Active discussions

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Would you use a name from a culture that is not your own?

79 replies

CadburyMellos · 03/04/2017 07:44

For example if you were 100% british, would you thinnk it ok to use an Arabic or Hindu name?

What if the name was from a select part of Britain, such as a Cornish name like Morwenna or Piran and you're from the north so as far away from Cornwall as you can get?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
OdinsLoveChild · 03/04/2017 10:16

My name is Jewish but I'm not Jewish and neither are my parents. My sisters name is German, but we're not German. My Mums name is definitely French but she isn't French, I used a French name for dd again no French ancestry. If you like a name then use it. No one has ever questioned why my Mum has a French name, my sister a German one and me a Jewish one. Most people just say they like/dislike our names.

chartreuse · 03/04/2017 10:18

My dc have names from Russia, France and Greece, no one has ever commented other than to say 'what a lovely name'

I think people hugely overthink baby names. Pick a name you love, don't worry about the 'what if's'.

EssentialHummus · 03/04/2017 10:33

A lot of foreign names are now well-known and well-used enough in the UK to make them almost safe choices.

Having said that, I personally wouldn't use a name from a culture I'm not connected to - I am Jewish, DH is Russian, we're having a hard enough time naming DC1 without considering Welsh/Japanese/French names.

I had a (non-Zulu) friend at uni whose hippy-ish mum had given her a traditional Zulu name, and the reactions of people every.bloody.time she introduced herself have put me off for life.

Buck3t · 03/04/2017 10:57

As a person whose names are Scottish from a slavery legacy, I don't think it matters. What matters is whether you like it. We all move about so much now no one really bays an eyelid of a person with a name from another country.

Buck3t · 03/04/2017 11:03

Bays should be "bats" of course

ClaryBeanHorshAndMe · 03/04/2017 11:20

I think it depends. I personally do want to feel a cultural connection to a name. Which makes it pretty difficult.

I grew up in central Europe, Swiss-Italian mother, mostly Swedish-Swiss father (he has a German grandfather).

A part of my family is Jewish, an other part are very evangelical Christians, there are Catholics and the hippy/waldorf school "segment".

I mean... Yeah... All of that leads to very different naming traditions.
It's weird because in girl's names I'm pretty open minded.
But with boy's names I just like the names I heard growing up... Not sure why, tbh.

DH is English (with some Scottish ancestry). So the names have to sound good in English as well and work with DH's surnames... And I really want names that work in a somewhat international setting.

MessiIsTheBest · 03/04/2017 11:32

I'm not against this on principle but it has been the cause of great disagreement and aggravation between me and my ex-h who is from the Amazigh culture. He wanted to give our son a name that means 'freedom from the Arabs' in Tamazight and I refused because it is politically charged and not fair on a child to burden them with that even if they're living in the UK. So our son now has an ordinary/popular widely used in UK name and ex-h has refused to ever call him by it but I know I've done the right thing. I get that ex-h has had to have a name from a list approved by a govt who colonized and marginalized his people but that's not relevant to a boy growing up in the UK imo

GenerationYmember · 03/04/2017 11:58

Interesting question and one we're currently considering (I'm pregnant) as we both like the name Sian but neither of us are Welsh.

I would feel a bit of a fraud using Sian when I have no connections to Wales

WankersHacksandThieves · 03/04/2017 12:02

It wouldn't bother me I don't think but we went for Celtic names and we have Scottish/Irish background. Both of us are Scottish for a few generations but DH has an Irish surname and heritage.

I think, if you don't have the background history to explain it, it can depend on your surname too. i.e Jesus Woods is fine, Jesus McGinty may raise a few eyebrow.

Pansiesandredrosesandmarigolds · 03/04/2017 12:14

It is tricky. All four of us have Jewish names and DS1's name in particular is still quite unusual among non-Jews. There's been a couple of times that I've realised mid/conversation that people have assumed we were Jewish and have been left awkwardly wondering if I should explain.

heron98 · 03/04/2017 12:26

My DC have French names and I am not French.

In my defence, I love France, used to live there and did a French degree so it's kind of in hommage to that.

TisMeTheLadFromTheBar · 03/04/2017 12:36

It's a little strange to use a cultural name which you have no link to. It is worse to use a cultural name and misspell it imo.

Yokohamajojo · 03/04/2017 12:38

I quite like it actually, saw someone interviewed on TV and his name was Dimitri McGuinness

EspressoPatronum · 03/04/2017 12:39

Yep, DS has a Spanish name which is an adaptation of a Hebrew name originally.

I'm British, DP is Irish. His name is a lot easier to spell / pronounce than the Irish names we considered Grin

JonesyAndTheSalad · 03/04/2017 13:05

I was tempted by some of the Belgian names I came across. Couldn't actually do it though.

Eminado · 03/04/2017 13:12

Adebowale Murphy

This made meGrin

Maltropp · 03/04/2017 13:16

I did use a name from another culture... Eastern Europe. Because I loved the name.

Eolian · 03/04/2017 13:23

Yes. Loads of popular names come from other cultures. They were all newly imported at one point.

TheFlyingFauxPas · 03/04/2017 13:27

Speaking of hobbies. I remember watching a programme about an s&m couple and they called their sons Caine and Cage. However spelt, bloody wrong Imo. Native/non-native names can be beautiful. Unless you're going for Little Running Guinea Pig 🐹

BoboChic · 03/04/2017 13:28

I think, personally, that it is wise to give children names that are appropriate to all the cultures in which they will be raised. For example, I am English and non-practicing CofE; DP is French and a (very) liberal Jew. So I looked for a first name that was acceptable to all those cultures.

BringOutTheBalloons · 03/04/2017 13:29

In a company I used to work for nearly 2 decades ago we had a colleague in the Far East called Elvis Wang; I had very little to do with him but I have never forgotten his splendid name. I always wondered if he had an English-speaking parent, or perhaps his mum and dad were big fans, who knows?

MrsJayy · 03/04/2017 13:33

Well 1 of my Dds has a Hebrew name it is also has an arabic meaning but it is a really common name So yes people choose names they like names evolve and spread dont they

MrsJayy · 03/04/2017 13:34

My name is french other dds name is french origins

theITgirl · 03/04/2017 13:35

DS has a typically Jewish name. We are not Jewish, but I do consider it to be part of my culture as it comes from the old testament.
As I have had to point out a couple of times.

Guess I feel more strongly about it than I thought.

AbbeyRoadCrossing · 03/04/2017 13:44

One DC has a Welsh name (grandparents are Welsh but we live in England) and one DC has an ancient Greek name (no connections)
We get more questions about the Welsh name even though it's one with a very similar English equivalent!