What is your take on culture-centered first names?

Jazeer or Jeremy?

  • Jazeer

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Jeremy

    Votes: 5 45.5%

  • Doesn't matter as long as he / she is hot

    Votes: 5 45.5%

  • That's racist!

    Votes: 1 9.1%
  • Total voters
    11
Cyberpunkd

Cyberpunkd

Member
So this occurred to me today - I see this especially with immigrant parents where when they have the kids in their new country they will name them one in two ways:

1. To fit in and not cause negative stereotypes - typically they will pick a fairly regular first name
2. To highlight their cultural ancestry even if it comes with baggage - think Mohammed or (in France) Abubakar ; girls names Precious or Shaqeela, etc.

Michael Jordan
Shaquille O'Neal

For those that emigrated to a different place - what did you choose? For people native to their country - are there any thoughts and feelings when speaking to Timothy or Amumadin?

For our kids we picked international names that should be easy to pronounced no matter where they live - our boy is an exception having a very typical French first name, but that can be shortened to very typical international English one.
 
I could see first or second gen migrants having difficulty letting go of their ancestry in such a tangible way, but IMO over time people of migrant background should assimilate and give their kids local names.
 
Both options are good, i doubt this is much of a controversial thing if at all.

Exotic name to remind you of your land is good
International name to never have problems with pronunciation is also good


Maybe when you pick an exotic name don't chose the longest, most complicated in existence to facilitate pronunciation but other than that...


I find way more hilarious people calling their sons demarcus or tre'ston because a normal name wasn't enough:lollipop_grinning_sweat:
 
The best approach is probably the chinese approach, where they have 2 names, like one "western" like Justin and a chinese name like "Yu" and both can appear on the passport
 
My kids have ancient Hebrew names. We are not Hebrews.

But much of western civ has used Hebrew names.

There is a bit of certain cultures don't integrate they want to overtake.
 
Western names are also cultured names and can have their own problems. The focus is to stay away from the naming conventions that are goofy or are difficult to pronounce.

 
It's been well documented that people with names that are unusual and difficult to pronounce are less likely to be interviewed or hired because the hiring people are uncomfortable trying to say the name, so they avoid it altogether. Folks also associates names with certain ethnic groups which may be a good or bad thing for you.

As a guy with a weirdly spelled last name that's IMPOSSIBLE to get right just hearing it (and that's AFTER they tried to anglicize it when we immigrated) , I appreciate the KISS principle with names. Though I gave my son a fairly common first name, I kept the ancient spelling, not the more common brit/american spellings, so he gets a little flack for it from his schoolmates who are ignorant. My wife totally ixnayed the name "Siobhan" for my daughter which I love but is unpronounceable by 98% of americans (probably 99.5% of all humans :P

Were I to permanently immigrate to a new country, even more so if I were a refugee and grateful for a new host nation, I would ABSOLUTELY try to embrace the local culture as much as possible, including taking a name that is easier for the locals. My name is difficult for spanish speakers to pronounce (correctly, anyway), for example, so I would go by an easier name for them.
 
jason10mm said:
It's been well documented that people with names that are unusual and difficult to pronounce are less likely to be interviewed or hired because the hiring people are uncomfortable trying to say the name, so they avoid it altogether. Folks also associates names with certain ethnic groups which may be a good or bad thing for you.

As a guy with a weirdly spelled last name that's IMPOSSIBLE to get right just hearing it (and that's AFTER they tried to anglicize it when we immigrated) , I appreciate the KISS principle with names. Though I gave my son a fairly common first name, I kept the ancient spelling, not the more common brit/american spellings, so he gets a little flack for it from his schoolmates who are ignorant. My wife totally ixnayed the name "Siobhan" for my daughter which I love but is unpronounceable by 98% of americans (probably 99.5% of all humans :P

Were I to permanently immigrate to a new country, even more so if I were a refugee and grateful for a new host nation, I would ABSOLUTELY try to embrace the local culture as much as possible, including taking a name that is easier for the locals. My name is difficult for spanish speakers to pronounce (correctly, anyway), for example, so I would go by an easier name for them.
Click to expand...
We finally found this dude


 
GymWolf said:
We finally found this dude


Click to expand...

And there are folks that would take you to task if you tried, and inevitably failed, to pronounce it, as if those sound combinations were EVEN REMOTELY common in english (or any other language, most likely).

You can see in Hollywood that folks are far more willing to keep their foreign origin names, rather than a "John Smith" nom de plum, though the SAG rules that no actor can have the exact same name as another probably contributes a bit to this. Hell, an exotic (especially the 'right' kind of exotic) name probably helps now in this era of enforced diversity. Gotta try to hide the fact that daddy was a boring old white studio accountant and go with the more exciting foreign sounding mother's name.

Tough call, as folks also shouldn't have to try to mask who they really are. But like everything in hollywood, it gets weaponized for profit :P
 
Days like these... said:
My daughters names are Porsche, Asia, Alize and Basquisha don't you dare try to culture shame me
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How very staid and boring.
You should have gone with Pourshuh, Aza, Ailease and Ba_a (the _ represents the letters being squished down). That would really let the world know how smart you are.
 
poppabk said:
How very staid and boring.
You should have gone with Pourshuh, Aza, Ailease and Ba_a (the _ represents the letters being squished down). That would really let the world know how smart you are.
Click to expand...
The "La-a" names, as well as "oranjello", are notorious but I've never seen it. I have heard of "gonorrhea" or "chlamydia" as well, but I can't imagine those would make it to a birth certificate.





We live in this world now :P
 
My two boys names were a compromise; my wife liked Finnian and after The Force Awakens (he was born in 2016) I really liked Finn (that didn't go well in the sequels) so I agreed and he has my middle name. My second boy we couldn't agree, she really wanted an E name. I liked Ephraim or Elliott, she liked Emmitt or Emerson. I finally agreed to Emmitt on the last day at the hospital and his middle name is my first name. My daughter is the combination of the spelling of our two names, Onnali (Shonn and Alicia). Pronounced like Annaleigh.
 
My family changed our surname when we came to America, changed a k to a c to fit in more.

I think it's fuckin lame, personally. Integrate into society, absolutely yes, but to change your fuckin name to fit in? Gay as fuck if you ask me. Be proud of who you are, don't change your shit for anybody.
 
Dural said:
My two boys names were a compromise; my wife liked Finnian and after The Force Awakens (he was born in 2016) I really liked Finn (that didn't go well in the sequels) so I agreed and he has my middle name. My second boy we couldn't agree, she really wanted an E name. I liked Ephraim or Elliott, she liked Emmitt or Emerson. I finally agreed to Emmitt on the last day at the hospital and his middle name is my first name. My daughter is the combination of the spelling of our two names, Onnali (Shonn and Alicia). Pronounced like Annaleigh.
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Just wanted to say your daughter's name is amazing, cheers (y)
 
Dural said:
My two boys names were a compromise; my wife liked Finnian and after The Force Awakens (he was born in 2016) I really liked Finn (that didn't go well in the sequels) so I agreed and he has my middle name. My second boy we couldn't agree, she really wanted an E name. I liked Ephraim or Elliott, she liked Emmitt or Emerson. I finally agreed to Emmitt on the last day at the hospital and his middle name is my first name. My daughter is the combination of the spelling of our two names, Onnali (Shonn and Alicia). Pronounced like Annaleigh.
Click to expand...

My background doesn't have middle names. Sounds kind of like cheating though.
 
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