Is this 'baby names' section a bit racist?

[Boulders]

On this board I've noticed quite a negative vibe against any name that is more typically used in Afro/Caribbean communities than white ones. The same goes for opinions on names originating from Asia. Islamic names are discredited too. Why is this?

What about Lola? Are you more of a Kinks fan msdemeanor?

Not sure I've heard Layla... will have to youtube it now as am curious...

Definitely more of a Kinks fan (though not so much that I considered Terence & Julie as names ) but not really mad about Lola either. Too trendy!

Yeah - you can't really give your wee babbit the same name as Sara Cox's. Well I couldn't anyway, I'm no way trendy enough!

Def agree with your musical tastes BTW - Kinks rock

Certain names suit children of one race more than they would children of another. For example, there was a sudden crop of white baby girls being called Aaliyah after the singer, which I think just doesn't work.

Saying that, I gave DS a name that in my head is a "black" name, even though most people probably wouldn't think of it as such. He came out whiter than white, even though I'm mixed race, but I had this name in mind and it stuck.

Interesting thread.

I do think that on an anonymous internet forum there is a tendency to assume that other posdters have the same cultural background as you do unless their posts make it clear that they do not. I'm not convinced that this is racist unless the discovery that someone is different to your imaginings alters your posts.

I love Leila and had it on a shortlist for dd. I didn't particularly think abot it being an Islamic name because it's also pretty popular in non-Islamic countries.
I also love the names Neela and Nuala but to me they are much more strongly associated with Indian and Irish cultures and I can imagine if I posted a thread asking opinions on them then I would be questioned as to my background. Again though I'm not sure if that's racist?

Here we go...

I wont appologise for having a natural prefernce for names which are derived from my cultural and ethnic background.

for example, I dont like islamic names. Just my opinion. I really like celtic names because that it repressents my culture.

It is very confusing that often in Islamic countires they ahve about 5 names. In my experince some people often keep moving between the names or use alias, it is very confusing.

It is a bit boring when everyone is called Bibi, Begum, Ahmed, just my opinion.

anti working class I'd agree with (well, it's called chav) but not racist, no.

My ds's name is typical of dh's background but has been held up to ridicule on here. People in RL are often a bit by it if they don't realise his ethnic background (which isn't that obvious by looking at him)

I saw an awful thread once where teachers were slating the names of the african origin dcs in their schools

Just another thought... I am not sure how it works but I wonder if some names are linked to the slave trade.

Maybe someone can educate me on this.

e.g in Ireland, is it possible to work out who family worked for by their surname. O'brien (does this mean they were in the employment of the Brien family???

Also, there are quite a lot of afro-carribean people with very british sounding names e.g Williams, Winston, LLoyd- someone told me this is linked to slavery. Not sure if it is or not. I was told that someone with the surname Williams would have taken it on because their master was called Williams.

All this might be very wide off the mark, but I am not sure what truth there is, if any, in it. The history of names is very fastinating. They were used I think to apply some sort of ownership type label.

But 'Begum' isn't a name bandie, it's an honorific (a polite, formal way of addressing/speaking of a woman). So that's why it's used a lot.

You use its (in your eyes) excessive frequency to decry it as a name, and at the same time betray your ignorance of naming practices in the culture you're criticising. On a thread suggesting that there may be some racist attitudes towards naming around on Mumsnet, that's not terribly tactful (though I would be happy to believe that you were just ill-informed, not deliberately racist).

I don't think it's racist at all. However, sometimes a little backgound information wouldn't go amiss. For example, my ds's name is hard to prounouce in English, even the Paediatrician said it's cruel . However, given my cultural background, I feel the name is relevant to us and well suited.

I am white but non-British, which is why I don't think it's a racist thing, but rather cultural.

I think it is useful to get the 'provenance' of a name, for instance to know that the name is considered unisex; that Judas is not a great biblical choice, or that my Jewish friends find the popularity of Reuben a bit bemusing.

Imo ppl can say without prejudice or inference that a name is a middle-aged, m/c, Irish, black, Eastern European name - after all you have no idea of my family's ethnicity or nationality.

oh yes hundreds of racist mumsnetters.

I dont mean to cause offense. I did realise that it was an honorific (didnt know the word though), what I am saying is that in my opinion, it is rather boring that there is such a limited set of names which are used. Also, it does cause a lot of confusion if you work in an area where there are countless people with the same or similar names. It just becomes harder to remember people as individuals because it is a case of "which Mohammed Ahmed are we talking about ???"

One good thing about wacky names are that a it is very easy to recall the person by their label.

This is factual, not racist. I dont expect you to agree. I base this view on my personal experiences. If Mrs Begum is happy then great, but I dont have to like it... or do I?? Can Mrs Begum, choose to have another surname if she wants or is she limited to a narrow set of choices?

It is very naive to suggest that an individual is only entitled to a view point, if they know everything there is to know about a topic !?-

There are not many people who take offense about the blatant discrimination that is applied to the white working classes.- Chav.

as soon as colour or religion are thrown into the mix, it all kicks off !- why is this the case ????-

slightly off subject but i give my dc's 'black' names because i like them

on naming dc5 a friend said to me 'think of his cv - people will think he is black'

Racist? No.

Flipping hilarious? Yes

To prove my point I give you the last baby name thread I posted on where the OP wanted to call her son ...

Bear.

There have been several cases where people have been disuaded from using celtic origin names, when they have no celtic connection or understanding of how to say the names.

that isn't racism it is common sense

and lets not forget, even more astonishingly than Bear the poster who was considering Alias

Yes Alias

Otherwise known as

I see some baby name threads as a vital public service to protect the unborn child from the ravages of pregnancy hormone brain syndrome

LOL at Alias

I would not have been able to keep a straight face when I did the register - ever. And I have had years of daft name training.

Quite agree Martianbishop,

I suppose If I worked in the public sector and everyone was called Dai Jones, I would still find it as confusing and hard to remember which Dai Jones was which.

One or two are fine, but too many Dai Jones and it just gets ridiculous.

Oh Bandie, it's so boring all white women being called Miss or Mrs isn't it ?

that is why I'm called Ms

You can't have too many Dai Joneses IMO. It makes for fun nickames. Jones the Bones (undertaker), Jones Semitones (Picky choir master) etc.