Choosing a name from a different culture for your child

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Why is this significant? Do you think there aren't blue eyes, blonde hair people in Spanish speaking countries?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I hear a name that is culturally inconsistent with the parents' culture, to me there is then a rebuttable presumption that the parents are either: (a) hopelessly dull and naïve and thought the name sounded super-pretty, or (b) affected, and seeking to be perceived as whatever the other culture would evoke -- e.g. we're cosmopolitan! we're woke! we're European! The presumption can be rebutted by the parents demonstrating that they are not dull, naïve, or affected, and/or that there is a clear valid other reason for the name.

We have neighbors from Portugal who have a son named Max. Is that ok with you or is it too cultural inconsistent?

[Anonymous]

I know a white mom whose son is named Aloha. I judge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just wish people would think about how the name sounds on a resume or as a Supreme Court Justice. People are saddling their kids with really crappy names.

Amy and Brett are Supreme Court Justices. Everything is getting taken over by the idiots from high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just wish people would think about how the name sounds on a resume or as a Supreme Court Justice. People are saddling their kids with really crappy names.

Amy and Brett are Supreme Court Justices. Everything is getting taken over by the idiots from high school.

Condoleezza did well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just wish people would think about how the name sounds on a resume or as a Supreme Court Justice. People are saddling their kids with really crappy names.

Amy and Brett are Supreme Court Justices. Everything is getting taken over by the idiots from high school.

You do realize Amy is not a recently "made up" name, don't you?

[Anonymous]

I knew a non-Arabic girl named Farida and no one gave the name a second thought, though some of the kids pronounced it Frieda. I think it's a pretty name.

I know a Rhonda who isn't Welsh, a Tamsin who isn't English, and a Sativa who isn't a pot plant. Also a Linnea who isn't Swedish, but her mom is a botanist.

Name your kids whatever you want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just wish people would think about how the name sounds on a resume or as a Supreme Court Justice. People are saddling their kids with really crappy names.

Amy and Brett are Supreme Court Justices. Everything is getting taken over by the idiots from high school.

Legit LOL on this one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I hear a name that is culturally inconsistent with the parents' culture, to me there is then a rebuttable presumption that the parents are either: (a) hopelessly dull and naïve and thought the name sounded super-pretty, or (b) affected, and seeking to be perceived as whatever the other culture would evoke -- e.g. we're cosmopolitan! we're woke! we're European! The presumption can be rebutted by the parents demonstrating that they are not dull, naïve, or affected, and/or that there is a clear valid other reason for the name.

We have neighbors from Portugal who have a son named Max. Is that ok with you or is it too cultural inconsistent?

Assimilation names don't stand out to me, nor do names that choose against assimilation. That is, any recent immigrant that chooses a name that is culturally consistent with where they recently came from or where they recently arrived has a clear valid reason. It is reaching into any culture with which you have no recent association that raises my eyebrows.

[Anonymous]

Yes. I hate this. It’s cultural appropriation. Unless it’s sort of common already or there is a reason, some connection if not genetic to the culture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I hear a name that is culturally inconsistent with the parents' culture, to me there is then a rebuttable presumption that the parents are either: (a) hopelessly dull and naïve and thought the name sounded super-pretty, or (b) affected, and seeking to be perceived as whatever the other culture would evoke -- e.g. we're cosmopolitan! we're woke! we're European! The presumption can be rebutted by the parents demonstrating that they are not dull, naïve, or affected, and/or that there is a clear valid other reason for the name.

So if the kids names were, say, Carmen, Rafa, and Leo and mom had changed her name to Hilaria when she was really an Anglo girl from Boston, what category would that be?

Lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I hear a name that is culturally inconsistent with the parents' culture, to me there is then a rebuttable presumption that the parents are either: (a) hopelessly dull and naïve and thought the name sounded super-pretty, or (b) affected, and seeking to be perceived as whatever the other culture would evoke -- e.g. we're cosmopolitan! we're woke! we're European! The presumption can be rebutted by the parents demonstrating that they are not dull, naïve, or affected, and/or that there is a clear valid other reason for the name.

We have neighbors from Portugal who have a son named Max. Is that ok with you or is it too cultural inconsistent?

Assimilation names don't stand out to me, nor do names that choose against assimilation. That is, any recent immigrant that chooses a name that is culturally consistent with where they recently came from or where they recently arrived has a clear valid reason. It is reaching into any culture with which you have no recent association that raises my eyebrows.

Sounds like you are going to be making a lot of stereotypical assumptions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I hear a name that is culturally inconsistent with the parents' culture, to me there is then a rebuttable presumption that the parents are either: (a) hopelessly dull and naïve and thought the name sounded super-pretty, or (b) affected, and seeking to be perceived as whatever the other culture would evoke -- e.g. we're cosmopolitan! we're woke! we're European! The presumption can be rebutted by the parents demonstrating that they are not dull, naïve, or affected, and/or that there is a clear valid other reason for the name.

We have neighbors from Portugal who have a son named Max. Is that ok with you or is it too cultural inconsistent?

Assimilation names don't stand out to me, nor do names that choose against assimilation. That is, any recent immigrant that chooses a name that is culturally consistent with where they recently came from or where they recently arrived has a clear valid reason. It is reaching into any culture with which you have no recent association that raises my eyebrows.

Sounds like you are going to be making a lot of stereotypical assumptions.

+1. Name your kid what you want and don't assume you know anything about anyone else's culture or background and, if you do, don't worry about what they name their kid.

[Anonymous]

Every name came from somewhere.

[Anonymous]

Cultural appropriation is a worthless concept. Cultures are merging and shifting and borrowing from each other all the time. It's a beautiful thing.