Georgia[/name_f]]I have a bit of a dilemma. My husband and I are expecting our 6th son in just a couple of months. We have had a name at the very top of our list for nearly 3 months now, and we were going to most likely use it for Boy #6. We finally told our friends and family, and no one said anything negative about it at all, until one of my Aunts said it sounds racist. She didn’t say it actually IS racist, it just sounds that way. It is a name my husband really loves, and he was 100% ready to say it was THE name. I also adore the name. We agreed that his middle name will be [name_m]Carl[/name_m]. His brothers’ names are [name_m]Elijah[/name_m] [name_m]Joseph[/name_m], [name_m]Quentin[/name_m] [name_m]Daniel[/name_m], [name_u]Shade[/name_u] [name_m]William[/name_m], [name_m]Gunnar[/name_m] [name_u]Michael[/name_u], and [name_m]Oslo[/name_m] [name_m]Jonathan[/name_m].
The name in question is [name_m]Saxon[/name_m]. Please remain polite. We do not want to name our son anything that could be considered offensive. I have asked several of our friends who are people of color their opinion on the name, and none of them have expressed any concern, they actually liked it. But I won’t say my handful of friends could speak for all PoC. My husband and I love the name because it has a strong meaning, and we are serious history buffs. It sounds strong and ancient to me, and it meets all of our naming musts, and there are quite a lot of musts on our list. What is your opinion on the name [name_m]Saxon[/name_m]?
I love [name_m]Saxon[/name_m] as I am half [name_m]German[/name_m] (a very strong half) and I would use it if I found the right middle name.
I grew up with [name_m]German[/name_m] stories and history so I do sometimes think of the Saxons but I don’t find it racist because of that unless there is something I am missing?
What?? I would never have thought of [name_m]Saxon[/name_m] as racist - I feel like that it is an odd thing to say. My brother-in-law’s name is [name_m]Saxon[/name_m], and I have never thought twice about it. It’s a lovely name. Strong and charming. It is unique, but there’s definitely nothing wrong with it!
I’m not sure why your aunt thinks it’s racist. Is it because of the Anglo-[name_m]Saxon[/name_m] association, or am I missing something?
I’m not a fan of [name_m]Saxon[/name_m], but I don’t see any real problems with it.
I don’t think it sounds racist at all, but I’m not surprised that “people of color” didn’t have a problem with it…I wouldn’t have identified that as being the group to question. Anyhow…I wouldn’t let your aunt’s opinion sway you. The only ones that matter are you and your partner. This is why many people refuse to talk about names ahead of time…it’s a shame when parents are set on a name they love and get talked out of it. I think [name_m]Saxon[/name_m] [name_m]Carl[/name_m] seems fine 
by the way, you mention being history buffs and loving the history of the name…you probably know all about it and can pass on your knowledge if Aunt tries to bring up her sentiments again
Racist? No. I’m not a fan of [name_m]Saxon[/name_m], but I don’t see the problem.
Why does she think it sounds racist? I don’t think its racist, I obviously don’t even understand why it would considered that (must be missing something).
I don’t mind the name, it isn’t my style but it would fit well with the others.
[name_m]Saxon[/name_m] isn’t racist. What an absurd notion.
Nah, it’s a cool name. It’s more subtle than outright naming your kid a nationality like [name_m]Roman[/name_m] (a name I very strongly dislike).
I think more of the language roots than a race, but I am, admittedly, a bit ignorant on occasions.
I do NOT think [name_m]Saxon[/name_m] is racist. I do think your aunt is mistakenly associating it with white supremacy, but that isn’t your problem or a problem with the name [name_m]Saxon[/name_m]. I think if you were using [name_m]Adolf[/name_m] or [name_m]Aryan[/name_m] that you may have a issue, but choosing a name of Germanic or Teutonic origin does not make you or the name racist. I actually really like it, especially with your other sons names. Btw, SIX boys, great names, good job Mama
Mum to two
[name_f]Maeve[/name_f] [name_f]Sophia[/name_f] ( Maevey, sweetpea, Mer-[name_f]Maeve[/name_f], empathic, sensitive, kind )
[name_m]Angus[/name_m] [name_m]Troy[/name_m] [name_m]Brian[/name_m] ( Angoo, [name_u]Gus[/name_u], [name_u]Gussie[/name_u], Goonie, cancer survivor, defender, sensitive )
I don’t see [name_m]Saxon[/name_m] being racist at all. I have a close friend named [name_m]Saxon[/name_m], and while I’m not a fan personally, it’s a nice name.
I agree with a pp that your aunt is probably mistakenly loading this name up with baggage that doesn’t belong to it. The only reason I could never use it (and I really do like it) is that the [name_m]German[/name_m] half of my family would wonder why we named our kid after one of the [name_m]German[/name_m] states!
Why would it be racist? What a weird PC world we live in.
[name_m]Saxon[/name_m] is a great name, with a cool, worldly vibe. I’ve never heard of it being racist nor do I see why it is. [name_f]Georgia[/name_f] isn’t racist for being associated with the country/Georgian people or [name_u]Jordan[/name_u] with the country/Jordanian people, they’re used all the time, so why would [name_m]Saxon[/name_m] be?
After searching and searching, I found that it does have strong white supremacy connotations. Many of the white supremacy groups have Anglo-[name_m]Saxon[/name_m] in the name, and the most popular social networking site for them is called the [name_m]New[/name_m] [name_m]Saxon[/name_m]. It doesn’t seem to be a well known connection, though.
It took me a while to find it, but there is a connection to white supremacist groups, due to people hearing it and thinking Anglo-[name_m]Saxon[/name_m] immediately and many of the groups have Anglo-[name_m]Saxon[/name_m] in their names. The main social networking site they use is called the [name_m]New[/name_m] [name_m]Saxon[/name_m], I believe.
I am also half [name_m]German[/name_m]. And one quarter Irish, and one quarter Japanese. We give our babies more unusual first names, paired with classic, traditional middle names. We’ve had [name_m]Carl[/name_m] picked out as the middle since the beginning of the pregnancy. We think it sounds pretty good with [name_m]Saxon[/name_m].
There are undertones to the Germanic confederation of tribes, but there is precedence of it being used as a first name. Check wikipedia for notable Saxons.
I’m Canadian and live in a very multicultural, hear all kinds of names from different cultures area. My kids friends have names as diverse as [name_u]Ali[/name_u], [name_u]Indigo[/name_u], [name_f]Rainbow[/name_f] and [name_m]Basil[/name_m]. I no longer assume that a kid named [name_f]Rainbow[/name_f] has hippy parents( although they kind of are ), or that a kid named [name_m]Basil[/name_m] wears a bow tie and glasses ( he’s a daredevil ). Your [name_m]Saxon[/name_m] will be who he is and the name will suit him as he grows and people know him. I had family who absolutely thought naming my son [name_m]Angus[/name_m] was a huge mistake. It was an old man name, he’d be grumpy etc. They all agree it suits him perfectly now. Go with what you love.
I agree that there is nothing inherently racist about the name [name_m]Saxon[/name_m]. However, I bet this name is pretty popular among white supremacists. I think it could still be a fine choice for you, since you both love it and certainly not all little Saxons have racist parents! But I’d be aware of the possibility that racists might tend to assume you share some of their ideals, and that may uncomfortable for you, or for him as he gets older. I doubt the vast majority of normal people would hear the name and tend to think you might be racist.