Is it strange to call your child a name associated with another country, if you or your partners family aren’t from there, have never been there etc. just like the name.
For instance, [name_m]Lorenzo[/name_m], [name_m]Pierre[/name_m], Aífe, Alkai’i, [name_m]Tadashi[/name_m], [name_m]Matteo[/name_m] etc…
(Not after opinions on these names, it’s just an example of Italian, [name_u]French[/name_u], Hawaiian, Japanese names etc)
I think it depends on how commonly used the name is outside of said country. For example, something like [name_u]Luca[/name_u] is technically Italian but there are so many non-Italian boys called [name_u]Luca[/name_u] that I wouldn’t think twice meeting one with no connection to [name_f]Italy[/name_f]. On the other hand, I have never met a non-Japanese [name_m]Tadashi[/name_m] and I would find it strange personally if I met a [name_m]Tadashi[/name_m] with no connection to Japan.
it really depends on the culture. for example, i think using Italian and French names are fine. but i’d be more cautious about Hawaiian and Japanese names. the general consensus seems to be that if a culture has dealt with significant discrimination or had things (like land) stolen from them, it’s not ok to use their names. therefore, Hawaiian names and Japanese names are off limits imo.
to me, it doesn’t make sense to use a name from a culture that experiences discrimination or racism when they, themselves, use their own names. like how a Japanese person can experience racism because they have a traditional Japanese name. it isn’t right for a non-Japanese person to step in and use that name, too
that said, as a half-Italian person and someone with ties to Italian culture, i’d find it odd to see a non-Italian person using a name like Lorenzo, Fiorello, or Giovanni (although i wouldn’t call it wrong or inappropriate). but, like pp said, a name like Luca is totally fine, since it’s used so widely by non-Italian people
I agree with @venezio . Using names from cultures that have been discriminated against, colonised and so on is cultural appropriation. Basically it includes all traditionally non-white cultures because they’ve been subjected to racism and white supremacy.
So I’d consider distinctly Hawaiian and Japanese names off-limits for everyone except the people of those cultures.
Even with, for example, different European names I’d try and consider what is within good taste and respect. It’s complex because people have different ideas about what’s ok to use. For example I’ve met a Swedish person and a French person who’ve expressed annoyance at English-speakers using their names, pronouncing them differently and so on. Then again I’ve met many people who think it’s nice that beautiful names from their countries are being used in other places.
I’m personally quite liberal with name usage and like that different names gain popularity in many places. What does annoy me though is people using the same spelling but pronouncing it very differently. I think it’s better to create a new spelling=a new variation or pronounce it like it’s supposed to. For example I consider Soren a new variation of Søren/Sören, not the same name because English-speakers pronounce and spell it differently than in it’s original cultural context.
All in all, I think each name and situation needs to be reviewed individually. It’s hard to come up with watertight rules for every situation. Sometimes using a name is okay, sometimes a little weird and sometimes very disrespectful. It depends on how recognizable and popular the name already is and what kind of historical and cultural context surrounds it.
This is a conversation we have had many times on here and there are many different opinions on this; personally, I think it’s most important to listen to the voices closest (as in the people close to you and the people in your neighbourhood, where the kid will grow up) to you when it comes to the names you are unsure about because you will find about a thousand different opinions about a name’s usability online.
However, I also think that for names from Western European languages, you can go ahead and use them regardless of your nationality as they are used that way in Europe anyway (looking at [name_m]Lorenzo[/name_m] & [name_m]Matteo[/name_m] here, for example).
I want to echo what other berries have said. If the name is widely used outside if the culture it’s from than it’s fair game. To me it matters what culture you are living in and what cultures you and your partner were raised in. For instance you live in [name_f]France[/name_f], you and you’re partner were raised in the us and your partner has native Hawaiians family/ancestry. Using any name widely used in [name_f]France[/name_f], the us or [name_u]Hawaii[/name_u] is fine.
Yes, I do think it’s “strange” to choose a name that doesn’t connect to your culture at all. But not very strange. Especially if you live in a place like the US where you meet people from many cultural backgrounds all the time. Personally, I think it’s enough to just like the sound of a name to choose it but that doesn’t mean others will appreciate your choice or that it will be easy for your kid to wear. I wouldn’t want to have a name that gave other people false impressions about who I was if that makes sense.
I love Hawaiian and Scandinavian names like kaleo, keanu, makoa, [name_m]Keahi[/name_m], [name_u]Nohea[/name_u], soren, [name_m]Stellan[/name_m], [name_f]Astrid[/name_f], etc. I think it’s fine