I think that the major difference between this and using a Welsh name when not Welsh or Finnish names when not Finnish, is that a Hispanic name is one of the identifiers that Hispanic people are discriminated against for especially when only the name appears, in places like job and college applications. The National Bureau of Economic Research did a study that showed that on average a person with a “white sounding name” had to send out ten to get a call back while those with more “black or latino sounding names” had to send out fifteen.
The idea with cultural appropriation with names isn’t that you don’t understand the literal meaning or history of the name, anyone can google [name_m]Santiago[/name_m], it’s that you don’t understand the societal meaning or history of having to give your child a “white sounding name” because your scared that otherwise they won’t get accepted into the best college they can be or that they won’t get a good job.
I agree with this. I remember another berry had an excellent definition of cultural appropriation: If a white person uses a name from a different culture and is applauded for it, while a person from that culture would face backlash or discrimination, then the name on a white person could be considered cultural appropriation.
I am part Guatemalan and have a very Hispanic surname, but I would not use an exclusively Hispanic or Guatemalan first name for my child. While I enjoy learning more about my heritage, the key word is learning- it rarely influenced me growing up, and I have never faced discrimination for it. I also live in an area where the cultural appropriation aspect would come into play, especially for distinctly Hispanic names (whereas multi-cultural [name_f]Maria[/name_f] or [name_f]Lucia[/name_f] might not have too much of an issue).
However, judging by the majority of posts here, I think my position is a little on the cautious side. Like @undertherainbow said, it would be different if you were considering a Quechua name. For European names—including Portuguese names like [name_m]Tiago[/name_m]—cultural appropriation is (generally) not a factor, making them more accessible for multi-cultural use.
I don’t really understand the reasoning behind this “rule” where people can only use names from their culture. I’m an American of European descent but I have no connection to my English, Swedish, or Polish roots. I wouldn’t consider them part of my identity so what names would I have to use if I were forced to stick to my “culture”?
I recently answered another thread on this topic so I’m sort of just paraphrasing what I said there. The bottom line is respect. Are you respecting the culture from which the name comes? This means respecting its usage (boy or girl name, whether it is actually appropriate to use as a name), pronunciation, spelling, and meaning (would it be considered offensive if someone not part of the culture used the name, sacred names, etc). It sounds like you are making sure you respect the culture which means I think you’re just fine.
TL;DR, Is it rude? I don’t think so. Would it cause some people to raise their eyebrows? Maybe. I also love [name_m]Tiago[/name_m] so I see the appeal!
The number of people who fail to realize that many of the names we consider Hispanic are Spanish or Portuguese in origin really concerns me. Spain and Portugal are in Europe, y’all.