I like a lot of names that are Greek, Scandinavian, and French, and I am absolutely no part Greek Scandinavian or French. I speak French fluently and plan on majoring in it in college so maybe that is a factor, but do you think it’s weird when parents name their child a name from a culture that isn’t their own? Like parents that aren’t at all Italian naming their baby [name]Constanza[/name] or [name]Giovanna[/name]?
That’s a tough one that I am battling right now too. I love French and English names. But I am married to an Italian with an Italian last name. It doesn’t appear to be an Italian name until you pronounce it. He wants to use Italian names for our children. I want to use French/English…
I think it is ok to use names from another culture. [name]Do[/name] names like [name]Oliver[/name] Pang, [name]Elisabetta[/name] [name]Smith[/name], and [name]John[/name] [name]Garcia[/name] really sound “weird”? I don’t think so. I know that in [name]Italy[/name], it is chic to use French names right now and several of my Italian friends use the English version of their name. In [name]France[/name], a lot of people use Italian names ([name]Enzo[/name] is one of the top names right now). Plus, most of our names are Greek or Latin rooted anyways, and I personally do not have a Greek or Latin maiden name and it seemed to “work”.
Use the name that you love, and don’t worry about the culture it came from. If nothing else, it will make you seem adventurous, well-traveled, or broad-minded.
Yerp, provided it’s not culturally or religiously offensive, I agree with above.
I tend more towards the side that it’s a little cheesy if 1) it’s a name that’s very obviously pinpointed to a certain country/language/culture, 2) it’s not a common or familiar name in your country/culture, and 3) you have zero connection to the culture it is from.
I mean, I don’t think you have to be full-blooded French to use [name]Genevieve[/name]. The more familiar the name is, the less impetus to have a personal connection. Also, if it’s a part of your ancestry, or if you’ve traveled to or lived in that place, or studied that language, then it’s fine to me. EG: DH and I are totally Caucasian Americans, me with a totally [name]German[/name] background and he with an “American mutt” of [name]German[/name], Jewish, Italian, Irish, English. We’ve lived in the South of the USA and we currently live in S [name]Asia[/name]. So I’d be totally fine using an obviously [name]German[/name] name, like [name]Anneliese[/name], or an obviously Southern name, and okay with using a Jewish, Italian, Irish name if they’re not TOO out-there with spelling, pronunciation, and unfamiliarity. I also would be okay using a name from the country we live in currently, because we have learned the language here and it would be significant to us.
However, I would feel weird using, say, [name]Uilleam[/name] (Scottish version of [name]William[/name]) or my #1 GP Czech name: [name]Aneska[/name]. I just don’t feel a strong enough connection to those places that I could feel proud to explain every time someone asked about my kid’s unusual name.
I don’t think it’s weird. Lots of people use names from a different culture than they’re own. The only problem I have with it is when people butcher the names. I find that highly culturally offensive. [name]Keeva[/name], Seersha, [name]Neve[/name], etc. It looks ugly, made up and ruins the names. Unfortunately, people frequently butcher Irish names in particular so I do basically scream internally, “[name]Don[/name]'t use the names if you aren’t actually Irish/living in [name]Ireland[/name] or willing to put the effort in and use the actual spelling!” It annoys me so much when people hold on to what little heritage they have of that country as an excuse. You obviously have no love of respect for the country if you’re doing that.
Sorry for the rant.
But yes, if I loved a name enough, I’d use it no matter what (Without changing the spelling). And if I lived in [name]America[/name] by the time I’m having babies, I wouldn’t hesitate to use Oisín, [name]Fionn[/name], [name]Darragh[/name], etc.
I don’t think it is weird at all! My DH and I both adore Scandinavian names (we live in the US) and plan on using a Scandinavian name if we have a boy.
Absolutely not weird at all. All of my 3 children have names from different/unrelated cultures and we love their names and get compliments all the time. You should pick a name you love!
If you really love a name from another culture, I think it’s fine. Personally, I would feel a bit weird choosing a very ethnic-sounding name given that my background is predominently English/Scottish. However, we’re considering Italian names because my husband is Italian. My mum definitely doesn’t think it’s weird to use names from other cultures - she’s throwing Spanish names at me constantly (and she’s not Spanish!).
As long as it isn’t a name that would offend anyone, like in a religious way or a cultural way. I wouldn’t pick a name from a marginalized group or something. Italian names, French names, they’re all over the US top 10.
I think Greek, Scandinavian or French names would be fine. They are different from English, but they do share linguistic roots with English, we already use those kinds of names a lot. It really wouldn’t be weird. A more obviously Arabic or [name]Asian[/name] or African name might come across as a little weird, you might get some claims of cultural appropriation, especially if the name has a significant cultural meaning that you would be erasing. I guess for Greek, Scandinavian and French names, if you found a name that had a particularly strong religious meaning or history, that could be a little weird. Honestly though I wouldn’t worry about it. Stealing names from other cultures is a time-honored tradition, and I don’t think anyone finds it unusual.
I’ll echo some other comments: it’s not weird pr wrong, within some general boundaries. Make sure you’re using it appropriately (correct gender, no adverse implications among actual speakers of the language). I second the recommendation that one should be especially sensitive to marginalized groups.
The leap from French ancestry to Scandinavian names isn’t so far. But from French ancestry to, for example, Japanese names is more of a stretch. If my white American karate teacher, who dedicated his life to martial arts and studied in Okinawa for many years, wanted to call his kid [name]Tatsuo[/name] after the founder of the Isshin [name]Ryu[/name] style, that’s one thing: if some random dude heard [name]Tatsuo[/name] on TV and thought it just sounded badass, that’s another.
Consider how you would feel when explaining your choice to other people: will it annoy you, or make you feel awkward, or are you totally confident in the face if others’ confusion or vague disapproval?
I think it is fine. A lot of the names that people think of as “English” are borrowed from other cultures.
I think it’s ok to pick names outside your ethnicity - especially in [name]America[/name] - a nation made up of immigrants. I think it can be stretched too far in some cases, but it’s generally well accepted. For example: our baby would be Mexican and various types of white European. A friend recommended a Japanese name for our boy and I thought it was a little too out there because neither of us is in any way [name]Asian[/name], but some people might be cool with it. We’re considering a French name right now even though we are extremely distantly French. We just like the sound of the name and that it goes with our last name. Think of how many little American girls were named [name]Michelle[/name] in the 80s who were barely French. Not a big deal, right?!
My half sister is [name]Asian[/name] and Mexican (no white) and our family chose a Scandinavian name for her since she’s American and we like the name.
I think it depends on a few factors for sure. I think if you have always loved a certain culture, visited the country, speak the language, etc, then people would be much more accepting of the choice rather than just liking it for the sound or something like that.
[name]Just[/name] choose a name that sounds fabulous with your surname and it will be perfect.
I agree with renrose, as long as it isn’t culturally or religiously offensive, I see no problem with it.