Arabic names for white child

[Violetrose7]

Me and my partner are both white British, the baby girl names we love the most include Amira, Amaya and Safiya, all of which are of Arabic origin. I also love Zara but he isn’t keen.

has anyone got any other suggestions similar to these names and also does anyone think it would be an issue using an Arabic name when we have no connection to the culture? We just love the names!

Layla

I think it will depend where you are in the country to some extent. I live in the kind of very white area where a school will have one black kid and that's it. I don't think people would connect names like Amira with a specific culture where I live. I think people would just think it was a unique name, because there are so many weird and wonderful names for children nowadays 🤷 I think it would only matter if you were using something exceptionally obvious here like Mohammed.

If you live in an area with a high Muslim population, people might be more confused. But at the end of the day, we live in multicultural world, and it is inevitable that some names with Arabic origins will become popular with Brits.

Amira is a lovely name. Just be prepared for some raised eye brows, depending where you live.

I honestly think that outside of the internet, the vast majority of people don't give a shit where names come from.

Of course it is. But did you know it was also an Arabic name? I didn’t, until I met the Muslim mum.

Names cross cultures. Sometimes by adoption (Safia), sometimes from the same sources (Zara), sometimes entirely by coincidence (Idris).

Use whatever name you like, OP.

Cultural appropriation is a nonsense concept made up by Americans who in the next breath will tell you they're half Swedish and half Scottish despite never having set foot in Europe.

I think using a name you like from another culture is fine. I'm Irish, lots of people use Irish names, it's fine. I dont like when people change the spelling to make them easier to pronounce for non Irish people though, that really annoys me. Shivawn - makes me shudder.

Did they, aye

You can use any name you like for your baby. My children both have “biblical “ names which are used throughout the world. I chose them because I love the names. Nobody in real life is offended.

It’s ok for non-whites to have European names so why isn’t it ok for a white person to have a non-white name?

Safira / Sapphira

Ive heard it too. Agree maryam and mina are sweet.

Am Arab i wouldn’t be offended name away, ppl name thier kids with names from all over the world and ppl don’t bat an eyelid. Go for the names u have chosen are lovely ☺️ Layaan is a cute girls name :)

I agree re cultural appropriation.
So,re those of us in Ireland who don’t have Irish names - and there are a lot of us who don’t - those who named us have broken the cultural appropriation law.

I don’t think it would be offensive. I just think it would be incredibly tedious for her-life’s hard enough without having to explain your name every day for the rest of your life.

Aaliyah is an interesting one. It is a Muslim name and a lot of the girls with that name who I meet (I do primary supply) are from Muslim families. But I also meet a lot of girls with the name who are white or have some African Caribbean heritage and who are not Muslim. I always assume that the late singer Aaliyah has been an influence on the child’s name here. There’s also a difference in pronunciation. Muslim Aaliyahs have the emphasis on the second syllable while the non-Muslim ones emphasise the first syllable. I usually check the surname when doing the register in order to decide which pronunciation to adopt!

All those claiming cultural appropriation I really do hope you do not cook any foods at home not considered "British".

Pick the name you love. I wouldn't give a crap what anyone else thinks. All sorts of people from all sorts of backgrounds and cultures have names that don't relate to where they came from. I'd just choose the name you love. They all sound absolutely lovely.

Always found this cultural appropriation concept crazy. Yes if something is of spiritual value then give it respect (e.g. not running around festivals with a native American headdress on), but the fact you like Arabic names shows a love and admiration of Arabic as a language?

We wouldn't blink an eye of you chose a name from a Caucasian country, even one with vastly different culture like Russia, so why would it be different if it's another race? If you think about it, it's more racist to think "we can't use names from cultures of people with darker skin than us!".

You've chosen beautiful names, bloody go for it!

I think that this thread shows that your child would come across lots of different opinions about names and cultural appropriation, and I'm not sure I'd want my child to face that.

Is it ok for non christians to use biblical names?

agreed. If you like arabic names I would go with something like Leila/Layla or Zara but would avoid less common/well known names.

Personally, I think cultural appropriation has more of a sting when it's a majority culture/historically colonialist culture appropriating names from cultures that they have dominated or tried to erase.

Does it really matter? They are just names, my sons have biblical names but im not religious, i just like the names, maybe its just me but i doubt anyone would actually care that much? I would have had to google those names to actually know they were arabic if you hadn’t told me xx

Well, Amaya is not an Arabic name. My friends baby is an Amaya, and it was from the Japanese meaning " evening rain" (ame) is rain, and (ya) evening.

I also knew an Amaia years ago who was Spanish. Ive looked this up and it is also Spanish /Basque from a mountain.

🙄🙄🙄

I know a very white Ayesha - totally suits her.
I love:
Soraya
Yasmin
Zara
Saba
Cyra

Go for it op!
Ignore the cultural appropriation bollocks!