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I don't have a problem with it but I would be wary of disrespecting the culture I was using the name of. I would want to research and understand the meaning, history, significance etc and if I couldn't get a clear feeling about it would not use it. I would never want to seem like I was using a name without understanding it, "stealing" it without disregard type thing. I don't know if I'm explaining what I mean well but yeah.
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Just out of interest LZ - how do you pronounce Priya? I had a Sri Lankan colleague named Priyan. Is it sort of the same pronunciation?
I guess as a parent you need to chose a name that seems right to you, and right for your child. I think anything goes myself, as long as you love it and it is right for your child.
BTW - people mocked you rhyb? Really? That's awful.
Last edited by Lenny; April 30th, 2014 at 08:02 PM.
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No, makes perfect sense to me, I feel the same. I'd only give my kids 'anglo' names because DH and I are through-and-through Anglo-Saxon and we would feel as though we were being disrespectful if we were to use names from other cultures without *really* knowing what we were doing. I've heard some names from different ethnic groups that sound beautiful, flow really well and are just 'pretty', but I wouldn't feel comfortable using them for my own children because as others have said, it kind of puts an image in your head of what the child would/should look like and might be a bit odd with an Irish name (our surname)!
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we used to get a few comments about DDs name. it is arabic in origin and our area where we used to live had a high proportion of people with middle-eastern backgrounds. i think they were suprised to find an italian and his dutch/indonesian wife with a name for a child like that LOL! but when we told them how beautiful the name was it was allll good lol!
DH and I have a hard time with names as i am not fond of italian names and he is not fond of dutch names...so we have to go searching elsewhere lol.
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I think that is part of the reason why I am not comfortable using names of other cultures. You have explained it well.
All of my boys have traditional German names due to my heritage
Nikolaus
Wilhelm
Mateauz
their middles names are after family members
Owen
Tomas
Joseph
but mini me's
Vyolett
was just one the boys picked and we agreed.
I like to stick to a 'theme' so to speak and if that theme is to stay eg with my tradional's then so be it.
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I can understand that naming a child is cultural. Still for me, if a name from a different culture had meaning for me, then I wouldn't mind using it. The most important thing for us with names is the meaning, we like to name children and one day be able to tell them 'this is why you have this name'. So it's a given that I'd understand the meaning of the name, or the name would have meaning (for example, if I wasn't sure what Sven meant, but some meaningful person or place was called Sven ).
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Priya is pronounced pre-A (hard a, as in hard, rather than ay or ah). And is a beautiful name. Just out of place on a little white girl, IMO.
I am part French and part Egyptian (and probably a lot more if I looked into my family tree); DH has Scottish and Irish ancestry. I have named DS after family members, so he has very traditional English names. I think if we had more boys we would go down the same route as DH doesn't like anything different.
I suppose it maybe is influenced by the fact I have a Welsh name yet have nothing to do with Wales. Except for being able to do a good Welsh accent! People have a go that I can't spell my name, I point out it's my name and I can and anyway it's Welsh, so people then ask if I'm Welsh... nope. Can't even speak the language. Have spent fewer than 20 days in my whole life in the country, and it's really close to us.
DH has also ruled out Celtic names for our children, claiming that they're too hard to spell. But at least they'd have the background for it when people challenged them on it! Then again, a lot of people think that Lieb's real name is Liebling and I was told, whilst pg, not to call my child that in case he ever visits Germany (OK, strange bossy person posting on my pregnancy website) but also where I drew the inspiration for such a beautiful name. But now, when we visit Austria, his name is considered "very Jewish", whereas over here it's considered as English as George.
Funny thing, names. I suppose I'd avoid other cultures yes partly so it didn't seem I was being all imperialistic and stealing their names (we Brits stole most of our words and ideas from other places; a bungalow was considered a hovel and not somewhere to desire to live before we invaded India) but mostly because I didn't want my child to be put through the grief of "but your name is Indian and you're white", which can happen even with European names, even with a name from a country a mere 100 miles away!
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i really feel that the world is so cross cultural now that the teasing of yesteryear surely must be fading.
I understand people wanting to hold onto their heritage and follow tradition, but i really don't see how it can be offensive, disrespectful or 'stealing' to use a name from another culture. But if another person used the same name as my children i would be a little chuffed that they liked it too, i know other people get all funny and possessive about namers they choose.
I really wouldn't blink an eye if there was a blonde haired blue eyed girl called Priya. I would just think, wow, that's a pretty name.
I do like the idea of names going together like you say Maz, sticking with a theme, but then again i think it is weird some people have all their kids starting with the same letter.
Names are a funny thing Ryn, you're right. Another of those topics that seems to have many views.
Registered User
I agree with you JungleMum.
I'm not sure that any one culture can lay claim to a name and not allow others to use it.
Parents have all sorts of reasons for chosing the names they do. I don't think there's anything wrong with chosing a name because you like the sound of it.
I had no idea Priya was an Indian name. Although I probably would have mis-pronounced it to rhyme with "fire"
Personally, I quite like names from other cultures as they seem more unusual to me and I would like to name my children something a little less common that some of the names from my culture.
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