Should she name her child this?

Of course!

What are the worst names they listed?

Probably the Japanese names and [name_u]Kyle[/name_u]. Iā€™m just not a [name_u]Kyle[/name_u] fan, and it seems a bit bland compared to the rest of their names. Unless itā€™s a family name, of course.

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For me the Japanese names like @Paxramena has said! I feel the subject has a lot of grey areas and problems later on for the child, especially since a lot of the Japanese names are tied to popular characters, normal names [name_m]Gaston[/name_m] is my least favorite to tied to the Disney villain and in general, for girls Alphonsia, I feel itā€™s the oddball out of their name taste, canā€™t see it paired well, names I suggest for them though that arenā€™t on

BOYS

  • Noah
  • Elijah
  • Kelvin
  • Soarin
  • Sebastian

GIRLS

  • Mina (a universal name itā€™s Japanese but also Russian, etc. so itā€™s not tied down)
  • Daisy
  • Marcia
  • Lorelei
  • Serenity (Also an anime reference in [name_u]Sailor[/name_u] [name_f]Moon[/name_f])
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If they arenā€™t Japanese Iā€™d suggest they only use a Japanese name as a middle. In saying that I adore Sakura, itā€™s an absolutely beautiful name and one I could maybe see on a non-Japanese child. I canā€™t say I love any of their other female options apart from the Japanese ones (I think Japanese names are beautiful), but I do think they should reserve those for the middle. My favourite from their boysā€™ list is Edward. Nicholas and Joseph are also nice, as are the Japanese names but, well, ditto what Iā€™ve said above.

Edit: Aya is a name I can see being used on a non-Japanese child. Itā€™s a beautiful girlsā€™ name and Iā€™m fairly sure it derives from other cultures in addition to Japanese, so itā€™s definitely usable.

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I can see [name_u]Kyle[/name_u] being a bit bland too to be honest!

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Thank you for the recommendations, Iā€™ll pass them on!

Soarin? As in the Disney ride?

Misspelled it :sob: Sorin I think itā€™s called

Edit: yep sorin!

Thanks! Why [name_m]Edward[/name_m] over the others, though?

Itā€™s okay! Sorin/Soren is a cool name. Actually it would be cool to name a kid after a nostalgic rollercoaster ride, right?

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No real reason, I just like it. I personally wouldnā€™t use such a traditional name myself but of those solid, classic boysā€™ names like [name_m]Nicholas[/name_m], [name_m]William[/name_m], [name_u]Oliver[/name_u] etc, [name_m]Edward[/name_m] is one I just like. I also love the nicknamesā€¦ [name_m]Eddy[/name_m], [name_m]Ned[/name_m], and [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] are so sweet!

Another of that style I love is [name_m]Henry[/name_m] if thatā€™s one they perhaps like? [name_m]Oscar[/name_m] is a brilliant choice too.

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Thanks for the suggestion!
What do you reckon are the worst/oddest names on there (western)?

I dislike [name_u]Eren[/name_u], [name_m]Gaston[/name_m], [name_u]Kyle[/name_u], and [name_m]Nigel[/name_m] and [name_u]Lisa[/name_u], [name_f]Sandra[/name_f], [name_f]Suzi[/name_f], [name_f]Selma[/name_f], and Alphonsia. Theyā€™re either very dated or cumbersome for a child to wear. Iā€™m not a fan of [name_u]Darby[/name_u] either but itā€™s better than the above. How about [name_u]Darcy[/name_u]?

I think I like [name_f]Lidia[/name_f] (though I prefer [name_f]Lydia[/name_f]) and [name_m]Nicholas[/name_m] best!
Its probably wise for them to stay away from using Japanese namesā€¦ I could perhaps see [name_f]Sakura[/name_f] since it is a type of tree so its sort of like [name_f]Maple[/name_f], [name_u]Willow[/name_u] or [name_u]Aspen[/name_u] (but even then, maybe just as a middle name)
I think using non-japanese names from animes seems to be the way to go, or maybe even looking at names that are used in Japan but have usage all over the worldā€¦ Maybe [name_f]Rina[/name_f]?

I would suggest they stay away from the names that are really linked to Japanese culture, for the same reasons that @princesspanda brought up. Other than that, I really like: [name_u]Eren[/name_u], [name_m]Edward[/name_m], [name_m]Nicholas[/name_m], [name_m]Jonathan[/name_m] and [name_m]Joseph[/name_m] for boys, and [name_u]Lisa[/name_u], [name_f]Sandra[/name_f] and [name_f]Lidia[/name_f] for girls!

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Nigel [name_m]Joseph[/name_m] for the boy.
Iā€™m not sure what to pick from the girlsā€™ list. Maybe [name_f]Selma[/name_f] [name_u]Darby[/name_u]ā€¦

I like:
[name_u]Eren[/name_u]
[name_m]Omar[/name_m]
[name_m]Gaston[/name_m]
[name_m]Jonathan[/name_m]
[name_m]Nigel[/name_m]
[name_m]Joseph[/name_m]

Jimena
[name_f]Sandra[/name_f]
Jova
[name_f]Selma[/name_f]

Oh also thereā€™s a [name_f]Maren[/name_f] in Dragonball and a [name_m]Pan[/name_m] if theyā€™d be up for [name_f]Pandora[/name_f] or another name to lend to it.

Ronan has a similar feel to Gohan. [name_f]Alma[/name_f] to Bulma. If they really want to work it in somehow.

Sean [name_u]Christian[/name_u] is the voice actor for [name_m]Goku[/name_m] in the [name_f]English[/name_f] dubs.

I donā€™t watch the other shows but I would try to get creative in that way to pick a name less on the nose that can have meaning to them still.

Iā€™ve loved [name_f]Sakura[/name_f] ever since my elementary school taught us the folk song!!! I also love [name_f]Lidia[/name_f] though prefer it to be spelled [name_f]Lydia[/name_f]. Of the other non-Japanese girl names, thereā€™s not really anything wrong them but many like [name_u]Lisa[/name_u] and [name_f]Sandra[/name_f] are considered a bit dated if they care about that.

Of the non Japanese boy names, I donā€™t see anything wrong with them other than maybe [name_u]Kyle[/name_u] and [name_m]Gaston[/name_m]. Iā€™ve loved the name [name_u]Kyle[/name_u] since pre-school but thereā€™s some memes of [name_u]Kyle[/name_u] being an angry white male. Itā€™s not as well known as the [name_f]Karen[/name_f] meme but itā€™s there on some places of the internet just fyi. I also really like [name_m]Edward[/name_m] but itā€™s considered to be a bit dated. [name_m]Gaston[/name_m] is the name of the villian of Beauty & the Beast disney movie. [name_m]Omar[/name_m] is common in Muslim families but I think it is fine to use as far as Iā€™m aware.

Of the Japanese boy names, [name_m]Naruto[/name_m] and [name_m]Goku[/name_m] are pretty tied to the tv shows in the U.S. Like I donā€™t watch those shows but still know those characters.

I agree with the previous posters about Japanese names. Iā€™d avoid those.
[name_m]Joseph[/name_m] and Alphonsia are my favourites.

Consulted a friend about foreigners using Japanese names so hereā€™s input from a fluent Japanese speaker who has lived in Japan for years:

The Japanese donā€™t really think about culture appropriation nor think you shouldnā€™t use their names; they just donā€™t care, are baffled as to why you would even want to use their names, and think youā€™re weird that you would want to do that. So itā€™s a mix of ā€œā€¦ok?ā€ and ā€œBut why, though?ā€

Also, otaku is not really a nice thing to be called in Japan. Being a foreigner in Japan already plants you in the weirdo category. Being one who likes anime and identifies as an otaku plants you in the less cool weirdo category and their reaction is usually bafflement followed by just moving on, kind of pretending that you didnā€™t just say that.

Another friend said they typically like seeing Gaijins following or learning their culture but you may get a weird eye from some if you use their names. Elders are more likely to have a negative opinion about Gaijin and while younger generation either donā€™t care or are really into gaijin stuff.

I also think this hispanic family will get a lot of weird looks from their own community if they give their child a Japanese first name if they havenā€™t thought about that already.

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