To use a 'foreign' name for DC?

[TrueBlu]

There has been some debate in recent months about names you can/can't use on baby names.

So my question is, is it ur to use a name when you have no connection to its country of origin. Would you be appropriating the culture it came from?

Also, when is it 'okay' to Anglicise names?

E.g. I could use Connor instead of Conchobhar, or Neve instead of Niamh, but not Zanthe instead of Xanthe or Eefa instead of Aoife.

Well I'm not calling my child Saorise or Saoirse so I don't care. Just copied from the OP. But yeah, fair point ninja.

Yeah, you might want to learn to spell it right first.

I have a name from Ancient Greek mythology. With silent letters and everything. Don't do it to your child.

We chose foreign names for our DC because we wanted their names to be pronounced and written the same in our three languages. Taking a name from a fourth (completely unrelated to us in any way, but same for both DC) was the only way we managed it.

My daughter has a Spanish name but, a - it's easy to spell and pronounce, and b - we researched it before deciding on it, to make aure it didn't mean anything odd. We love it, and it's perfect for her (even though she is chubby, blonde and pale, and doesn't look at all spanish!)

I wouldn't but only because I have one and it's a total nightmare in this country. God knows why as it's two syllables long and said how it's spelt. Classic Spanish name.

I'm from an Irish background but steer well clear of Irish names as I can't often pronounced them or spell them properly!

DD has a greek name. DS has a name that seems decidedly British but has a gaelic origin (closest I was going to come to an Irish name without being scared). We did contemplate other foreign names for him, but some didn't suit the surname and others we just didn't gel with.

I don't think there's anything wrong with it at all.

My DD has a Polish middle name. I am half polish, but didn't want to give her a "foreign name", she both DH and I have very English-sounding names (I have my English father's surname and a typically English first name because that's what my dad wanted!). I'm expecting DC2 in October, and will be biting the bullet and giving her/him a Polish first name regardless of the fact that we now have a Scottish surname!!

Thankfully somebody pointed out the incorrect spelling of 'Saoirse'.

If you're going to appropriate names from another language, you really do have to spell them properly, particularly when the way it was spelled originally goes against one of the 'rules' of spelling in that language and the use of vowels.

I also don't think you can get away with using 'Neve' instead of 'Niamh'. They aren't pronounced the same. The first has 1 syllable, the second 2.

You can call you child what you want.

But don't choose something that is hard to say, spell or sounds weird with your surname.

Three of my DC have French names Happiness. Do they or I care? Bof!

You could use Sorcha - we know a girl with Irish heritage with that name - easy to spell & say.

Fiona my foreign name isn't hard to say or spell and people still get it wrong

My kids all have super posh sounding names. I'm not super posh. I just love their names.

I'll give my advice from another thread.

Look in the mirror. Say the following words.

"It's spelled XYZ
Yes, pronounced xyz
It's an old Z-lish name actually (but we've changed the spelling if applicable)
No, I'm not
No, neither is DP, we just liked the name"

Repeat twenty times. If you're still happy with it (and you think your DC will be happy with it) then go for it.

But do check the spelling and pronounciation twice before you hit the registry.

My dds name is foreign. But her dad is half Asian and she has sallow skin and very dark eyes ( and somehow blonde hair ) beautiful and so is her name. I don't give it a thought even when she talks in broad Glaswegian name them what you want. Research it is my advice. I know dds name means " beautiful night/dark beauty" depending on region. Knowing what it means avoids awkward moments later

It's a good question I think. I always liked the sound of Flemish type names such as Sabine and Femke....but DH said we couldn't possibly as people would assume them to be Belgian or whatever....when they were from Cheshire. I disagreed by the way.

As PP have said, you can call your children whatever you like.

But, personally, I wouldn't Anglicise Gaelic names (either Scottish or Irish Gaelic), unless the Anglicised version is well established, like 'Connor'. A few reasons. Firstly, sheer preference on my part - I'm a Gaelic learner and I think it's a lovely language. Secondly, as PPs have alluded to there is a fairly politicised history to consider - not just in terms of particular names but the language as a whole. Until a fairly recent turnaround Gaelic culture has been threatened and indeed damaged by English culture. To me there's something a bit off about the act of Anglicising a Gaelic name.* Maybe I spent too long studying Brian Friel's 'Translations' at school, though!

Thirdly, I think enough people have Gaelic names (with the original spelling) these days that the original spelling will flag up to people that they need to take care with pronunciation, whereas a sort-of-phonetic spelling is more likely to confuse. And Aoife / Niamh look prettier than Eefe / Never, IMHO.

• There are English equivalents to many Gaelic names - I believe the English match for Aoife is Euphemia! Within the lifetime of my Scottish Gaelic teacher Gaelic speakers were not allowed to use their Gaelic names on official forms and had to use the English version. This is the sort of recent history that makes me wince a bit at Anglicising Gaelic names.

Names change and so do words...it annoys me here in Oz when I hear something like "Her name is Sian" and they pronounce is Sy-anne.

Wtf.

Remember when you indulge yourself by giving a child an unusual name it is going to be the child that pays the price - correcting misspellings, mispronunciations, and bullying.

When I say Niamh it has one syllable as do lots of my fiends and family including my mother who is a Gaelgóir. Friends have badly mispronounced Sorcha, still sounds lovely but it is not the name which is Sir ka not sore sha.

A friend, whose husband is Turkish, gave her son a Turkish first name against my advice. I worry that he will be subject to anti immigrant discrimination when he is older. Even if it isn't overt you can imagine an HR manager going through his c.v.and making all sorts of assumptions based on the name. I hope my worries are unfounded.

In all honesty, it depends on the name. There are some that are completely tied to a particular culture (Abdul and Mohammed for example) and would perhaps seem odd on a child that looks wrong for that culture. There are some that are less well known and therefore seem more transportable outside of their original culture.

One SmallDragon has a Scottish name and one has an anglicised Irish name but both are common outside those origins and not out of place. The third has a Welsh name but she is 1/4 Welshand it's not at all Welsh looking if that makes sense :)

I think the advice to see how you feel about explaining it every time you use the name is good.

Sorry! - it's Oighrig that becomes Euphemia. Aoife is of course Eve...

Don't try to remember Gaelic lessons on an empty stomach.

Esspee that's precisely the reason my dad kind of bullied my mum into giving me a very English name. My mum is a Polish immigrant, and has been faced with lots of prejudice in the town where I grew up. The town is very well known for the influx of Eastern European immigrants in the last two decades, and they are cast under a very negative light. My dad thought that by giving me an English name, he could spare me from the bullying it school it didn't work, because everyone knew my background, and I spoke Polish with my Polish friends at school!!
I want my DD and DC2 to be proud of their heritage, and not try to cover it up like my dad did with me.