Why do people say you have to have a connection

[Koalafications]

From the country to use a specific name?

I was told I should only use Francesca if I'm Italian.

I've seen lots of posts saying that you should only use an Irish/Scottish/Welsh etc name if you have a connection to the country.

Why can't we just use names we like? Or am I missing something?

Because it can appear pretentious or like cultural appropriation if you don't. Names like Francesca and siobhan have crossed over already and are in common use in England so they don't really apply, but for example if you called your daughter jyoti or your son Mohammed with no connection to the countries or cultures that they belong to, just because you think they sound nice, it appears a bit ignorant and odd.

Some names are cross cultural, others aren't.

For example - Layla is and Priya is not.

Luca is but Francesco is not.

There's not really much rhyme or reason to it!

agree some are weird and some are not...francesca I think is fine. I'm going with heidi and not German at all but agree some Spanish / Italian sound a but pretentious

Yes I agree with PP.

I live on the English side of the England/Wales border so there are a few Welsh names round here but I think being called myfawnwy in the middle of London is a bit - well.

Mind you my DDs name is Flora which someone said was Scottish. I don't think it's Scottish!

I think that provided it works phonetically in English, you can choose whatever you want.

Many names are not of English origin. Eg all the biblical names.

English parents giving Welsh names bug me. With the greatest of respect, English people can't roll their 'r's properly, so old names like 'rhian' and 'Rhys' become 'ree-Ann' and 'Rees'. Don't get me started on this new fad of Seren, awful. If you can pronounce it correctly, go ahead, otherwise there are plenty of other names to go with.

I hope Welsh parents giving their children English names pisses you off equally.

Seren is a possibility for my baby, if she's a girl.

Sorry I still don't get it.

Surely the names that are not 'English' would have been 'inappropriate' at some point but enough people chose them for them to become mainstream.

I think Seren is a lovely name. If DH didn't hate it I would consider it for our DC (if we have a girl)

Soup Dragon, if a Welsh parent, or Scottish or Irish, cannot pronounce an English name of course I feel the same. It's ridiculous in any circumstances to give a child a name neither you or them will ever be able to say correctly.

As for Seren, for me it's the Welsh equivalent of Chantelle. I wouldn't name a child Star as it doesn't sound right, but apparently it's 'cute' in Welsh? However, that is of course, my opinion. The evidence shoes many disagree due to its rising popularity.

I would probably name a child Star! Astrid is another possibility. But I just like the way Seren sounds although I don't like most Welsh nanes.

Agree with Koala - many of the names we use in the UK have an ultimately foreign origin - therefore 'inappropriate' according to this logic? There must have been a few brave pioneers using them first, then gradually they became mainstream.

Otherwise we would all still have names like Aethelryth!

I don't think there's anything actually wrong with using a name from a different culture, but prepare to look like a bit of a fool if you can't spell or pronounce it.

Imho the main risk with "foreign" names is that you sound like a pretentious twat if you pronounce them correctly (and a bit thick if you don't). If the name has been assimilated into uk culture (or English culture for Welsh names etc) then you can get away with using the usual British/English pronunciation.

What's the correct way to pronounce Seren? I can only think of one way

prepare to look like a bit of a fool if you can't spell or pronounce it.

That should go for any name choice, not just 'foreign' names! Georgia -> Jorga anyone?!

What's the correct way to pronounce Seren? I can only think of one way

Good question, so can I.

Most people incorrectly pronounce Seren as a short abrupt 'seh ren'. The se bit is hard to describe as it doesn't rhyme with anything English but imagine a Geordie saying 'say' a bit drawn out and then add a rolled 'r' 'ren'.

I have a french name and 1 of my dds has a hebrew name names cross over eventually indont think its a huge deal oh and Flora is a scottish name but its fine

My sister has an English name, her son has a biblical name, her dd has a French name.
I have a French name and two dc with Celtic names. As long as you're not insulting anyone it's fine to use whatever name you like.

A connection can be more than 'just coming from a place' in my opinion.

A lot of people don't give any more thought to a name other than 'because they like it' so I don't get why they then say you have to have a connection to the ethnic roots of a name.

We live in a global world; therefore we can have special connections to many more places than in the past.

I really think people who say 'you can't...' are talking bollocks and are rather narrow in the way they view the world.

Hmm...
DHs family are from 1 country, mine are from another, and we're living in England...I'm not even pregnant but I've been thinking if DH and I don't go for an English name it might be nice to go for names from a completly different country so that no one background seems more important.

Speaking as an Irish person, go ahead, but don't opt for an Irish name you once saw written down somewhere and mispronounce it, or decide you like something that's awkwardly unphonetic in English and then anglicise it not very well. Cf Shivaun, Neve, Caitlin pronounced Kate-Lynn etc etc.

Just go for whichever name you both love and can agree on. My son has a Dutch name but DH and I are both British. It's not something I lose sleep over at night.