Choosing names from other cultures

[atthewelles]

I have heard and seen so many Irish names mangled, strangled, misspelt, chavitised and given to the wrong gender baby and often wonder why, if someone isn't Irish or of Irish descent, they would choose an Irish name for their child.
Likewise, over here in Ireland, I'm sure we make other people laugh by mis-pronouncing French or Welsh names we have given our children; calling little girls Nikita etc.
Just wonder what people's opinion is on this?

sneakybiscuiteater your local names..... post made me chuckle.

I was discussing this with friends today (wonders if OP is known to me... ).

IM (limited) experience, some westernised Far Easterners (esp HK Chinese or Singaporean) like to give their children an English name. But they are often at least one generation out, and sound dreadful to our ears. I was at school with a lot of Kenneths

In reply to the Op, people in Ireland do not speak Gaelic by and large nor is there very much celtic blood in Ireland (less than 2% ), most Irish are of Norsh origins or Anglo Norman.

I have 4 children

dd1 is named a Greek name
dd2 a French
ds a Teutonic (german) name
dd3 Irish

Dh is English with some Scottish background (great grandparents on fathers side - our surname is Scottish origin)
I am Danish.

Our children are named what we liked and enjoyed I have a Aoife I adore the name absolutely fell in love with it from the first time I heard it.

We did not name them "British names" like Elizabeth / Frederick or Christian as they are pronounced differently in Danish and English. For me this was what was important. That our children had names that would be said the same way in Danish and in English.

This mean we went with names that were not really traditional in either culture.

For us it worked I am not ashamed of it I think my children have beautiful names that to me was important. I also am of the opinion that as my children already are international in their heritage I have by not given them traditional to either culture names given a bow to my children's heritage.

"to a Greek person we mispronounce Helen"

Helen isn't a Greek name.

Eleni is a Greek name.

But how do you know if someone's not using a name from their culture? Their "culture" might not be immediately obvious to you. I would almost certainly come across to you as boringly English with a misfit Slav name, but my mother's family are German and Eastern European Jewish, so my name does "fit" with my culture. DD2 also has a German name, which is very much a family name and which is seen as "trendy" now. But I wasn't following the trend - she's named for my Great Grandmother's sister.

We know because they tell us.

Dh is half welsh, his mothers first language is welsh with a large family still in Wales. Mil has told me that I can't use a welsh name as I'm not welsh and I couldn't possibly pronounce it correctly. I'm just a little annoyed so I'm in the camp of being able to choose any name you want no matter the origin!