AIBU or is baby name cultural appropriation a thing?

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I'm ready to be told I'm being silly BUT am I right in thinking there's a level of.. appropriateness? Inappropriateness? In using names from other cultures.
For example.. would it be strange for an English couple with no discernible links to any other countries or heritage to name their child Priya, Otto, Etienne or Niamh, among many other names.
To be honest I flip backwards and forwards between thinking there are so many lovely names in the world, why shouldn't they be used by whoever likes them, and then that it's just a bit strange if no link!
Happy to discuss, I have no strong feeling either way just intrigued to see what opinions there are.

No they’re not they’re British.

Sounds weird and illogical, but I instinctively find it stranger and more disrespectful if the name is from a different ethnicity, or a minority (in this country) religion, rather than just a different country.

So for me, a white person living in the UK, it would not seem absurd to use a French, Irish, Swedish or even Russian name, especially if it was already fairly well known here. A Hindu, Muslim or Sikh name, or a name that is almost exclusively used by black British people, feels more likely to cause controversy somehow. Isn't the whole point of "cultural appropriation" that it is more offensive when done by the majority to the minority?

Probably not that many Brians and Penelopes in Teheran, though?

or a name that is almost exclusively used by black British people

soulinablackberrypie can you give some examples of names which are almost exclusively used by black British people?

Naming a child after a culture/religion that has nothing to do with you and therefore limiting your child’s choices is beyond senseless.

I’m betting that @soulinablackberrypie would struggle to provide even one name.

@Simonjt I believe Prince Albert was from German Heritage, last name Saxe- Coberg, which does make the royal family ( in part) German. They changed this name because of anti-Germanic sentiment during the war.

It doesn’t make them German, it just means they have German heritage. The whole “the royal family are German” thing really is no different to “You’re not British your black”

I need to tell my friend with her white passing children she shouldn't have given them the names she gave them. 🙄

You cannot tell a person's cultural heritage or religion from their skin colour.

@RedWingBoots That’s so true. Between us, DH and I have familial ties to six different countries, but I don’t know how you’d tell our complete heritage from looking at us or our children.

that is completely different from a random English person with no Irish connections choosing to call their child Kennedy or Reilly. That’s the whole point.

I thought I was a random English person, turns out I'm really not! Apparantly im 46% Jewish, 24% Irish and 30% other European. Who knew 🤷🏼‍♀️

So the whole point is simply that you have no idea what the make up of any family is or if they are culturally appropriating the names they choose.

My first name originated as a Scottish surname but it's widely used as a first name for both males and females. My mum chose it because that's what the midwife who delivered me was called and she liked it.

Yet it'll be perfectly OK for an Irish person to have a name from elsewhere.

@BE22 do you think it would be fine for an Irish child to be called Patel or Lopez (as a first name)? It’s the surname thing that I think is weird, not just names from
other places.

I think people can choose whichever name they like for themselves or their dc , I wouldn't even consider that someone may be annoyed about it, as long as its not a ridiculous made up name/word or rude, I'd wonder why people didn't just mind their own business.

What about Kelly as a first name?
That is an Irish surname but is, or was, popular as a first name in Britain.

@FolkSongSweet , my female dgc is called Morgan which is both a surname or firstname. My MIL is called Evelyn which too, can be a surname and my friend's dd is Kelly. It is not uncommon for a name to be both a surname and firstname. Even Mohammed can be both surname or firstname.

It's becoming very trendy to have surnames as forenames now. I don't think it's weird. A name is a name.

So a child with West Indian origin can't have a name like David or is this 'cultural whatsit' a one way street? I Know lots of children with such a heritage who have names like that.

YABU
I named my youngest son Dakota. Is that considered cultural appropriation?

Y'all can be brutally honest because I like the name. He's 22 so it's not like I can tell him to change his name lol.

Nothing wrong with Dakota as a name however it is a name I associate with a female (or WW2 aircraft)

For me this is overthinking. You can call your child whatever you want.

Dakota is a Native American name associated with the Sioux tribe. Two American states are named Dakota, North Dakota and South Dakota.

It's used as a first name here in the US, I've no idea whether people with the name typically have Native American heritage.

Overall I believe you can pick any name you like the sound of, but I can't deny I found it weird that a white friend called her DD after an African country that they had no ties to and had never visited.

It's like your setting them up with an interesting name, but when asked about it there is no interesting story just 'i liked the sound of it'

Another (also white) friend named her daughter a traditionally Indian boys name, again you're kind of setting the kid up for a lifetime of being asked about their name. Also I often wonder if she knew it was a 'boys' name at the time. Interesting her younger sister got a very ordinary popular girls name.

I read earlier a post on Reddit (think it might have been a screenshot from Facebook actually) - woman wanted to call her son Saiorse. Pronounced Source.

Absolutely not recognition that it's an Irish girls name and totally ridiculous.

In general though, I don't have a problem with it. Surely it's appreciation rather than appropriation if you like the name enough to name your child?!