I am finding myself liking a lot of girl names that are more Latin, Russian, and sometimes even Disney-ish. To say that my family on both sides are really vanilla is an understatement. I do have to say though that not one of my fam. members are racist, I know that a subject like this would trigger someone to think this and just to be clear, no one is racist, they are just very 1950’s kind of traditional and I wonder if there are women like me that chose names that their husband and/or family members would make a stank face to :-? or did you just go with names you are in love with despite the obvious cultural differences?
The names that I love are…
[name_f]Adriana[/name_f], [name_f]Camilla[/name_f], [name_f]Tatiana[/name_f], [name_f]Irina[/name_f], [name_f]Jasmine[/name_f], [name_f]Naomi[/name_f], [name_f]Amara[/name_f], and [name_f]Elena[/name_f].
Also I do not want to use [name_f]Marie[/name_f],[name_f]Katherine[/name_f], or [name_f]Ann[/name_f] for a middle name like so many of my family mem. have, I might just knock them over dead with these choices lol
But I would really like to know what your choices would be or are…
Personally, I think the only name that sounds even remotely “ethnic” to me on your list is [name_f]Tatiana[/name_f]. Maybe [name_f]Naomi[/name_f], but I know a [name_f]Naomi[/name_f] and she was a pretty standard white girl. haha I am an American woman with a strong love for Gaelic/Celtic names. Would I use them for my kids despite them being from a different culture? Absolutely! Using names from other cultures that might not be so prevalent where you’re from makes it a little unique, which I like. Also, they’re your kids…not anyone else’s. Name them what you want to name them. =] Your names are beautiful and not anywhere near ethnic or cultural enough to even bat an eye at, to me.
Like the previous poster remarked, I do not find anything at all extraordinarily foreign about your name choices. Times are changing! Are a lot of these names used by people in different countries? Sure! But the interesting thing about the particular names you chose is that they are actually multicultural and stretch beyond borders.
And many of them are already “Americanized” and acceptable for usage no matter what the heritage. [name_f]Adriana[/name_f], for example, sounds entirely all-American to me, even though it has been used prominently in [name_u]Brazil[/name_u] and [name_f]Italy[/name_f]. In the end, it’s your baby, and the most important thing is to pick a name with a significance that you love.
I think the most obvious names to avoid are religious figures of religions that you are not a part of.
Pick what you would be proud of saying everyday. That is a good rule of thumb.
I am in all support of widening your name horizon! Your family members will get over their initial shock, I promise. In today’s world, a little [name_f]Naomi[/name_f] is as ordinary as a little [name_f]Alison[/name_f]. (Not to rag on the name’s popularity, but merely to illustrate that it is not boxed in by a specific race!)
As long as you are aware of a name’s origins and any special significance it might have in its culture of origin, I think you’re fine. The idea of only being able to choose a name from your heritage feels very backwards to me, honestly.
I can actually relate a lot to your predicament–I’ve wondered the same thing about a lot of the names on my list. I also [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] the name [name_f]Jasmine[/name_f], but I’ve had the same reservations about it that you do, and have never felt 100% comfortable with the idea of using it as a first name because of that.
I would say the names on your list sound fine though, they don’t strike me as too closely associated with any other specific ethnicities. I think in this day and age people are beginning to branch out of their own cultural naming traditions, so it will be more and more common in the coming years to see culturally diverse names on children of all backgrounds (I hope!) :).
All of the names you listed sound pretty mainstream, at least in the US. I just checked, and all of them except [name_f]Irina[/name_f] are well within the US top 1000 names for 2015. So chances are your family has heard these names before, probably more than a handful of times, so these choices won’t be mind blowing if you suggest them.
From your list, I like all of them, but especially [name_f]Irina[/name_f], [name_f]Jasmine[/name_f], and [name_f]Amara[/name_f]. It’s your baby, not your family’s, so only yours and your partner’s opinion should come into play when naming it.
I think it sometimes depends on the name in question, but in your case, like others have already said, the names on your list seem pretty mainstream to me. The only one I’m iffy about is [name_f]Irina[/name_f], since it’s not used that much in [name_u]America[/name_u]. I would expect an [name_f]Irina[/name_f] to have Russian/Slavic ancestry, although I don’t think I would find it that strange if she didn’t.
Also echoing the thought that as long as you and your partner love the name, that’s all that matters. Your family will get used to whatever name you pick, even if it isn’t their personal style.
Those names sound pretty standard and mainstream. I’m not sure if they have any special cultural significance but it’s good to know about those things and think about why you like the names so you’re not just trying to sound “exotic” and “cool”.
I agree with most of the others, your names are not at all foreign sounding or exotic. [name_f]Jasmine[/name_f] was a super popular name for girls of all races and ethnicities in the 1990s, and I know three Elenas that are three different nationalities.
I think it’s wonderful that people are looking at names from other cultures. Variety is the spice of life after all. The only time it’s negative is when it is offensive to use a specific name (like a religious name for instance) or to not do your research on the name (and don’t just look it up on Nameberry, they are often wrong about their name origins and meanings).
We picked a Latin name and are not in the slightest Latin.
[name_f]Emelia[/name_f] (cross between [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] and [name_f]Emilia[/name_f]). It’s beautiful and it fit our little girl, and we’re so happy with it. People didn’t like it at first, but they didn’t have a choice. Now they say “Ohhhhh…we thought you meant [name_f]Amelia[/name_f]…with an A”…Not that much of a difference…
[name_f]Do[/name_f] what you want! The names you’ve picked are beautiful! I love [name_f]Elena[/name_f], [name_f]Naomi[/name_f], so many of them! <3
I honestly think there’s a huge difference between using a name from a culture that hasn’t been pillaged by people that look like you and using one from a culture that has been pillaged by people who look like you. All of the names you’re talking about are 100% inoffensive and cool, but in general, using something that’s sacred to a religion you aren’t a part of or using traditional names from [name_m]Brown[/name_m] and [name_m]Black[/name_m] cultures (if you happen to be white) in an effort to seem cool or quirky really sucks. They get made fun of and denied jobs (or even worse) for engaging with their cultures. P.S. a lot of the time 1950s sensibilities are racist. Old people don’t get a pass because they’re old. In the words of some internet user who I admire, “they lived through some of the most important civil rights movements in history and learned nothing from them.”
I don’t think any of the names on your list are particularly foreign. All are fairly mainstream picks and I’ve seen most of those names on girls of several different ethnicities.
I think the only time a name should be knocked for it being outside of your heritage is if it is REALLY tied to some heritage that you don’t have (a little Irish [name_m]Jose[/name_m], for example, would be a bit strange) or if the name’s use could be offensive to members of another cultural group. [name_f]India[/name_f] and [name_m]Cohen[/name_m] are prime examples of the latter.
It’s good to have cultural sensitivity, but I see nothing culturally insensitive about the names you listed. I would not be surprised to meet a little girl of any background with any of those names.
My name is Elena (middle name Ann, unfortunately), and I’ve had people ask me if I’m Russian or if I’m Hispanic, even though I’m just a weird combination of Greek, Irish, and Jewish. I agree that there are certain names that you should stay away from for cultural reasons (I saw someone use “Yahweh” in a BNG on here, that’s an example of something you SHOULD NOT do), especially when people of the culture in question are persecuted for having those names.
This is really rambley but basically: some names have serious cultural significance that you shouldn’t use (I wouldn’t personally be offended by using “Cohen,” but I would definitely think it was weird. I would be upset about using Yahweh, and I’m pretty sure the 5 boys with that name born in 2015 aren’t Jewish. I know that some people would be offended by the name Jude- especially if they are/are close with Holocaust survivors. Don’t use the name G*psy, and don’t name your kid like you’re one of those white girls at Coachella. You know, the ones with the headdresses?)
But yeah, the names you’ve mentioned don’t really fall in that list. So I wouldn’t worry about it.
Note: I’m totally with you on Ann as a middle name. Mine actually has familial significance (Elena = great-grandma Helen, Ann = great-grandma Angeline, Esther Rivka (Hebrew Name) = great grandmas Esther and Eva, Rivka was her Hebrew name), but it’s so boring.
If you’re American and tried to choose American names you would come up pretty empty. Names that you probably consider “American” or “western” probably originated from other places but became customary over years of use.
Name your child what you want. There is nothing more ‘foreign’ about [name_f]Tatiana[/name_f] than there is about a name like [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f].
None of the names you mentioned are really out there culturally. I think you’ll be fine with any of them.
I would love to use an Irish, Gaelic, or [name_u]Cherokee[/name_u] name, but that is based on my heritage. [name_u]Cherokee[/name_u] is unfortunately to distant for me to feel comfortable using. It would be a little odd for a pale, auburn haired girl to be named Ahyoka, and my husband isn’t too keen on the more interesting Irish or Gaelic names.
