Is it wrong to use names from other cultures that aren’t yours? i love names from other cultures, and people seem to disagree
I don’t think it’s really wrong, especially if you love the name. I personally have some issues with it just because I know how people can be but I could just be freaking myself out about that kind of thing. I would however make sure that it really means what the name sites and baby books say it means. Make sure it isn’t a slang term of some sort. [name]Imagine[/name] a little boy named [name]Dick[/name] (not [name]Richard[/name], just [name]Dick[/name]) or [name]Skeet[/name] from another country - it could be a little unfortunate if he visits [name]America[/name].
I think it really depends on what culture. If you live in [name]America[/name], names from Europe fit in alright. [name]Bianca[/name], [name]Madeline[/name], etc are alright since almost everyone in [name]America[/name] is originally from Europe, but when it comes to using from middle east/asian cultures and you have no ties to that culture, it can become an issue.
I’m half Chinese, and I plan on using Chinese names for my kids, but as middles, however if a white person with no Chinese ties did this, I would find them to be a little bizarre, strange, weird. Some might find it offensive, I don’t know if I’d be offended, but I wouldn’t help but think the snide remark “I bet they don’t even know how to say it or write the character” If I heard the name Yanlin on a white boy and I heard it said wrong, I’d probably roll my eyes because different tones in Chinese can mean different things.
I also know a little bit about Japanese culture and had some friends that were Japanese. I don’t want to make a stereotype, but the Japanese tend to be very proud people (not all of them) but if you can’t speak their language fluently and you talk to them in Japanese, they’ll respond to you in English. They are proud of their language. Thus, I think if you give your kid a Japanese name, some Japanese would find that very offensive.
Also if you are white and you give your kid a Japanese name, many Americans will assume you are obsessed with Anime/Manga. My friends and I were teased all our lives for liking anime/manga, so I can only imagine what the poor child would go through…
My main concern would be offending the people of that culture. And if you do go with a Japanese/Chinese/etc… name, I would make sure you know how to write the characters and pronounce carefully, because if you do happen to run into someone who is Japanese/Chinese/Vietnamese/Korean, etc… you don’t want to end up having them laugh at you because you called your kid fish instead of rain. (鱼 Yú VS 雨 Yǔ - Chinese)
If you choose a name from a different culture you need to spell/pronounce it correctly. Also do your research and make sure you know what the name means and it’s connotations. If it’s a name reserved for certain people or used only on one sex then respect to culture and follow their rules
This.
I find it so disrespectful and arrogant when non-jewish people use the name [name]Cohen[/name] and brush it off like it’s not a big deal, or those who are offended have an issue with it.
No. You’re not Jewish, you don’t get to bend the rules of Jewish people just because you found a name you liked.
And I’m not even Jewish myself.
I agree with this, too.
I think it’s silly to not use a name from a different culture, especially in [name]America[/name] where we’re just a melting pot of everyone else, anyways. Yes, you should check out and make sure what your using, but I don’t think it’s a big deal at all.
I find there is a huge gray area with this. I think it comes down to popularity, age of the name, and how far the culture is from your own.
To me, naming your kid [name]Shannon[/name] if you’re not Irish is not a huge deal, it’s a common name in [name]America[/name] and nobody thinks of it’s cultural connections anymore.
However if you’re white and mid-western and name your kid [name]HEIKO[/name], CONCEPCIÓN, or [name]SHIVA[/name], I honestly think it’s ridiculous.
If your kid doesn’t look [name]Asian[/name], don’t give them a name that screams [name]Asian[/name]! It’s weird and it prompts way more awkward conversations than just having a unique name.
Where it starts to get gray is with semi-popular names, old names that don’t have as strong a cultural connection anymore, and people with vague cultural connections. If you’re 1/16th Cherokee that doesn’t mean that Running Bull is a valid option. [name]Jorge[/name], [name]Juan[/name], [name]Pedro[/name]–sorry, no unless that’s your culture, but [name]Cesar[/name], [name]Eduardo[/name], [name]Marcela[/name], etc… Maybe…
I agree that it’s a gray area. The pp’s have made a lot of good points. If it’s a name that hasn’t found a footing in American culture already, then I would avoid it.
Heck, I have Welsh heritage and I’m nervous about using a Welsh name because the ties are so distant. I would feel like a poser.
Like other people have said you need to understand the names significance and be able to pronounce it but lets break it down and look at real examples:
[name]Cohen[/name]: Your friend has this last name and you want to honor them plus its easy to pronounce! Problem is it’s sacred to Jewish people, it might be hard to accept but the name is definitely inapropriate to use if you’re not Jewish.
[name]Aoibh[/name]: Your ancestors are Irish, this is a lovely name with a beautiful meaning but do you really think people will be able to pronounce it? Can you even pronounce it?
[name]Minette[/name]: Sites say it means faithful defender* or kitten plus it’s the name of a river, etc, and you adore it. The problem is [name]Minette[/name] means pussycat and not kitten, that’s chaton and “faire minette” means to perform a certain sex act. Yes people name their cats this or use it as a nn but do you really want to formally name your child this? You could argue that you don’t live in [name]France[/name] but the problem is, it’s a French word and it has sexual connotations in French plus you cant guarantee your petite [name]Minette[/name] will never visit [name]France[/name].
*I’ve never seen this on any French site, dictionary, etc. I’ve seen it’s etymology related to “Minerai de fer” (Iron ore) but that’s about it.
I think this is the crux of it.
- Make sure you’re not using it offensively
- Make sure you’re spelling and pronouncing it correctly
- Think about whether it’s going to look incongruous on your kid
My friend (Caucasian) is married to a Japanese woman. Their little girl is called Kanami, stress on the first syllable (KA-na-me). Adorable on her; not so cute if on a kid with no Japanese heritage and pronounced incorrectly to rhyme with tsunami.
I think it much depends on the name. I’m Welsh and really like names such as [name]Niamh[/name] and [name]Torin[/name],which are Irish. But there is a shared (Celtic) history there. Some names are cross cultural, [name]Isabella[/name] is italian and widely used without anybody batting an eyelid.
I find it offensive that people use the name [name]Bryn[/name] on girls. And as a pp has said,using names such as [name]Cohen[/name] is disrespectful because of its significance in Judaism.
And there’s names from outside Western culture that simply won’t sit well on children not from that culture. Mahatma [name]Jones[/name],that kind of thing.
I think it very much depends on the culture you’re looking at and making sure you’re aware of the names history and significance.
hayley88, maybe I’m clueless… why is [name]Bryn[/name] offensive?
No, why would it be? I’d use Japanese, Hebrew, French, etc and I’m not of that culture.
I’m wondering that, too. I could understand not liking it (I know [name]Bryn[/name] is a Welsh boys’ name, and I agree it should stay that way), but…offensive?
I think that’s what makes it offensive… the fact it’s being used on girls. Everyone’s idea of what is disrespectful is different. The welsh see it as a strong boy’s name and some American goes and puts it on a girl, I can see where the Welsh would find it offensive…
No, why would it be? I’d use Japanese, Hebrew, French, etc and I’m not of that culture.
read the previous posts, there are some VERY good reasons not do that
@jeska in [name]Wales[/name],indeed all of the UK,[name]Bryn[/name] is solely a boys name.
But I meant offensive in terms of lack of cultural awareness. It was just an example I was using along with [name]Cohen[/name] of using names without doing a bit of research.
I understand it being irritating but I think there’s a difference between taking a name that is used for males in another country and using it on a girl, and using a name that is actually sacred to a group of people ([name]Cohen[/name]). Not trying to start an argument 
I don’t care for [name]Bryn[/name]/[name]Brynn[/name], but if someone here wanted to use it for her baby girl I don’t think she’d be out of line.
As I said, I know it’s a boys’ name. People are entitled to be offended by whatever they want, of course. But using [name]Cohen[/name] is not the same as using a boys’ name on a girl, which is happening all over the place.
Edited to add: what [name]Elisabeth[/name] [name]Rae[/name] said. I think of ‘offensive’ and ‘irritating’ as two different things, but that’s just my opinion. 
@jeska I did mean to add that the use of Bryn and Cohen are not the same. Cohen is of religious significance to Jewish people,so I do know that much.
I think re irritating/offensive it really depends on whether your culture or religion is a minority one. But I don’t mean to come across like a mental patriot at all With Bryn it’s more like very irritated,minorly offended. Plus it was the first name that came to mind in my original post.
As a Jew, i don’t exactly find the use of [name]Cohen[/name] as a first name offensive, but it’s definitely irritating; your aesthetic preferences do not, in fact, trump all. You might like the sound of a word, but that doesn’t automatically make it an appropriate name.
Something to be aware of, when using a name from a culture/language that are distant from your own, is to be conscious of how you apply a name to one gender or the other. Ie: if it’s a male name from the source, don’t go using it on a girl because you think it sounds or looks feminine. I actually see this a lot with relatively obscure biblical names, and it does irritate me, because in my community, they’re used differently. For example, people see [name]Azariah[/name] and think it looks feminine, but to a Hebrew speaker/Jew it’s very definitely masculine, and it’s not cool for someone Jewish to feel bad or uncomfortable using a name from their own culture because someone else turned it the wrong way. KWIM? It’s really the same case as [name]Bryn[/name]; I so get where Welsh/British people are coming from there, and in general this kind of thing is what makes me dislike the gender-bending trend in general. It’s just unfair.
It’s stupid to give your kid any name without considering any of the cultural connotations. I love the nn Yoni for Yonatan, and it’s been very common in Jewish communities for years. But the general social awareness of yoni having a different meaning in another language is getting fairly widespread, and makes me extremely hesitant to use it for a kid living in [name]America[/name]. At least in this case no one was deliberately screwing with the name itself, its just an awkward linguistic coincidence.