See the results of this poll: Are these names offensive/racist?
Respondents: 42 (This poll is closed)
- Yes they are Racist/Offensive : 6 (14%)
- No they are not. Feel free to use! : 24 (57%)
- Hmm not sure/on the fence: 12 (29%)
Well I am not [name_f]Indian[/name_f]/Israeli at all. Those names are not my taste, but imo, if people can use [name_f]Ireland[/name_f], [name_u]America[/name_u], etc as names, then [name_f]India[/name_f] should be ok as well.
I’ve heard negative things about [name_f]India[/name_f] on here, and have no clue why Bindi and [name_m]Israel[/name_m] would be considered offensive (especially Bindi…[name_m]Steve[/name_m] [name_m]Irwin[/name_m]'s daughter is named this and I don’t think that I’ve heard anything bad about it). I think you should be okay.
[name_f]Imo[/name_f] they aren’t offensive. Some may find it strange to use a name of a country without being connected to it though.
On the one hand, I’d be inclined to say no, but that’s because I don’t come from any of those places. But, speaking as an Irish individual, I personally cannot stand it when I see American people (who seem to be the only ones doing it), naming their kids [name_f]Ireland[/name_f] - primarily because a majority of them have likely never been to [name_f]Ireland[/name_f], but also because they don’t speak the language, don’t even understand the accents half the time, they don’t know the people, and they’re not part of the culture. I really shouldn’t care, but I can’t help but find it incredibly frustrating when people who hold no legitimate connection to my country think it’s appropriate to use [name_f]Ireland[/name_f] as a name for their kids, who also have no connection to my country.
Having said that, I had quite a few [name_f]Indian[/name_f] friends growing up, and I remember that they found it quite odd, and sometimes a little bit uncomfortable, that one of our blonde haired, blue eyed, British classmates was named ‘[name_f]India[/name_f]’. And I imagine that others might feel the same, such as the Israelis when seeing [name_m]Israel[/name_m] being used for western children. It might be awkward for them. They could feel like their cultures are being trivialised. I don’t know. I can’t speak for them, because I’m not them. But I do think this question is an interesting one, as I believe that using the name of a country for a child that often has no connection to said country should not be a decision that is made lightly.
I don’t have much of an answer, but I do remember 2 of my friends (one from Bangladesh, the other from [name_f]India[/name_f]) saying that it was weird that someone who was white named their daughter [name_f]India[/name_f]. I’d probably stick to [name_f]Indie[/name_f] myself. I do like quite a few place names, but I try to stay away from really obvious/well known ones. I think it might more come across as odd (or maybe ignorant with Bindi) than offensive.
I don’t think [name_f]India[/name_f] or [name_m]Israel[/name_m] are since they’re place names, but you probably shouldn’t use Bindi unless you’re Hindu, because it’s a religious symbol.
Definitely not. [name_f]India[/name_f] isn’t that unusual a name and I think [name_m]Israel[/name_m] is a gorgeous name. They’re place names, as are [name_u]London[/name_u], [name_u]Paris[/name_u], etc.
I don’t know if they’re offensive, but I think they’re strange. Particularly if you’ve never been to India or Israel, or have no connection to the countries. I have Scottish heritage, but I wouldn’t name my baby Scotland…I’m looking into Scottish names instead. But I also go to Scotland often to see family. Same with my Welsh husband…We want to use Welsh names even though we don’t live there because he’s from there and we visit often. But not the name Wales.
I don’t particularly like place names as I think there are plenty more options. London and Paris are just plain to me, but not as bad as a country name.
Bindi is another thing, I think it’s very odd.
Personally, I love [name_f]India[/name_f], and, previously, when many berries were calling it offensive, I actually took to asking my friend, who was born in [name_f]India[/name_f], to [name_f]Indian[/name_f] parents, how he felt about the name. He AND his parents both said they couldn’t see an issue with it, and would likely presume that the family chose the name due to a visit to [name_f]India[/name_f], or based off something else.
Bindi I would consider offensive, as it’s a decoration of sorts that people of Hindu faith wear and, it’s a sacred symbol. I’d personally almost liken it to naming your child Hijab. Not a wise choice.
As for [name_m]Israel[/name_m], it’s been used on people of all races for years, so I don’t see it causing a problem. As far as I know, it’s quite common for religious families, whether they be [name_m]Christian[/name_m] or Jewish.
I don’t find them offensive, just a bit odd. Specially so when people that no connection to the country whatsoever use them (that’s my take on place names in general to be honest).
Bindi could be consired offensive by some people because it’s a sacred symbol of the Hindu religion. Then again, [name_m]Bodhi[/name_m] seems to be growing a lot on people that aren’t Buddhist and biblical names like [name_m]Levi[/name_m] and [name_m]Ezra[/name_m] (or even classics like [name_m]Matthew[/name_m] and [name_f]Sarah[/name_f]) are used by non [name_m]Christian[/name_m]/non Jewish people. Bindi [name_m]Irwin[/name_m] doesn’t seem to have any sort of trouble with her name.
I think the whole “offensive” things is a lot more personal. You’ll probably find, within people from the same culture, some that’ll like it, some that won’t care and some that will find it offensive. In my personal experience, most of the people that find things like these offensive don’t actually belong to said culture/country/ethnic group and are simply those so called “justice social warriors” that seem to get offended for a living.
Note: if I were to meet an [name_m]Israel[/name_m] I’d think he was named after [name_m]Israel[/name_m] Kamakawiwo’ole, the singer, and not the country. It’s probaly because Somewhere over the [name_f]Rainbow[/name_f]/What a wonderful world is constantly stuck on my head.
I’d just like to point out that in [name_m]Steve[/name_m] [name_m]Irwin[/name_m]'s daughter’s case, Bindi is a name of Indigenous Australian origin. The blogger [name_f]Anna[/name_f] of Waltzing More Than [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] wrote about it here: Girls Names of Australian Aboriginal Origin | Waltzing More Than Matilda
With [name_m]Israel[/name_m], no- it’s a country, certainly, but also a Hebrew given name used for millennia. It’s no different than any other biblical name to me, it just happens to also be the name of the country.
With Bindi, I still say no- at worst, it’s appropriative, but I’m not entirely sure that cultural appropriation is entirely bad in naming. Names have crossed cultures since the dawn of naming, and no parent gives their child a name to make fun of or offend the culture from which the name originates. Most parents are aware of the origin of their child’s name and don’t try to hide it. It’s hard to argue that using a name from another culture harms the original culture in any way. So I think Bindi is fine.
[name_f]India[/name_f] is the only name I question. I absolutely love the sound of the name, but I’d never use it. The name became popular in [name_m]Britain[/name_m] during the British colonization of [name_f]India[/name_f]. Its popularity was a direct result of British imperialism, a way for families to show a connection to an “exotic” land that the British were exploiting for financial gain. Because of that origin, I’m hesitant to say that [name_f]India[/name_f] is conflict-free- it’s certainly got a sordid history, even though parents now obviously wouldn’t choose it to express their support for the colonization of [name_f]India[/name_f]. So I don’t think it’s racist or offensive per se, just that it originated from a racist event. I wouldn’t be offended by its use or assume that someone who picked it was somehow bigoted, I’d just personally avoid it because of its problematic past.
Has this actually been proven? I’ve seen many conflicting reports on this one.
Obviously the motivation behind each set of parents thinking with the name is most likely lost to history, but the name did come into use in [name_m]Britain[/name_m] in the 19th century, which can be proven with census records. The fact that the name rose at precisely the same time as the colonization of [name_f]India[/name_f] is doubtlessly not a coincidence. And regardless of the intention of the 19th century British parents, the fact is they were using the name of a country that [name_m]Britain[/name_m] was oppressing and exploiting at the time. The British used [name_f]India[/name_f] for financial gain without caring about the effect on the [name_f]Indian[/name_f] people or culture. The consistently dehumanized Indians and trounced on their agency and human rights. For a British person to then use the name would’ve been like rubbing salt in the wound- to me, it would be something like an Alabaman naming their child [name_m]Jim[/name_m] [name_m]Crow[/name_m] in 1958.