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I agree with people who said it depends on the name. I think most of the time it is done with the intent of honoring a culture. I agree with those who said culture is meant to be shared. A lot of names are also internationally well known throughout the world. For example, even though Dimitri is not of my culture, it feels ''international'' enough.

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But I'd still refrain in certain cases. For example, names of important religious figures like Mohammed or Jesus can have an importance to believers and I would feel like I was not respecting their beliefs if I chose the name ''just 'cause''.

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I also would not name my kid the name of a cultural group that have been oppressed for centuries. I'm thinking mainly of Indigenous peoples of America. Considering their culture has almost been erased by colonization, it doesn't feel right to use a name from that culture. It's actually well known that people of the First nations communities were forced to use Christian names for centuries. In those cases, it would feel wrong to me. First Nations have the right to reclaim their own customs and culture and heal. It's a question of historical power dynamics, when a group has been repressed and held in a lower place in society purposefully.

I think it is fine. Always. Nobody names a kid something they don't think is cool. To use a name is to give it high praise and if it represents another culture, that's like praising that culture, showing that one thinks its artifacts are worthy - whether one means to praise it, or not. There's no appropriation involved. Appropriation means profiting at someone else's expense. I don't think naming a child ever does that. Maybe if it were a celebrity pseudonym.

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At worst the parents might be ignorant about what the name signifies to people who are familiar with its original context. I still don't think it's unethical or disrespectful. Even if they never take an interest in the source culture otherwise.

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I think for each individual, there are different comfort zones about cross-cultural naming, depending on the specific name and our experiences. There are a lot of usages I personally would not do. People should follow their own feelings, when naming their own children. And probably not project their comfort zones onto others as moral or ethical rules.

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I think it's pretty normal, and appropriate, for people to feel pleased when encountering a foreign person with an unusual name from their own culture. I think if they feel like it's diluting their own culture, that's probably because they are aware of their own culture being diluted in other ways already. The naming of children isn't a cause of that, though, imo.

This message was edited yesterday, 2:27 AM

nt

This message was edited today, 9:27 AM

I think it depends on the name. I happen to love the name Andrei or Andriy and would gladly use it even though I’m not Russian or Ukrainian.

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I think the problem arises when a name is almost completely associated with a particular ethnicity or religion. I don’t think you should name a child Krishna (Hindu) Jesus (Christian) or Muhammad (Muslim) unless you are of those religions.

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Also you should be aware that if a name is “too foreign “ sounding a child might have to deal with some teasing in school.

I've never been particularly opposed to it. I tend to believe that culture is meant to be shared, and if you hoard it, it dies. However, I think it's wise to consider that your child may potentially have to answer questions and correct people who might assume heritage based on name. I don't mean as in people would ask it maliciously, but it may come up as a conversational curiosity. Your 100% Irish daughter with the Chinese name might get tired of explaining the story behind it, just like kids with kre8tive names must correct spelling for the rest of their lives, so I would say have some foresight and name within reason.
I once came across a video showing a black man in the American South with the name Dimitri. It suited him quite nicely! I've always considered it a very handsome name and it fit him to a tee.

Go for it, it's fine, not like you took name from f.e Italy.
In other cases - it depends and as example myself - people should sometimes limit themselves with romanticising xyz culture,
especially if it's too foreign and kid can be mocked by peers or later treated badly by fellow adults who are racist.

This message was edited 6/13/2025, 7:56 PM

It depends on the name, the region and the family heritage. For example husband and I have agreed on Morwenna and Tesni as middle names for a potential daughter. Outwardly neither us or our parents have any Cornish or Welsh connection but I have traced my Cornish family back a few hundred years to the 1600s. My great grandmother, my great great grandmother and their families were also born in South Wales. Equally if it is a name like Layla that has become universally popular in an area I don’t see a problem with it.

I gave my daughters what I call "international names." They're not in common use in my culture today, but I drew on my heritage and lineage to find them. People will be able to read and say their names intuitively where they will be growing up and if they travel across borders, their names will still be familiar. I have French, Dutch, German, Basque and Frisian heritage in my family and I don't have to go very far back to trace it. I considered names from all those cultures. Personally, I see absolutely nothing wrong with choosing a Polish name for a child raised in Ukraine, but I also don't know the cultural norms. I do agree that choosing a name from, for example, Japanese culture when a child's family has 0 ties to it is weird. It reminds me of a wedding I attended years ago where the men whore kilts despite 0 connection to Scotland or anything Scottish. It's awkward.

I think it depends on the name and the culture.

I know an American family who named their son Maksim.