Maybe got it down to 3 girl names

[Sansa87]

We are due in three weeks and have really been struggling with names.

I think we’ve got it down to three names that we both like.

Francesca,
Paige,
Brooke.

Middle name is Vera Jean after grandmothers.

Opinions, (please don’t be too brutal 😂)

[quote Amelia666]@itwillallbeokay wow I can’t believe this bothers you! I knew several Francesca’s in the 80s as well - it has never registered in my head as a culturally inappropriate name!!! I think you’re being extremely ridiculous to get offended in any way over this.[/quote]
I'm allowed my view. You are allowed yours. Please don't attack me. I'm just explaining to the OP about the cultural implications.

I also know an Italian Francesca and she has never been offended or spoke badly about the existence of any of the numerous English Francescas 🤣

No ones attacking you, just struggling to see where you’re coming from. Of course you’re allowed an opinion, it’s just that I disagree.

@sadpapercourtesan

No, I'm not being offensive. I'm just not rolling over in the face of your nonsense because you bleated about "cultural implications". There aren't any, and OP is safe to disregard your comments.

You are being offensive. I have Italian heritage and I've explained how culturally it could be questionable if she used the name. You are being very rude to suggest that I am not allowed to have these views.

Yes, I think we all got the "Italian heritage" thing.

It doesn't, however, make you an authority on the usage of names which were originally Italian.

I've told you I think you're wrong, and evidenced that view with personal experience. You've outright accused me of making it up.

Who's being offensive?

I am of Sicilian descent and can confirm I’m not offended either

@sadpapercourtesan

Yes, I think we all got the "Italian heritage" thing.

It doesn't, however, make you an authority on the usage of names which were originally Italian.

I've told you I think you're wrong, and evidenced that view with personal experience. You've outright accused me of making it up.

Who's being offensive?

Please don't be rude. Honestly. You have no right to tell me what is culturally inappropriate to my culture. You are being highly offensive. Your mocking tone is really nasty

It doesn't matter how much passive-aggressive wailing you do, you still don't have a valid point to make. There is nothing culturally insensitive about a British child being named Francesca. It's been happening for decades.

No, really itwillallbeokay you are wrong.

Several posters have told you that Francesca has been in use in England for many decades by thousands of people without Italian heritage.

Yes, you can be offended if you want to. Any of us can be offended by anything they want to, but you are not speaking for all Italian people in saying it is offensive to use a name with Italian roots.
SadPaper isn't being rude, just pointing out that you can't tell everyone else what to think.
Of course, offer your opinion, but equally respect the fact that most other posters don't agree with it.

OP re names, Another vote for Francesca here too. Mainly as I don't like either Paige nor Brooke.

I'm just explaining to the OP about the cultural implications

@itwillallbeokay What are the actual cultural implications? My son has a French name and we have ZERO connections although absolutely love the country. No one has ever said anything that remotely indicates that this is culturally unacceptable?

Sorry OP, another vote for Francesca although I promise it's not because of my above post. It's because it's also on my girls list. Alongside Matilda which I believe is a German name? And Fiona which is Scottish 🤷🏼‍♀️

@sadpapercourtesan

It doesn't matter how much passive-aggressive wailing you do, you still don't have a valid point to make. There is nothing culturally insensitive about a British child being named Francesca. It's been happening for decades.

Ok. Agree to disagree. I've been told I'm not allowed to find it culturally inappropriate towards my culture. So I will accept it and say that I am wrong.

Oh for heavens sake @itwillallbeokay honestly no-one’s being nasty. No-one owns a name and it’s really stretching it to claim that giving your child a name like Francesca is somehow culturally offensive if you don’t have Italian roots .
And to answer your question, erm, no I wouldn’t be offended if a non-Welsh person called their child Owain. If anything, I’d think they were using a great Welsh name 🤷‍♀️

Surely cultural appropriation only applies when the culture is considered oppressed in some way therefore making it inappropriate.What’s oppressed about Italy ?
Paige and Brooke are very New World names but no one from the Srates or South Africa is going to claim appropriation.

🙄🙄

Goodness what a palaver over absolutely nothing.

@Sansa87 name your child whatever name you love most.

@AvonCallingBarksdale

Oh for heavens sake *@itwillallbeokay* honestly no-one’s being nasty. No-one owns a name and it’s really stretching it to claim that giving your child a name like Francesca is somehow culturally offensive if you don’t have Italian roots . And to answer your question, erm, no I wouldn’t be offended if a non-Welsh person called their child Owain. If anything, I’d think they were using a great Welsh name 🤷‍♀️

Ok it's stretching it. You are right. I am wrong. I am glad you have educated me about why I should not find it inappropriate.

Francesca Annis was born in 1945 to English (Annis being an Anglo Saxon name) and French Portuguese parents.

I am in my 60s and we had about 3 Francescas in our school.

I know 2 people with teen Francesca daughters with no Italian connections.

I have a Hebrew name. My Dc have names that are common amongst both Hebrew and Hindu speakers (but common enough UK names) and we are neither.

Is it an Italian name? Yes. But how does that make it ‘bad taste’ to use by non Italians?

Francesca is a lovely name, an adult member of my family uses either full name or Fran

I gave DD1 the name I have loved since I was a teen. It was only when the breastfeeding specialist (an Italian woman) told me that her name is Italian and it’s meaning that I even thought about where it was from. She didn’t seem remotely offended by me using it and simply told us we had chosen a beautiful name. For what it’s worth, it’s also got roots in Ireland and DH’s entire family are from the RoI.

DD2 has a very Irish name. I don’t have roots in Ireland but when I tell people her name, they have simply said I made a great choice and asked if I’m spelling it the traditional Irish way. If the conversation goes beyond that, they’ll ask if I’m Irish (I have red hair) but more from curiosity than anything else.

OP, use Francesca if you love it. I would say most people don’t object to using names from their culture as long as it is done for the right reasons and not as a mockery.

I’m not keen on Paige or Brooke - both names remind me of Dance Moms - but Francesca is a great name. I work with a lovely Francesca - she’s sometimes Fran but mainly Francesca.

The two other Francescas I can think of - one must be in her 70s now and the other is 10 or 11 - are actually both of German heritage.

Francesca

Francesca is much nicer than Brooke or Paige! I’ve never heard anyone else be so offended by it either so don’t think you’ll get comments on it in real life like you have on here

Forget how they fit with middle names - so totally unimportant compared with the name you'll say every day. Few people will even know her middle names!

Francesca is in a different league. Sorry but I think both Paige and especially Brooke are really naff

Do you have Italian heritage? As I mentioned before Francesca is an Italian name.
As someone of Italian heritage I would find it (culturally) in bad taste for someone with no Italian heritage to use that name.

I know quite a few men/boys named Francis and not one of them has Italian roots.

As someone of Italian heritage I would find it (culturally) in bad taste for someone with no Italian heritage to use that name.

Wtf, Francesca?! Um... I know three, one is Scottish, one English and one is from Slovakia.

Francesca is indeed an Italian name by origin, but it is now and has for a long time been as international a name as Anna.

As a pp said, it would be like a Jewish person being affronted at the use of an old Testament name.

I only like Francesca from the list.