Do you feel pressure to give your children a first name consistent with their cultural or ethnic background?

For example, it would be unusual to meet an Italian boy named Malik, or a Russian girl named Shaniqua, or a Japanese boy named Connor, or a Mexican girl named Helga.





Not wrong, perhaps odd, but definitely unusual.





Or what if your children are of mixed race? How do you decide a background to follow?





Is a name a way of assigning a child some framework of identity before the development of a personality?





At the risk of sounding racist, what are some "unusual" combinations you've seen of names and race?

Do you feel pressure to give your children a first name consistent with their cultural or ethnic background?
I think you're right there, it would definitely be very rare to find the examples you mentioned and I do agree that a name assigns identity, e.g you would immediately presume that a boy named Raj is of indian origin, and it's very likely that would be the case. There are exeptions when it comes to some countries, in Africa for example people from certain countries there tend to have western names but I think this is more due to the politics of western countries holding territory in the past. The oppisite is very rare, I think people name their kids to fit into their culture and it makes sense. I live in Wales and both I and my son have welsh names, I always intended giving him a welsh name, I suppose it's a 'loyalty to your country' issue, I can't think of any strange examples, everyone I know has a name that is related their culture pretty much.
Reply:Yes because I hear other blacks that will say that black people give their children "ghetto or black" names that it will sat them back in the future, but once a black person give their child a "white name" like Stephanie or Hailee then they want to ask them why did you give your child that "white name". I think people should name their kids what they like and if the child grows up to hate the name than they can change it.
Reply:I'm white, my husband is Mexican. We have one girl, Hannah Elise, which sounds very white for being half hispanic and one boy, which of course, sticking with cultural, has his daddy's name, Roberto, and his middle name is my maiden name, Henry, but in Spanish, Enrique. So our daughter has a very white name, and our son completely hispanic. I guess it just depends on which way you want to go. I haven't heard any "unusual" combinations, but I'm sure there are some out there!
Reply:2 of my kids are half Hungarian- but we have not found Hungarian names that translate or 'fit' into English easily, except for Ava, which is a little too popular for my likings these days, though it's lovely. So, for this one due next week, were it to be a boy it was going to have "Sandor' for the middle name, as it's his Dad's name (pronounced 'Shawn-door,', everyone calls my hubby Shawn)...but it's a girl, so 'Julianna' will be her middle name, which is Hungarian and my MIl's name.
Reply:my son is mixed race half black half white he is not italian but i liked the name Anthony so i named him Anthony Jermaine (the middle name after his father) i am 7 months pregnant with a mixed girl we are naming her Alexis Torie-renee i dont even know what ethnicity that is but the 2 middle name thing was the fathers idea (he is black im white)
Reply:my boyfriend is of mixed race and his name kendale he's black and white, and he identifies as black, mostly, which there's nothing wrong with that as i get into that part of american culture.