Jasp - your point is what everyone needs to keep in mind in this thread. It's not about ethnic names, nor unusual names, it's about the phonemic mangling of what would otherwise be a totally regular and totally nice name.
Saram - I love both of your kids names. My Friend in Sweden named her son Xander about 4 years ago so that one's gone for us! Ariya is very similar to another Indian name, Aaliya, which was one of my best friends in schools name. I've always loved the Sanskrit name Priya for a girl which means 'beloved'. I also love the Slavic name Milan for a boy (emphasis is on MI-lan) but too many people would think I'm naming him after the Italian city!
Maz - I never said you were a dreadful person. There's just the unfortunate fact that many people will judge a person by their name on a resume and put it in the 'NO' pile because they sound 'socially' less suited to the job' My dad had a woman come to interview for the position of dental nurse who had decent qualifications but whose name was Sindy. The fact that her name made her sound like a stripper rather than a medical professional precluded her from employment in a well paid job in a prestigious clinic. Yes, my dad is a fuddy-duddy and very conservative but so are many employers offering worthwhile jobs.
Someone I know named her son Maleek because his father was African. He's now 15 years old and it very well may have the same effect on him in this increasingly Islamophobic society.
I went to Uni with someone who changed her name as soon as she legally could because she wanted to get away from the dippy-hippy name her lovechild parents gave her. She said she always dreamed of a regular name.
In Denmark there is a list of 12,000 approved names you can call your child which includes a comprehensive list of ethnic minority names and is not at all racist. It is published for this exact reason; to stop parents claiming too much creative licence and allow the child to have a decent name. If you want a name that's not on the list, you need to petition the authorities and state a valid reason. If that fails, you can make it their middle name but legally they'll have one of the 12,000. This system stops parents giving their kids names like that NZ couple who wanted to call their son '4-real' and I think it's fair enough. It stops the courts getting clogged when parents want to call their kid 'Jeff the stopsign' or 'whalingboat' or whatever they think sounds fun at the time.
-And Yes, the celeb's can call their kids Tallulah-tuba-monkey, Apple, Prince Michael II....but with wealth comes many freedoms not afforded to you nor me.
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