Wow, I didn’t know it was so offensive. With TV shows like “My Big Fat [name_f]Gypsy[/name_f] Wedding” and the parallel American version, I would think since the people are willingly a part of the show that they wouldn’t have anything against the name. Seriously, I have never heard of gypsy as being offensive. I live in the U.S., though.
Very offensive and deragatory. As I teacher in Romania, I have seen first hand the implorable treatment that the [name_u]Roma[/name_u] students at my school endure. It is disgusting and heartbreaking. Here in Romania, the Romanian word for gypsy is a racial slur.
There was a character on an Australian television program (Home and Away) named [name_f]Gypsy[/name_f]. This was in the 1990s. I don’t remember there ever being any controversy over her name. Personally, I don’t think it’s offensive, but I suppose some people of Romani heritage may be offended.
Although, just because a group of people has been persecuted, doesn’t mean the name is wrong. Is naming your child [name_f]China[/name_f] racist? I don’t know.
I live in [name_u]Sweden[/name_u] and to me naming a kid gypsy would be like naming a kid any racial slur. Horribly offensive.
@[name_f]Sarah[/name_f] I agree with you. My friend wanted to change her name to [name_f]Gypsy[/name_f] when she was little and we have two mii’s on our wii at home (they one has the hyphenated [name_f]Gypsy[/name_f]-[name_f]Rose[/name_f]). I actually like it but I wouldn’t ever dare to use it and I love [name_f]Gypsy[/name_f]-[name_f]Rose[/name_f] even more. I’ve never heard it used as a racial slur.
I remember [name_f]Gypsy[/name_f] on Home and Away – no-one ever commented on her name being offensive, so if you live in Australia, I doubt that it would be remarked upon … sounds like elsewhere it is a very bad idea.
[name_f]Gypsy[/name_f] [name_m]Nash[/name_m] - Gypsy Nash - Wikipedia
We now live in a global society, so even if the name isn’t offensive where YOU live, you have to think about the consequences of a child growing up with the name in this global society.
[name_m]Just[/name_m] because it isn’t offensive everywhere, doesn’t make it OK to use.
It would be like naming a child Redneck or White Trash.
I remember [name_f]Gypsy[/name_f] on Home and Away as well…
Being of [name_u]Roma[/name_u]/Romani ethnicity I started to really look into this issue. It’s seen as highly derogatory to the [name_u]Roma[/name_u] people. Roma is an alternate title Romani people use.
As you said, renrose, there’s conflicting theories on this, ***** is supposed to mean “[name_m]Pharaoh[/name_m]'s people;” but historians are disagreeing about where they truly came from. Other places of possibility are Turkey or [name_f]Indian[/name_f]. Most historians believe they were an Indo-[name_m]Aryan[/name_m].
Some studies believe it may have been over a million. They weren’t even recognised as being apart of the Holocaust until the 1980s. As [name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] said they were also sterilized. Many nations have also tried to force assimilate them, raid camps, and send them back to their “country of origin” a virtually impossible task when they don’t know where they truly came from and were born all over the world. Plus they’ve been in Europe especially since the 1400s, via [name_u]Persia[/name_u] and Greece, after fleeing an invasion believably in [name_f]India[/name_f].
No, it truly isn’t the same as calling a child [name_f]China[/name_f], gy*** is not their nationality, Romani is, its like calling them the “N” word, in their/our culture.
I also can’t express enough the fact that they did not choose to travel. Due to the persecution they received from the moment they got to Europe, they began to travel, it wasn’t something they did because they wanted to. The persecution has continued for hundreds of years, what is shown on programs like My Big Fat [name_f]Gypsy[/name_f] Wedding are completely unrealistic, do not be fooled. Romani have been considered to be inferior to other races and criminals who rely on government handouts, so they’ve been ostracized, also because of their culture - and at a time, language was unlike any other in Europe.
If you’d like read a blog from someone who deals with these sort of prejudices every day, there’s a woman who is an Oregon journalist, living in Czech, who adopted two Romani children. Some of things she and her children have gone through are horrible. But it truly opened my eyes to how Roma children are seen.
Here’s her blog: http://ariefarnam.wordpress.com/
Here’s also a video from the streets of Romania: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iXdTHESO8Y
P.S sorry, I know you probably weren’t expecting the reaction you got, this is an issue I am really passionate about it. One day I want to adopt a Roma child. 
Sodallas; I just want to hug you right now. Thanks for a great post. 
Thanks [name_f]Ottilie[/name_f]! I shall hug you back (virtually.)
@sodallas3 - I just want to echo [name_f]Ottilie[/name_f], such a good post.
I think sometimes, unless you really spell it out to people, they really don’t get it.
@sodallas - I know you said it’s not the same as naming your child [name_f]China[/name_f], and I’m not disputing that, but (at the risk of blowing this thread wide open), could you explain whether you think naming your child [name_f]India[/name_f] is the same as naming your child [name_f]China[/name_f]? I get that “gypsy” is a descriptive word for Romani people, but [name_f]India[/name_f] is simply the name of a country, surely?
PS. What about [name_f]Gypsy[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f] [name_u]Lee[/name_u]? She probably helped turn gypsy from a “racial slur” into a name. [name_m]Just[/name_m] a thought.
I knew somewhat about Romani (is that the correct term?) history, and the words gypsy and gypped, but I’m actually surprised that it’s offensive as a name, simply because I’ve actually heard it as a name before and never heard that the name was offensive until now; I sort of figured the name [name_f]Gypsy[/name_f] must be somehow disconnected from the word [name_f]Gypsy[/name_f]. There was a character named [name_f]Gypsy[/name_f] on [name_m]Gilmore[/name_m] Girls, and while she was a minor background character, she was still on the show for 7 years. I also had a book as a child (forgot the title, sorry) with a main character named [name_f]Gypsy[/name_f].
@[name_f]Amelia[/name_f] - Oh yeah, I forgot about [name_f]Gypsy[/name_f] on [name_m]Gilmore[/name_m] Girls!
Sodallas, great post.
I just want to simply echo everything she said. I have a friend and him and his family moved from Romania to here and have lived all over the US. They’re Romani. He’s first gen American. So I get a first hand accounting of how terrible that word is to them. So yes, the Romani people find it incredibly offensive just like the N word for Africans. It’s a racial slur. The first time I referred to them as gypsy I got such a telling off and then a wonderful education about the history of their people. The sterilization, the ridicule, everything. It’s a very sad and violent history and though it’s used in (mostly it seems American) pop culture, I believe it’s the same as [name_m]Cohen[/name_m], people just don’t understand the issue.
[name_f]Sarah[/name_f], about [name_f]India[/name_f]. I don’t find it the same as gypsy, but I find it somewhat offensive. The difference is that gypsy is a racial slur, something used to debased a group of people. [name_f]India[/name_f] is a country name that was appropriated and used after some terrible events in history. It’s different, and not quiet as bad in my own opinion, but still offensive to me. And I find using Romani as a name bad too just to clear that up before it gets asked. 
It’s good that this discussion is staying civil.
In countries like Australia and [name_u]America[/name_u], we haven’t been exposed to anything really to do with the [name_u]Roma[/name_u] community, besides the stereotypical fortune teller slash traveller label. I think the image of the [name_u]Roma[/name_u] community and the catchy name caught on without no one over here ever suspecting it had a connotation. I get what your saying, but while I would never name my child [name_f]China[/name_f] or [name_f]India[/name_f] either, ***psy is not their nationality like I said, Romani is. ***psy is a derogatory slang word that was basically used to say “you’re not welcome here, get out of our country.” It wasn’t just a level-headed term. The issue with this name, unlike a lot of the others, is that it has been used to ostracize a particular nationality. It’s like calling your child “Jew.”
I get that every name has a history, don’t get me wrong, and that to someone every name will be offensive. But I just know this one won’t be received well.
It’s a slur. I guess in [name_u]America[/name_u] the association is burlesque before Romani people for some. Either way, the associations are either a racial slur or an old timey stripper.
If you are looking for [name_m]Fleetwood[/name_m] [name_m]Mac[/name_m] inspired middle I suggest:
[name_f]Rhiannon[/name_f]
[name_f]Isis[/name_f]
[name_u]Stevie[/name_u]
[name_u]Silver[/name_u]
[name_f]Star[/name_f]
Dreama
[name_f]Alba[/name_f]
[name_f]Velvet[/name_f]
[name_f]Lacey[/name_f]
[name_f]Love[/name_f]
[name_u]Dusty[/name_u]
[name_m]Fleetwood[/name_m]
PS- I’m being [name_u]Stevie[/name_u] for Halloween