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[name_f][/name_f] EagleEyes:
[name_f][/name_f]Okay, lots of thoughts incoming
[name_f][/name_f]I don’t think Emilio [name_f][/name_f] is problematic for a British [name_f][/name_f] boy, although I will admit, I would be surprised to meet an Emilio [name_f][/name_f] who didn’t have some sort of Spanish / Italian / Portuguese heritage or connection. Not [name_f][/name_f] offended, but still surprised.
[name_f][/name_f]I don’t think using a name from another language is inherently offensive or appropriative. There are exceptions – like names with strong cultural or religious significance that would be inappropriate for someone from outside that culture. There are also cultural power dynamics that can come into play – seeing a name from one’s culture become trendy in a different country, while the culture itself and its people face discrimination there as foreign/weird/etc, would obviously be quite frustrating – but I really don’t think that’s the case here.
[name_f][/name_f]I do think choosing a name that is very strongly tied to one culture you have no connection to is somewhat strange (for example, I would discourage a white American person with no connection to Yoruba [name_f][/name_f] culture from using the name Ayodele) but Emilio [name_f][/name_f] is not that kind of name – it’s already a multilingual name, and used in other Western [name_f][/name_f] European cultures. There is also so much cultural exchange among names in Europe [name_f][/name_f] – in Italy [name_f][/name_f], the top 50 baby names contain plenty of non-Italian names like Liam [name_f][/name_f], Christian [name_f][/name_f], Santiago [name_f][/name_f], Nathan [name_f][/name_f], Thomas [name_f][/name_f], Emily [name_f][/name_f], etc!
[name_f][/name_f]I also don’t think it’s remotely offensive for a British [name_f][/name_f] person to have a French [name_f][/name_f] name. Heck, Britain [name_f][/name_f] was under massive French [name_f][/name_f] influence after the Norman [name_f][/name_f] Conquest and tons of English [name_f][/name_f] words and names come from French [name_f][/name_f]! So [name_f][/name_f] many super common “English” names are originally French [name_f][/name_f] – Danielle [name_f][/name_f], Denise [name_f][/name_f], Charlotte [name_f][/name_f], Annette [name_f][/name_f], Pauline… the list goes on.
[name_f][/name_f]I think Emil [name_f][/name_f], Emilian [name_f][/name_f], Emilien [name_f][/name_f], and Emile [name_f][/name_f] are more expected for a British [name_f][/name_f], non-Spanish/Italian/Portuguese child than Emilio [name_f][/name_f], but I don’t think any of them are offensive. Of course you want to respect your friend’s wishes, but I think most Italian (or French) people would have no problem with a British [name_f][/name_f] child named Emile [name_f][/name_f] / Emilien [name_f][/name_f] / etc.
[name_f][/name_f]TL;DR: I would find Emilio [name_f][/name_f] surprising but not offensive on a British [name_f][/name_f] child with no Spanish/Italian/Portuguese connection, and I would not find it remotely weird or inappropriate to meet a British [name_f][/name_f] Emilian [name_f][/name_f], Emilien [name_f][/name_f], Emile [name_f][/name_f], or Emil [name_f][/name_f].
[name_f][/name_f] [name_f][/name_f] [name_f][/name_f]
I could not agree with this more! [name_f][/name_f] TBH I’m not sure I can add anything of value beyond what @EagleEyes [name_f][/name_f] has said, beyond the fact that [name_m]Emile[/name_m] is the [name_f]English[/name_f] form of the [name_f]French[/name_f] Émile (See this link ). [name_f][/name_f] I would be surprised to meet a non-Latino [name_m]Emilio[/name_m], but I wouldn’t find it offensive, as someone with Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese ancestry!
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[name_f]My[/name_f] only other idea if you’d like to keep from ruining your friendship but also choosing a name you love is to look for another [name_f]Em[/name_f]- name? [name_f][/name_f] [name_f]My[/name_f] first thought was [name_m]Emerson[/name_m] nn [name_m]Emmo[/name_m], but there’s also [name_m]Clement[/name_m], [name_m]Emory[/name_m], [name_m]Emmanuel[/name_m], [name_m]Graeme[/name_m], etc.? [name_f][/name_f] Additionally Emilien/Emilian has origins in [name_f]French[/name_f], Polish, and Romanian, and I would consider to be pretty internationally appealing, so I definitely wouldn’t say it’s only [name_f]French[/name_f].
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All the best with your decision!
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