Does heritage matter?

[ButterRose]

I realise this varies for each individual but I'm just after different opinions....my last name is very Scottish sounding but we live in Australia and have done for a few generations I tend to prefer French/ German sounding first names but I'm unsure if it'll sound/ be weird to pair a very obviously French name with a very Scottish surname (we have no connections to France in either of our backgrounds)

What first names were you thinking of? Let’s pretend your last name is ´MacDonald’.
´Hans MacDonald’ maybe not
´Sebastian MacDonald’ sure
´Dominic McDonald’ this works
´Anton McDonald’ this works too
´Guillaume McDonald’ maybe not.
´Manon MacDonald’ I quite like this
´Michelle McDonald’ fine
´Greta McDonald’ I quite like this too
´Louise McDonald’ fine
´Kristen McDonald’ I’m not sure this one’s actually German but it works.

Agree, totally depends on the name!

Agree, take it on a case by case basis. In some cases there might be a concern about cultural appropriation, but I think you're pretty safe with French or German as they're so widely spoken and there's a lot of flux and borrowing among European languages generally.

The only thing that might seem odd is if you choose a French or German name that's not widely used in English AND has an established English (language) or Scottish version - e.g., Grégoire instead of Gregor or Adelheid instead of Adelaide. In those cases, people might be more likely to assume it's a family name or ask why you chose it.

Agree with the other posters. Louis and Jean-Baptiste are both French names, but only one would have you saying ‘no, not French, my parents just liked the name’. If you aren’t concerned that the name is too French without you being French, then I don’t think the surname is an issue.

Thanks for the help sounds like it definitely depends on the individual name....no set names as such yet but I like the sound of
Hans
Lars
Otto
Alaric
Ottilie
Frieda
Ida

What sort of names are you thinking? I think a lot of French/ German names are well used in English speaking countries

Hans I do think of a German - Hans Gruber
I've never heard of Alaric is it A-Lar-Rick?
Lars maybe Scandinavia well that's what my mind sees
The rest I wouldn't particularly associate with Germany particularly

I think in Australia a Lars McTavish is less likely to get a quizzical look than he might if he were in Chichester.

You're less bound by roolz.

Tbh Otto, Frieda and Ida wouldn't get so much as a raised eyebrow in the UK.

Hans - might be a bit odd
Lars - might be a bit odd
Otto - already trendy, no problem
Alaric - might be a bit odd
Ottilie - already popular, no problem
Frieda - already trendy, no problem
Ida - already popular, no problem

What is wrong with being weird?

I'd think there might be connection or reason for the name, and agree that some work better than others

I'm in the UK and know people with a 'foreign' first name, and other than the frequent 'Oh, are you [nationality]?' it isn't an issue

Not sure about how it works in Aus but an aussie colleague struggled to get his head round one colleague's dutch-origin name

Of all those only Hans and Lars would be particularly unusual in the UK, and would probably indicate some sort of heritage.

But it’s not like they are hard to say or spell, so why not.

There are some LOVELY Scottish boys names though..

I associate Hans strongly with Germany. And Lars with Scandinavia. For me Hans is THE stereotypical older German man kind of name. I don't think that's necessarily a problem if you aren't German but people may make comments or ask questions about it.
The others on your list don't have any kind of stereotypical image for me. I would be unsure about the pronunciation of Alaric though.

Hans is John is it not?
I think that's the only one where I'd assume you were Germanic.

Alaric is Al-a-ric
Thanks for your thoughts everyone I really never thought on this topic before I just liked the names I liked and thought no more of it then my sister in law got questioned about her daughter's name/ nationality/ heritage (same Scottish last name and not very Scottish first name) and it made me curious

Alexander - Alec is an example of using a name that is not affronting to the heritage. Think carefully.

Hans and Alaric may raise questions. Otto has gained popularity but would have raised eyebrows a few years ago. Frieda reminds me of Sound of Music. Lara sounds Scandinavian to me and my favourite from list.

if you used those names, I’d presumed you have European heritage, even if it were grandparents and beyond.

I grew up in New Zealand so from an antipodean perspecitve I doubt that Ida, Ottilie and Otto would be considered bizarre / odd, Lars probably isnt that bad either. The rest would seem out of place though.

I'm Scottish - there's a very big French influence on Scottish names, so go for it! Eg the surname Sinclair was originally St Clair; Roy and Stewart are both originally French too. 😁 have a read up about the Auld Alliance and Norman influence in Scotland.