How to Use International Names

General Name Discussion
1

I was wondering what everyone’s thoughts were about using international names. I don’t mean when you’re of Irish descent and you use an Irish name like [name_f]Siobhan[/name_f]. I mean when you’re [name_m]German[/name_m] descent and you use an Icelandic or Scottish name. I know it could work, but what about pronounciation issues? What American knows how to pronounce [name_u]Fran[/name_u]çois (this isn’t a jab at Americans!)?

Would you name your daughter or son a name from another culture even though you have no connection to that culture?

2

I honestly don’t see it as a problem at all. Yes, if you’re going to use an Icelandic or Scottish name and you don’t speak Icelandic or Scottish Gaelic, you have a responsibility as a parent to double and triple check pronunciation so your child doesn’t discover at sixteen that he’s been saying his name wrong his entire life. All Americans might not intuitively know how to say Francois. However, if truly interested in the name, I assume said reasonable American WOULD know how to do research. It isn’t that difficult. Find a native speaker, or take a language course, or even just email a linguist. But I definitely wouldn’t pass up on a beautiful name just because it came from a different linguistic and cultural background. We’re living in an increasingly multicultural world and I think that’s something to be celebrated with great joy, not feared.

Also, Americans are often stereotyped as being monolingual and clueless. To me, acknowledging names from other cultures is a step in a very good direction if we want to start changing that image.

3

I personally probably wouldn’t choose a name that we don’t have a cultural connection to but that’s because we are already a trilingual household with family who doesn’t speak English…

Theoretically however I don’t think there’s an issue with it. I would be very careful with choosing the correct pronunciation and making sure your not accidentally choosing a name that is holy, offensive or carries a prejudice in that culture. IE: [name_m]Cohen[/name_m], [name_f]Jemima[/name_f], [name_f]India[/name_f] (and no I don’t want to start this as a conversation about those names, just wanted to point out what they might be/look like).

4

I would, but I also don’t have a “connection” to any culture. I agree with previous posters that it would be important to have the correct pronunciation and make sure that it isn’t a name that might cause some offense, since you wouldn’t want a name that could hurt their future chances. It can also depend on where you live. Francois probably wouldn’t be a big problem in [name_f]Louisiana[/name_f], but another state or area might have more difficulty. Familiarity to the name (and the child) would lesson most pronunciation problems and if you like it, why not go for it.

5

Well, this is one of the times I think American’s obsession with heritage becomes a hindrance.
As a Norwegian with only Norwegian heritage (a fact I am only reminded of on name forums in conversations with Americans), I would never in a million years consider only using Norwegian names. By this logic, half the kids in Norway would be called [name_f]Ingrid[/name_f] and [name_m]Haakon[/name_m], it doesn’t make any sense at all! (If I remove all non-Norwegian/old Norse names from the top 40 names in Norway, we’re left with [name_m]Haakon[/name_m] and [name_m]Erik[/name_m] for boys, [name_f]Ingrid[/name_f], Vilde, [name_f]Tuva[/name_f] and Live for girls, that’s 6/80!)

Almost all pronunciation issues can be surpassed, when you name your kid Francois (using it as an example) and know how to pronounce it, the people who love you whom you introduce your child to are going to be able to mimic you and pronounce the name correctly after a few tries. Maybe it takes some of them a couple of months, but it’s not like it’s going to bother your child.
Also, more and more pop-culture references are introduced all the time, and in our digital age you can use sites like forvo.com to point people in the right direction. Unusual names are becoming quite mainstream, and with names like [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] and Jayceon shooting up the charts, Francois would seem no less surprising in my opinion.

I would call this a non-issue, perhaps especially in the US where so many different cultures are already in the pot so to speak.

6

I certainly would use a name I had no cultural ties to: if I love the name, I will use it! I do have a wide heritage (Italian, Spanish, [name_m]French[/name_m], Irish, Scottish, Filipino, Japanese, Jewish, etc., but mainly Italian, Spanish, Japanese and Filipino), but some of my favourite name fall outside of these groups: [name_f]Elke[/name_f], [name_m]Otis[/name_m], [name_m]Otto[/name_m], [name_f]Diana[/name_f], [name_u]Dagny[/name_u], [name_m]Obi[/name_m], [name_f]Bayo[/name_f], [name_m]Frodi[/name_m], [name_f]Rowena[/name_f], [name_u]Artemis[/name_u], etc. I have no problem at all with using these sorts of names: it is an increasingly globalised world, and naming reflects that. I love honouring my heritage, but using a name I love is more important to me personally. I think that parents have the responsibility to research the name and learn the correct pronunciation, and I also would pick a name (however heartbreaking) that didn’t translate to English well, and wasn’t fairly intuitive in its pronunciation.

7

I wouldn’t have a problem with it at all. If [name_f]England[/name_f] was restricted to names with English origins only (although I would say [name_m]Henry[/name_m], [name_m]William[/name_m], [name_f]Jane[/name_f] etc are English names too) then we’d be choosing from [name_m]Alfred[/name_m], [name_f]Edith[/name_f], [name_m]Edward[/name_m] and [name_f]Audrey[/name_f].

But like others, I think respecting the original culture is important. Learning the origin, pronunciation and spelling of a name is incredibly easy in the age of the internet and others will get there in the end, though there’ll always be names that present difficulties. I would never be tempted to alter the spelling or pronunciation to suit my wishes though. All too often I see “I know it’s not the right prn but I think it’s prettier this way” which tends to make my blood boil, especially when accompanied by the excuse “it’s a rare name from a lesser-known culture so no one will care” :mad:

8

I think it’s okay to choose a name from which you have no cultural heritage, but as others have said, that’s assuming you have done a little research, you know it’s not offensive in some way, and that you’re pronouncing and spelling it correctly. There is also a lot of variation in terms of how we view names as being associated with one culture. Is a name like [name_f]Francine[/name_f] still considered “[name_m]French[/name_m]”, even if its English pronunciation is not the same as its [name_m]French[/name_m] pronunciation, or has it also become an English name? [name_m]How[/name_m] many years of usage does a name need to have in a culture before it’s considered one of that culture’s names? There’s also the thorny question of how obviously a name is tied to one culture and how useable it is in a different context, or how “ethnic” it looks (for want of a better word). For example, I could see people of many cultures using the Hindi name [name_f]Jaya[/name_f], as it is not so different from a lot of popular names in [name_u]America[/name_u], but a white child named Jawaharlal is going to get a lot of odd looks. Personally, I wouldn’t go with a name that is very obviously Italian or Russian, for example, since my kids will be English/Scottish/Belgian Canadian on one side and Chinese on the other, so that’s enough cultures without introducing another one.

In terms of a name like [name_u]Fran[/name_u]çois, I have a case study in that my uncle is named [name_u]Fran[/name_u]çois and moved to the US at the age of 8. Most of his classmates had no idea how to say it and chose to nickname him [name_m]Fritz[/name_m], which he went by through college. He has lived all around the US ([name_f]Florida[/name_f], Chicago, [name_u]Tennessee[/name_u], upstate NY, [name_u]Texas[/name_u], and now Pennsylvania), and it’s a mixed bag. Most people don’t know how to pronounce it at first and he does get a lot of double-takes when people see his name. At the church where he worked in [name_u]Texas[/name_u], one of the elders joked about how they tried to recruit an American pastor, and they ended up with this guy with the wacky name. (Our surname is also [name_m]French[/name_m] and difficult for non-francophones to pronounce.) So… it hasn’t been the easiest road, but most people do eventually learn his name and approximate the pronunciation, even if no one can really make the [name_m]French[/name_m] “r” sound. He has chosen to continue to go by [name_u]Fran[/name_u]çois and not by [name_m]Frank[/name_m] or [name_m]Fritz[/name_m] as an adult, so I guess that shows that it hasn’t been troublesome enough for him to change it!

So, in summary, sure you can use names of different cultures, but do it with your eyes open. If you’re not sure whether people will pronounce it correctly, you can always do the “Starbucks” test or try it out with some strangers to see how it will be received.

9

I don’t think it’s a black and white issue. I think it depends to a certain extent on whether the name in question is an international name or a foreign name.

There are a large stock of international European names, which, thanks to the Judeo-[name_m]Christian[/name_m] tradition and/or the [name_m]Roman[/name_m] Empire we pretty much have in common - these are essentially ‘cultureless’ names although they are usually spelt/pronounced differently between countries. Basically anyone can use these and there’s nothing odd about it whatsoever.

Then there are names that are more specific to a certain culture/language, which look obviously ‘foreign’, and in my opinion using one of these has the potential to be a bit weird. These names can, over time, cross over into the ‘international names’ category, so it’s a judgement call really.

For example, looking at the most recent naming stats for Iceland, out of the boys’ top 55, I’d say 27 were ‘Icelandic’ (or Nordic) names. I know some of these names exist in the other Nordic countries, but I would find it a bit weird to see an boy with no connection to the Nordic countries named Björgvin, Sölvi, Brynjar or [name_m]Einar[/name_m], for example. However, the rest are what I would call international names, mostly a mixture of Hebrew ([name_m]Aron[/name_m], ”sak, [name_m]Baltasar[/name_m]), Latin ([name_m]Viktor[/name_m], Patrekur, [name_m]Emil[/name_m]) and Greek ([name_m]Alexander[/name_m], [name_u]Stef[/name_u]án, Pétur). These names are for everyone, although I would expect the forms [name_m]Aaron[/name_m], [name_m]Isaac[/name_m], [name_m]Balthazar[/name_m], [name_m]Patrick[/name_m], [name_m]Stephen[/name_m], [name_m]Peter[/name_m] etc in English-speaking countries.

For girls, 26/55 are Icelandic/Norse. One of which has definitely crossed over into international name territory (Freyja), and one of which is not unknown although it’s terribly unfashionable ([name_f]Helga[/name_f]). I would find it odd if a little Sigrún, Hrafnhildur, Ingibjörg or Birna had no connection to Iceland or another Nordic country. But [name_f]Eva[/name_f], [name_f]El[/name_f]ísa, ”sabella, [name_f]Hanna[/name_f], Aníta, [name_f]Emma[/name_f]? All very much international names.

Names have been crossing cultures for centuries, so it’s nothing new. I would say ultimately it depends on your motives.

I personally dislike the idea of using a name which is obviously from a culture you have no connection whatsoever with, and by connection I don’t necessarily mean blood relations - it could just be genuine enthusiasm and knowledge about another culture/language, some significance that links you to the culture. Without any sort of connection at all, it often comes off in my opinion as though people think something is cool or exotic and therefore decide to pinch it without really knowing anything about it. Which is a lame move in my opinion.

As others have said, if you want to do it, it’s an absolute minimum requirement that you learn how to pronounce it properly, don’t use it in a way that would be inappropriate in its home culture (e.g. take a Swedish boys’ name and use it on a girl), and don’t use something that could be offensive.

10

I personally wouldn’t use a name from another culture simply because of how I was brought up. [name_f]My[/name_f] family history/culture has a huge legacy, especially for the females. I have a large family with some royal heritage. It’s not just a preference, it’s an honor to honor ancestors with names.

11

I agree with what everyone has said, specially @jackal and @maggiefromcanada.

I do, however, think there’s a line between an international name and a culturally appropriated name. Cultural exchange x Cultural appropriation. But it’s not black and white, and is really much a judgement call.

I would not use a name from a different culture (i.e - a different spelling and pronunciation, [name_f]Louisa[/name_f] instead of [name_f]Luiza[/name_f]), simply because it’s seen as a little trashy here in [name_u]Brazil[/name_u], and due to personal preferences.

12

I’m with [name_f]Caroline[/name_f]–while using a name from another culture can be fine, you also have to be really careful not to culturally appropriate. I think a lot of it depends on the culture, and on your own country/heritage. If you’re a WASP from [name_m]New[/name_m] [name_f]England[/name_f] of Anglo-[name_m]German[/name_m] heritage and you name your daughter Priyanka and your son [name_m]Mohammed[/name_m], that’s not the same as naming your daughter [name_f]Ingrid[/name_f] and your son [name_m]Pierre[/name_m]. The problem is picking a name from a culture/country that is marginalized, especially in cases where your country of origin has previously colonized or otherwise messed up that country.

This article explains things fairly well: http://everydayfeminism.com/2013/09/cultural-exchange-and-cultural-appropriation/

And like previous posters have said, it’s always important to respect names from other cultures and do your research if you plan to use one.

13

There are plenty of names common in the U.S. that are not of English decent. The most popular names in the U.S. are [name_m]French[/name_m], [name_m]German[/name_m] and Hebrew. [name_f]My[/name_f] sister’s name is [name_f]Sara[/name_f] and my family is not of Hebrew decent. Some sound more ethnic than others, of course. So when choosing an exotic name, my only concern would be 1. can it be pronounced easily? (this typically excludes Gaelic names for me…[name_f]Aoife[/name_f] being pronounced Ee-fa…would condemn my daughter to explain her name for the rest of her life.) & 2. would they stand out unnecessarily? (I am American so from my perspective; this to me is the difference of naming my child [name_f]Heidi[/name_f] or [name_f]Greta[/name_f]. [name_f]Heidi[/name_f] is still exotic but more familiar and wearable for an American girl than an American girl named [name_f]Greta[/name_f]. She runs more of a chance of being asked over and over if she or her parents are from Germany if her name is [name_f]Greta[/name_f] than if her name is [name_f]Heidi[/name_f]) Yeah…just my opinion. I’m still all-for foreign names even if you don’t have a connection with them. I figure if you love a name…you love a name…just take wearability into consideration. After all, they are the ones who have to carry the name, not the parents.