1. Cultural Appropriation in Naming
- do you think it’s okay to non-offensively use names from other cultures?
It depends on the name and the person’s connection to said culture. I’d feel a little weird if I met a child named [name_f]Sakura[/name_f] whose parents didn’t have any connection to Japan, nor had they ever set foot there. I think in some cases, like if the parents have a true connection to the culture in which the name comes from that it’s understandable, even if they weren’t born into that culture themselves. Certain names wear better in some cultures than in others too. Using one of my own favourite names as an example, I once saw someone say [name_f]Anastasia[/name_f] was “too Russian”, and I thought that was incredibly weird, because it’s a fairly highly ranked name in the US, where I live (and it’s also technically of Greek origin). I’d consider it to be mainstream. In most English speaking countries, the names have varied backgrounds anyhow, but like I said, some seem more acceptable to use than others. [name_m]Long[/name_m] story short, I think if the parent uses the name with a degree of respect and knowledge of the name’s origins that it could work, but it still reads as ignorance to me to pluck a name from another culture just because it struck your fancy without bothering to learn anything else about the culture which it comes from or the name’s history.
- how about religions?
I feel more ambivalent about people using names from other religions than I do other cultures as a whole. I feel like cultures can be shared to a certain degree, but religions are highly personal. It’s complicated. I highly doubt all the people who have named their kids [name_f]Rebecca[/name_f] or [name_m]Asher[/name_m] are extremely devout; there are even religious names from the Bible that I like even though I consider myself agnostic. I think there’s a lot that can come into play when it comes to stuff like this, like maybe it’s a family name.
As for people with no type of connection to the religion, they just chose it because they liked it, basically what I said for the culture question. [name_m]Just[/name_m] because a name comes from the Bible/Quran/etc. doesn’t mean it’s super sacred and can never be spoken by someone outside of that religion. But again, it seems in bad taste to name your child [name_m]Muhammad[/name_m] just because you liked it without proper reverence or knowledge of the name’s history.
- would you be offended? Why / why not?
Depends on what the name is. I feel like there’s a double standard where people refuse to use names from middle eastern, Hispanic/Latino, and far eastern cultures because they think that’s oppression, but they cherry pick names from European countries freely without any regard for the history attached to the name. The history of the world is complicated, and relations between groups of people throughout history and still today aren’t black and white. It might be bad taste, but I don’t consider using a name from another culture for your baby to be the most insulting thing you can do in regards to said person’s heritage.
- should possible offense be considered when it comes to people’s beliefs, something they have a choice about rather than something they’ve been born into, like being a citizen of a certain country, speaking a certain language, etc.?
If so, should it be considered less than when it comes to names taken from cultures/Languages or just as much?
I’m not sure I understand this question. I can’t really think of a belief that would be a “choice” that’s not tied to their individual culture. The best I can think of is someone naming their baby [name_m]Donald[/name_m] because they’re a strong Republican, or a person naming their kid [name_f]Rainbow[/name_f] to show that they’re a part of the LGBT+ community. Like religion, they’re both still very strong personal beliefs and a subculture, so I do think in a certain regard they should be given the same gravitas that any other cultural aspect like nationality or language would. Someone who isn’t extremely patriotic might feel more strongly connected to their political affiliations/sexuality/etc. than they do their cultural background.
2. Naming a Child
- is it more important for you that your child will be able to live comfortably with the name (no grounds for hatred of the name other than possible personal dislike, “Victorious” vs. “[name_m]Nicholas[/name_m]”) or that you love the name?
Yes and no. It’s important to remember we’re naming future human beings that will inevitably grow up into adult human beings, and they have to live with the name they’re given. That’s not to say you can’t give your child a name that’s unique and creative, but it almost seems disrespectful and selfish to name your kid whatever you want just because. I’m not saying name your kid something standard and boring because you’re afraid of what the whole world might think of the baby’s name. You’re naming a person whose likes and dislikes you don’t know yet, so there’s no guarantee that [name_f]Caroline[/name_f] [name_f]Marie[/name_f] will be happier with her name than [name_f]Calanthe[/name_f] Magician will, but I do think it’s a good idea to have some self awareness about the name you’re choosing for your child. It’s not the parents that have to live with the name, it’s the child. I think the “they can always change it later!” mentality is horrible. It’s like admitting you know what you’re doing is ridiculous, but you’re going to do it anyway.
There’s a happy medium between boring and too out there, and luckily the space between them is vast, so there’s quite a bit of wiggle room.
3. Significance in Naming
- [name_f]Do[/name_f] you consider that a name that has a lot of meaning to you might not carry the same meaning for the child that will have to wear it?
It might be because I’m not a sentimental person in this regard, but I’m not really one for honour names. Using names of family members or otherwise, it’s just not something I’m into.
In short: yeah, it’s a possibility the kid won’t care why their name was chosen, but that wouldn’t stop me from using meaningful name if I really felt it was right.
- Does it influence your decision, especially when it comes to out-there, very uncommon or clunky names?
There’s a difference between using your grandmother’s maiden name for a baby name because she was very special to you, and calling your kid Coffeemug. I understand your example was meant to be extreme, but I think it’s also a matter of good judgement vs. poor judgement. Yeah, the coffee mug anecdote might be special to me, but my child isn’t me. I think it’s wise to tread lightly in these situations. If the name Soairse is truly the name for your baby, go ahead and use it, but don’t get upset when you remember you live in [name_u]America[/name_u] and that barely anyone will know how to pronounce it or remember how to spell it.
[b][i]4. Does your love for a name trump all other concerns?
No. Above all else, I can’t guarantee my child will love their name, but I’d like to give them one that they can at least be proud of in theory. Like I said before, this is a tiny human that’s going to grow into their own person. I’m not going to live vicariously through my child by giving them an asinine name just because I happen to like it.
My child is the one that will being living with it, so I wouldn’t want to saddle them with something that makes their life more difficult. At the same time, I’m not going to go with a top 10 name I don’t like just to make sure they can fit in. Combinations I would actually use are a lot less adventurous that what I have on nameberry.