Choosing a name from a different culture for your child

[Anonymous]

Do you judge people who do this? Under what circumstances, if any, could it be cultural appropriation?

[Anonymous]

Well this is a broad category. Technically my child's name is from a "different culture" because it was originally a Celtic name and we're American. I have some Irish heritage but zero connection to it. However, the name is relatively common in the US and I am certain many people with no Celtic heritage have used it. I know it's also popular throughout the UK. This doesn't seem like a big deal to me.

I might judge or consider it cultural appropriation if it was white parents giving their kid a name that is almost always used by people from an ethnic minority. It would depend on a bit on circumstances and I could imagine situations in which this wouldn't be a big deal. But I guess if you get the sense that the parents are trying to give people the impression that they are a member of that minority group, or their interest in the name seems to be an interest in the "exotic". I'm thinking of people I've known who were very white but loved "Asian culture" but their interest seemed appropriative. If one of them gave their child a Chinese or Japanese name, I'd definitely judge a little. But then I'd get over it because the kid can't help it and I don't want to saddle the kid with that judgment.

[Anonymous]

Stop with the nonsense.

[Anonymous]

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.

[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.

I can’t believe we have a Supreme Court justice named Brett

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stop with the nonsense.

?

[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.

I can’t believe we have a Supreme Court justice named Brett

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you judge people who do this? Under what circumstances, if any, could it be cultural appropriation?

Honestly, I don't remember the last time I judged someone for a name from another culture. If the name and person seem like an especially unusual combination, can be interesting to ask the story behind this. Recently - the reason a woman with a Caribbean accept has a Russian name is because her father was Cuban admired or knew Soviets.

At what point would it be cultural appropriation? Maybe if there was no cultural knowledge or rooted story behind the choice of name? In that case, my daughter's name is appropriated. Her name is Norwegian, but we've no roots in that region. Her background is Belgian, Scottish, German, Jewish and Russian north near Finland and Norway. Her dad and I picked the name because without a doubt it it was our mutually favorite name.

No discomfort from me toward people from other cultures having an Eastern European name.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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.

[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.

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

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't judge anyone. But I did refrain from using 2 Irish heritage names that DH and I independently came up with for our Indian American twins. Being that they were twins, the names seemed to be too much.

[Anonymous]

Nope. No judgment in the US where we have so many different people from different backgrounds. They all become American names in a way.

[Anonymous]

The only time I judge is when someone picks the name as a status symbol, like to show how cosmopolitan or sophisticated they are. But then I mostly just think they are lame, and I probably already thought that, because it's never the only thing like this they do. Or I guess if they use a name that has a religious or other particular meaning and their use of it is inappropriate or offensive.