Thoughts on using Cultural names

General Name Discussion
1

So there are a good deal of more cultural or ethnic if you will names that i really like! i just have no connection to that culture. so what do you berries think about using an obviously cultured name for a child obviously not from that culture.
Examples here being things like
[name_m]Dmitri[/name_m] - one of my all time favorite boys names! buuuuuut im not Russian, not remotely so i feel like i cant use it.
Kikyo - for a girl, shortens nicely to kiki. very cute, very Japanese, again, im not. So i feel like i dont get to use it.

What are your thoughts on using names like this. for me, i wont do it. But i dont have a great reason for why except the feeling like i cant.

2

For me, I think it depends on the name. [name_m]Dmitri[/name_m] seems pretty mainstream to me, so I wouldn’t think twice about someone who’s not Russian naming their child that. I was actually friends with a girl named [name_m]Dmitri[/name_m] (her parents named her after a boxer, I believe), and she was of [name_f]Asian[/name_f] descent. Her family wasn’t Russian in the slightest.

As for Kikyo, a Japanese name on someone who isn’t Japanese does strike me as a little strange. It’s too tied to Japanese culture to me, as opposed to [name_m]Dmitri[/name_m] which I’ve never thought of as exclusively Russian.

In this day and age, people take their naming inspiration from all over the place, so I think so long as you’re respectful of the name’s history and the culture it comes from, then I don’t think many people would mind. I know there are still people out there that think that everyone should keep to themselves and cultures shouldn’t be diluted by mixing them, but most names have long and complicated histories and have been changed to suit certain cultures, just like [name_m]Dmitri[/name_m] is the Russian version of the Greek [name_m]Demetrius[/name_m]. And of course, Greek deity names and even Norse names are becoming vogue right now, and I highly doubt most people using them are practicing worshiping members of the pantheon or have Nordic roots. If you still feel unsure, it never hurts to ask other people how they would feel if they met someone with a certain name that didn’t belong to the particular culture the name came from, especially people from said culture.

3

For me personally, a reason I’m switching my middle name is because [name_u]Jean[/name_u]-[name_m]Clement[/name_m] was too [name_m]French[/name_m] for me. While my grandparents and my father have close ties to and either live or lived in [name_m]Quebec[/name_m], I don’t really feel that connection to it. I still love [name_m]French[/name_m] names, but I think that, unless I live there, I wouldn’t name my children something extremely [name_m]French[/name_m].

Like someone else said, I think it depends on the name. I know a Greek kid named [name_m]Athanasios[/name_m], whose parents are both from Greece, and it’d be strange and unexpected to see that name on a kid with zero ties to Greece whatsoever. Like a really really white kid named [name_m]Juan[/name_m] [name_m]Pablo[/name_m]. It seems off. Like the parents are trying to make it seem like their kids are something they aren’t.

4

Well [name_m]Dmitri[/name_m] is actually kind of easy “appropriating”. It’s a name I think most people are familiar with and, something that I think is really relevant, is actually not so much a Russian name, but the variation of a Greek name commonly used in [name_f]Russia[/name_f]. So basically you would be appropriating yourself of a name that was already appropriated by the Russians.

This is the most common I think with names that come from the Bible (originally Hebrew) and from saints, oh, and also from Latin and Greek - the influence of these cultures around the world are what caused for certain variations to have become so popular around the world.

The name [name_f]Sophia[/name_f] is Greek for instance, but it’s no more strange to American years than from say, Italian, Spanish or Scandinavian ears.

So, if it’s a name from the Bible, from a [name_m]Saint[/name_m] or of Greek/Latin origin (even, if say, a polish version of [name_f]Susan[/name_f]) I think it’s perfectly possible to use.

I think outside of that parameter, it’s different. I use Arabic names for my girls because I’m at the very least Arabic by blood. However, an American or European couple can name their daughter [name_f]Laila[/name_f] or [name_f]Leila[/name_f] if they want to, even though they are not Arabic because they are names that are familiar and aren’t in any way offensive or racist or anything.

Some names come charged with a lot more than culture, but also [name_m]History[/name_m] and religion, which is why it would be weird or offensive for a non-Islamic American couple to name their son Allah or [name_m]Mohammed[/name_m] for instance. I’m Lebanese-[name_m]Christian[/name_m], so those names are also out of my league. Same goes to [name_m]Adolf[/name_m] or [name_m]Cohen[/name_m]… There’s not a place on the [name_f]Earth[/name_f] where any parents would name their baby [name_m]Adolph[/name_m] or [name_m]Adolf[/name_m] or [name_m]Adolfo[/name_m], even though they were popular way before Hitler. Because people are also historically aware.

What I mean to say is, that it’s okay to use a name from another culture as long as you are aware of what it means, if you know it’s not offensive to use and of course, if it’s practical in spelling and sound for your child (I’m looking at you Polish names!).

5

[name_f]Do[/name_f] you realise ‘‘cultural’’ is not really an adjective in this sense? I don’t think it really describes what you’re trying to say.

6

I think it depends on what your connection is to the culture. If it’s one you feel very connected to, that you’re interested in, one you read about and respect; I do think it’s fine. However, you should also feel comfortable with people asking about your children’s names and even assume that you are from one of those cultures or that their father is.

With the examples you’ve given:
[name_m]Dmitri[/name_m] - I think this spelling is very Russian and therefore I would absolutely assume that [name_m]Dmitri[/name_m] has Russian family; does that mean you shouldn’t use it; not necessarily but you might not feel 100% comfortable using it. Maybe consider [name_m]Dimitri[/name_m], which doesn’t have such strong cultural ties attached to it.
Kikyo - most [name_f]Asian[/name_f] names will make people believe that you have close ties to [name_f]Asia[/name_f] as they are so uncommon on non-[name_f]Asian[/name_f] children, at least those not ever having lived or currently living in [name_f]Asia[/name_f]. I don’t think it’d be wrong to use it but again, you might not actually feel comfortable with the idea that you might always have to explain your name choice.

7

I think some names have become so widespread that it’s perfectly acceptable to use them even if you’re not a part of or linked to that culture e.g. [name_f]Sophia[/name_f] or [name_m]Jacob[/name_m]. Others are less clean cut and need a bit a research to see if it would be appropriate. However, I think there are lots of names where it would be inappropriate (or at the very least weird) for someone not connected to that culture to use them.

I would try and reach out to members of the communities in question in order to properly judge.

8

I like using different names as long as they don’t mean something rude or are actually well known on the opposite gender.

9

There is a user somewhere on here that has a quote in her signature which I find to be true to this. I will try and find it.