no french ties whatsoever.
For cultures that have faced substantial oppression though, I do think it’s a fine line.
I think there’s always a “why” that needs to be considered.
Most people wouldn’t give their children a foreign sounding name just because they think it’s cute, however, the emphasis lies on “foreign sounding” here.
[name_m]German[/name_m] parents may use the [name_m]French[/name_m] [name_m]Etienne[/name_m] or [name_f]Colette[/name_f] for their children as they resemble names they are used to, have similar patterns and simple pronunciations but at the same time provide something a little bit different, just a little unusual. Most people like what they’re used to but also like to stand out - just not too much.
They may also use the Japanese Norio or [name_f]Osana[/name_f], the [name_f]Indian[/name_f] [name_u]Nila[/name_u] or [name_f]Neela[/name_f], the Russian [name_m]Alexei[/name_m],etc. as they also sound close to “local” names.
Once they choose “clearly identifiable as names from other cultures” such as Kimoko, Mitsuku, Jekaterina or [name_f]Lakshmi[/name_f] there is usually another reason for it, wether that’s ancestry or interest in the culture, having lived there in the past or, especially with [name_f]Indian[/name_f] names, identifying as buddhist (which seems to be an ever-growing thing in the western world), which to me are all valid reasons to choose a name from that culture and I would not view that as cultural appropriation as they are being used in a respectful way.
I know that gypsy can be an ethnic slur, but I feel like there’s some gray area with this one because the word has meaning outside of that context. As for choosing names from outside your own heritage, I agree that the why needs to be taken into consideration.
My [name_f]Asian[/name_f] husband goes by a Western first name that is of Irish origin. Everyone in his family has Western first names and middle names from their language (including our daughter). They actually helped me choose a name in their language (not an official legal name chance, just a fun thing for the family).
In the case of his family, Western names are chosen to make it easier for those who are living/working in the west (as we are). In grad school I had a lot of Chinese classmates choose names that they felt would be easier to pronounce for English speakers. In Spanish class in high school, we went by Spanish names in class.
That said, there are some names outside of either of our cultures that I love, but I would hesitate to use.
So… it’s complicated. I think the reason behind choosing the name is important.
I think it is okay to have names from different cultures, as long as you respect the name and the cutlure. In the era of globalisation it does not sound weird. We should bear in mind that a name is not characterised only by its origin. The meaning, personal significance or a bearer can lead us to using it. Personally, I choose a name for anything else but its ethicity.
I think most names are fair game, it’s just important to understand and respect what that name signifies within its original culture.
E.g. [name_f]Gypsy[/name_f] is considered by many in the Romani or [name_u]Traveller[/name_u] communities to be a slur. Does that mean someone can’t use it? No. But it does show a disrespect for the culture the person is taking the word/name from, which I think should be discouraged.
Another example is the name [name_m]Cohen[/name_m]. Which in my opinion is not offensive to Jewish people, but it does show me that the parents did not look into Jewish culture or try to understand the significance of the name. (Basically, I’d be really surprised if someone who was Jewish actually named their kid [name_m]Cohen[/name_m].)
‘Cultural appropriation’ is mostly not an awful thing. It only really goes wrong with it’s cultural MISappropriation. This is similar to when people use a name from a different culture on a different sex or spell it in an exceptionally weird way. E.g. A long time ago I realised that [name_m]Etienne[/name_m] is the [name_m]French[/name_m] form of [name_m]Stephen[/name_m]. I wanted to use [name_m]Etienne[/name_m] on a girl because to my ears it sounds very feminine. However, after talking to people about it etc. I realised that if I were to take the name from a culture which is not mine, I should respect it.
I completely agree with this. We live in an era where Western culture is flooding into every corner of the world and drowning minority languages, lifestyles and practices. I actually think this means it’s appropriate for us as Westerners to show how much we value cultural diversity, even in the names we give our children. We have just as much right to name our European babies Atsuko or [name_f]Chandra[/name_f] as parents in the [name_f]East[/name_f] have to name their childern [name_m]Jason[/name_m] or [name_f]Lucy[/name_f].
The most important thing is that it’s done respectfully. We should choose names from cultures which mean something to us, or which encapsulate something we want to pass on to our children. We need to do the research and find out what customs surround the use of the particular name. [name_f]Gypsy[/name_f] could be bordering on insensitive, since it isn’t the correct term to refer to the [name_u]Roma[/name_u] in any case, and is associated with the oppression they were subject to over history.
It’s a tough one. From my perspective, based on having considered the name [name_m]Cohen[/name_m] until finding out about the controversy with the name, you can pick something with the greatest of intentions and the most respectful of intentions, but ultimately the child will be the one having to navigate through life with the name and it may close doors to them, make travelling difficult etc. I would be nervous of using something that could offend somebody, but thats a personal choice because I want my children to not have a tough time of it because of something Id chosen for them. My father in law suffered similarly because of his original given name, and ended up changing it.
I am annoyed with everything being so politicized and offensive. People use names they like regardless of their background.
If anything, using a name from a different culture/ religion shows your appreciation for it.
I’d stay away from slurs though.