Choosing a name from a different culture for your child

[Anonymous]

NBD

-Foreigner

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I’d never say anything out loud but it’s a little bit of an eye roll from me. Every single person I know who did this though also does a bunch of other crunchy nonsense that generates eye rolls. It’s definitely a type.

Why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like to chime in to these threads of cultural appropriation to remind everyone that people may have connections to a culture even though their external appearance does not make it obvious.

We are a multicultural and multiethnic family and gave our children names from all our family cultures (each grandparent chose a name from his or her country of origin).

Outside the naming department, I grew up in multiple countries due to my parents' work, and have a particular affinity for one of them, even though it's neither of my parents' countries, or my country of birth (see, I have to make all these distinctions). I love everything about that country, learned all the traditional songs, the dances, the myths, had the clothing and everything. Here it would be called cultural appropriation, since I don't look the part. But it's not. I love this country and for a while considered it my own.

Long-winded way of saying: do whatever the heck you want.

My son is blue eyed and blonde haired and named Alejandro.

It's a great name. Has anyone ever asked if you were Hispanic?

[Anonymous]

I cringe (and definitely judge the stupid parents) when I meet someone who named their child something from someone's culture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t give it a second thought. Honestly. My parents are Sephardic Jews and they named my little brother Ryan. You wouldn’t believe how many other Ryan’s there are at our shul.

Yes! I'm Jewish and grew up knowing so many Jews with names likes Ryan, Corey, Brian. I do not think it's cultural appropriation though. Parents can like how a name sounds and give it to their child. There doesn't need to be a specific reason behind naming your child "Ryan" or "Khadija" or "Svetlana."

[Anonymous]

It would be weirder for me to chose a name from my way-back ancestors in Finland, I think, than to chose an more Americanized name that likely is not originally from Finland.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like to chime in to these threads of cultural appropriation to remind everyone that people may have connections to a culture even though their external appearance does not make it obvious.

We are a multicultural and multiethnic family and gave our children names from all our family cultures (each grandparent chose a name from his or her country of origin).

Outside the naming department, I grew up in multiple countries due to my parents' work, and have a particular affinity for one of them, even though it's neither of my parents' countries, or my country of birth (see, I have to make all these distinctions). I love everything about that country, learned all the traditional songs, the dances, the myths, had the clothing and everything. Here it would be called cultural appropriation, since I don't look the part. But it's not. I love this country and for a while considered it my own.

Long-winded way of saying: do whatever the heck you want.

Say hi to Guilherme, João and Tainá.

[Anonymous]

No judgement. Name your child whatever you want. It's fine to like a name outside of your own culture. Luckily, I live in a very diverse part of the country where nobody bats an eye at an "unusual"name.

[Anonymous]

What is the name? I think that makes a big difference. Is it Magdalena or Xochitl? The former totally doable and NBD but the latter would definitely have people asking. Same with, say, Rafael or João, Omar or Hassan, etc. It probably also depends what culture. If you’re white, I doubt anyone would care about a white European name

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I cringe (and definitely judge the stupid parents) when I meet someone who named their child something from someone's culture.

Hope you are 100% sure it's someone's and not the parents' or grandparents' culture.

[Anonymous]

You may also want to think about your child. I named my daughter after my mother, who has a very traditional name. My daughter is not a fan of her full name and goes by nickname only (she's in MS). I think that she will eventually grow to love it when she is older and, of course, my mother was so honored. I'm happy with the name but we have a direct family connection to it - especially now that my mom and daughter are so close.

If you're giving your kid a unique or uncommon name that is going to be difficult for her, why do it unless there's sentimental value?

Name your kid whatever you want but do remember that s/he is going to be the one growing up with it.

[Anonymous]

I’m in my 40s and grew up with a very white American girl with zero family connection to Asian ethnicity whose name was Mariko. It was odd then, but everyone chalked it up to her hippy parents. Had someone done that today, it might be considered cultural appropriation or at the very least seem odd.

I think mainstream names already in heavy use in the USA are fair game—including all the Irish names that just American now.

I know someone with a distant Latino connection (think: 2 generation American who only speaks basic Spanish with an American accent) who named her kid Joaquin. That prompted eyerolls among her peer group.

[Anonymous]

This is what middle names are for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t give it a second thought. Honestly. My parents are Sephardic Jews and they named my little brother Ryan. You wouldn’t believe how many other Ryan’s there are at our shul.

In college I dated a guy who was from a family of Irianian Jews, and his youngest brother was named Sean.

[Anonymous]

I can’t even think of anyone I know like this.

My daughter had a lot of Korean and Indian American classmates (1st generation immigrants) when her little sister was born. She suggested a bunch of their names for her sister. I just didn’t think they worked for a pale white child like ours, but I did think it was sweet that she didn’t think anything of it.