It has a good bit of baggage and I’ve mentioned it as a name he likes and it’s confused people I know. I’m trying to decide how I feel about it as a MN though. He likes a lot of Irish names though so we definitely should be able to find something he likes.
I live in Germany, have never been to the States but still my first thought was “isn’t that an african american name?” So apparently the association spreads pretty widely.
I always associate it with [name]Tyrone[/name] from the British soap Coronation [name]Street[/name]. I can’t say I’m a fan of the name, but I wouldn’t associate it with any race. I had a best friend names [name]Aiesha[/name] and she’s fair, with long blonde hair and everyone thinks she’s black when I say her name. But I can’t imagine her name being anything else. So don’t worry, if you like it, use it.
That’s the show! 
I love him, he’s a sweetie <3 It gives me a positive outlook on the name itself.
I don’t understand why certain names are now “black names” or “mexican names” or whatever … why can’t a name just be a name? From what I’ve gathered from this thread, it seems like it’s racist to use a certain name because non-caucasian people use it … but isn’t it just as racist to NOT use a name because it’s associated with non-caucasian people?
… Sorry, I just went on a political-type rant there. I’m just confused why, in an age where there are more inter-racial couples and babies, there is racial issues for names.
I didn’t say it was racist to name a white kid [name]Tyrone[/name]? Sorry if you think I said that, but I didn’t say that and I don’t think that at all.
Any name can come with baggage and issues of perception. And if it’s perfectly acceptable - as I see on Nameberry all the time - to say “that sounds dorky, he’d get made fun of” or “that rhymes with mucus, kids would tease him,” etc. I didn’t see anything wrong with saying “I don’t mind the sound of the name, but I wouldn’t name a white kid that, because where I come from he’d get his ass kicked in.”
I mean you can decide you don’t care and that’s cool but its usually okay to say if we think they’d have a hard time in school.
If you love it, go for it.
@stripedsocks, I didn’t think you were being mean at all, I meant it in a questioning way like the topic was interesting but I wasn’t sure if it was relevant or how it started. I wasn’t judging or trying to sound rude. I apologize if it came off that way, this whole thing has been interesting.
You’re right- there shouldn’t be racial or class issues on names. But fact is, there are. There are still racial divides, as much as we may not like it or want to admit it. We do not live in a raceless, classless society. I think the reaction that you’ve gotten will be typical of what you’ll get if you do have a little [name]Tyrone[/name]. Maybe that reaction isn’t right or justified, but it’s honest. This forum is a useful tool to see how people will honestly react to a name- they don’t know you and aren’t concerned about hurting your feelings- and the reaction and images you’ve seen are typical of what people will whisper to each other after you’ve introduced your son. And no, it isn’t right, but it’s true.
If you love [name]Tyrone[/name] and you still want to use it, go for it. [name]Every[/name] parent should love their child’s name. You can certainly decide that you don’t care what others think and go ahead and use it, and more power to you for having that courage. But it’s important to know, accept, and consider how the name will be perceived by others, even if you don’t like that perception. Giving another person a name they’ll use every day for their entire life is a huge responsibility, so it’s good to consider all sides.
I wasn’t trying to go off at anybody either, either, sorry if I sounded nasty.
To me it wasn’t a matter of do I agree it should be problematic; no, I don’t think it SHOULD be a problem, that’s not a reaction of a perfect world at all. I just think some reactions would be, not that some reactions would be right.
Omg, no no no! I didn’t mean YOU sounded racist, or anyone else for that matter … honestly, I should’ve explained it better. Nothing said on this thread was mean or racist, so I should be the apologizing! What I was trying to say was, I wish it was a perfect world where a name could just be a name and now “It’s too Mexican to use” or “A lot of [name]Black[/name] people have that name” … sometimes, I should just keep my mouth shut. 
I had a book about a dinosaur named [name]Tyrone[/name] when I was a kid… so that is all I can think about when I hear it! That name’s ruined for me, although I’m not sure I would like it anyway… I agree it does sound kind of “downmarket.”
Makes me think of the [name]Erykah[/name] Badu song… and now it’s going to be stuck in my head all day!
Personally, it’s not at all my style. The racial considerations aside (although that would be enough for me not to use it), the name peaked in the late 60s/early 70s. I think if I heard any name from that era (besides classic names) on a baby today, I wouldn’t care for it.
[name]One[/name] of my cousins named his son [name]Tyson[/name]… I think he’s about 3 or 4 now. I thought that was weird and sounded not-very-classy.