Pria / Priya for white British baby girl

[Emz555]

LG due in Jan. Struggling to find a name that I love, as much as her sister Orla's name. I keep coming back to Pria / Priya, but would it be unusual to use it without any Hindu/ Indian connection? Thinking of using Eve as a middle name.

Why not? Or Prisca (biblical)

I wouldn't. Cultural appropriation is a divisive topic with what it is, if it's an issue and where the line between cultural appropriation and cultural sharing lies. But it is a problem for many people, and the name is your child's and not yours. At best people might think it's weird and at worst they might find the name offensive. But a name is someone's identity and one of the first pieces of information they give about themselves to strangers, and having that be culturally charged feels like doing your child a disservice.

I am Indian and I think it's fine. I might wonder for a second about your connection to the sub continent but nothing more.

Priya is a beautiful name. It means Beloved

I have this with Mehdi. I absolutely love the name and would love to use it, but I worry people would think it was rude to ‘steal’ a name…

But plenty of people won't just wonder, they'll ask. All her life, probably. That's a lot of baggage attached to her name from the get go.

I don't think Priya is as obvious in its heritage as is being made out and can think of many white children of acquaintances with names of similar ilk - Maya, Alisha, Bina, Arun.

Actually, why? There are many Anglo-Indian names around - Anita, Rita - off the top of my head. Many western names are popular in the east, so why not use an Asian name if you want to?

If both the parents are white I would assume that the white dad is actually the step-dad and the biological dad is Indian.

It has no associations whatsoever for me - ignorant pig of a caucasian that I am! Call your chuld whatever you like. I have an Indian friend called Susan and no one's wandering about thinking it's odd.

People will notice, I can’t think it’s going to offend anyone, but she will spend time explaining it… I wouldn’t, but I guess she can switch to Eve if she feels like it. Or how about Pippa?

Cultural appropriation is a fine line, but given the history between Britain and India and the connection to colonialism, I do think that it would be wholly inappropriate. And as someone mentioned above, it's your daughter that would have to live with it, not you.

It's a lovely name. Who cares? And in her generation, people will care even less. Go for it!

I think many people's definition of "cultural appropriation" is something like when you use a name, hairstyle or clothing from an "exotic" minority culture which you have no connection to, i.e. when you're borrowing the glamorous aspects of another culture to make yourself a bit interesting, whilst not being exposed to any of the drawbacks that affects the members of that group (because you're white). I think you will come across people who hold that belief and they may judge you because of it. Whether or not you care about that enough to change your mind is perhaps a different question!

My (Indian) husband says it’s fine and thinks the whole cultural appropriation thing is patronising and ridiculous anyway. He says it’s the kind of thing that actual Indians wouldn’t even think of, would just think it was lovely and a compliment that someone used an Indian name, whereas only someone from, say, the UK or USA with a very distant connection to India would claim ‘cultural appropriation’. In my experience of our friends, family and neighbours in India this does seem true.

(also, despite now being married into an indian family and living here for much of the year, the only Priya I’ve ever met was a white British girl when I was at uni!)

Ok possibly outing myself here...

My name is Priya. I am a white British female in her late 30s and honesty NO ONE has ever asked me about my name or where it has come from. My parents are white British.

I ended up working with another Priya who is of Indian decent and she never questioned it either! She was excited to have a 'name twin'.

Name your daughter the name YOU what, not what a bunch of strangers on the internet say you should/should not.

My eldest is in school with all sorts of names, Tai, Cass, Mackenzie and even a Zen... no one asks their parents at the school gate about their names!

I know a white-passing but Asian Priya and she does get lots of annoying questions from stupid people. Up to you whether that puts you off.
Pia as an alternative maybe?

Do you have an Irish connection? Orla is an Irish name, but many people with no Irish connection use it. Many names are commonly used despite there not being a direct link, look how many Madeline's, Amelie's, Sophia's, Anna's, Maria's etc there are. So many names come from different cultures. Why is Priya different?

Nope it's odd .

Mia ?

I was just going to add that comment! Funny how people are reluctant to use an Indian name, but Irish is okay!

I'd defiitely assume indian heritage.

Arun is the name of an english river. Maya is strongly associated with Maya Angelou, Bina I would assume to be of indian heritage, Alisha could be a spelling for Alicia for those who don't like the Alissia pronunciation.

I think it's fine to use it if you like it.

I think how often she's questioned about it will depend on where you live. In London, for example, there is such a mix of people and names no-one is going to care enough to ask about a white child called Priya. On the list of unusual names, that's not even making the top 1000!

I would assume somebody named Priya to have an Indian connection. But most people aren't knowledgeable about name origins and probably won't question it. I knew a white Yasmin at school; nobody asked her about her heritage.

Some names are so popular they’ve joined the common usage. Much like how I wouldn’t say ‘oh Isabella! Is she Italian?’ But I would probably say ‘oh Giovanni! Is he Italian?’

If I met a child called Tadhg with no Irish connection I’d find it a bit odd. But then there’s the incredibly obvious, which is that a white child called Tadhg might have Irish parents, while a white Priya is unlikely to have.

This is ridiculous. There are SO many common names with Indian origins that people don't bay an eyelid at. Anita, Alisha, Nina, Leena, Monika, Sonia, Tara, Meera, Mira, Bohdi. There is a British white poster on here called Priya who has stated no one has ever questioned her. People do talk nonsense

Anita is spanish, Sonia scandinavian, Leena - Helena, latin, Monica has latin roots etc @deedledeedledum