babynames | (no subject)

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I love the name Anneke (On-a-kuh), but it's Dutch and we aren't.

Anything wrong with that?

For some reason I would feel really weird naming a kid Hoshi, or Keiko, or Mbeke, but am less put off by European names.

How intent on you are matching your first names culturally with your ancestry?

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Anneke is very pretty. If you really wanted to make it more "Western," you could spell it Annika or Anika?

I tend to really love Irish/Welsh names like Rhys, which aren't easy to pronounce or pronounced correctly in the United States.

I think for me to use a name like that, it would have to be SOMEWHAT popular in the US... I don't like popular names but I think some people would know the name Rhys. I'm not sure sure if that's the case with Anneke?

I don't think a name has to reflect your culture. I am German and my name is Italian. (Giulia) Some of my favorite names are Florian, Lucca, Joachim, Danilo, Elidia, Karin, Hannelore, Catalina, Eulalia, Minerva. So basically all over the place.

I love Minerva! It is on the top of my list. I am scared that my boyfriend will think I am naming any future daughter after a Potter character though. :(

I love it, and I also love Annika/Anika
My husband doesn't so we won't be using it :p

I love the boys' name Ravi, but rule it out solely because it's Indian. I'm Anglo, my husband is Chinese, so we're sticking to more mainstream "Western" names and a Chinese name in place of a middle name. I just don't think it would work for us to use an Indian name.

I love Gaelic names, Irish or Scottish. I wouldn't hesitate to use them. I am Scottish...but I am also Mexican and that is what I look like (dominant genes and what not). And my boyfriend is Polish. So if we had a baby, it would look Mexican, have a Polish last name, and have a Scottish or Irish first name.

I think in this day and age...go for it.

Ha, I'm Dutch and I used to have a teacher called Anneke! =)

I don't think it'd be weird at all. People also use names like Gretchen (German) and Fleur (French) so why not Anneke?

As others have said, I wouldn't find it particularly odd. For reasons that possibly shouldn't be examined too closely, it doesn't seem nearly as weird for an Anglo person (assuming you are one) to use a Dutch, Italian, French, etc. name, even if they're not of that heritage at all, than to use an African or Asian one. Anneke is a lovely name, although for the sake of her convenience and sanity I would probably spell it Annika/Anneka/Anika (something with an A on the end).

The thing is (although the OP is not Dutch), in Dutch Annika and Anneke sound utterly different. Anneke is like On/Ahn-uh-kuh, whereas Annika is AHN-ee-kah. It's hard to convey phonetically, but -a and -e endings definitely sound different.

Having said that, Anneke could definitely be hard to pronounce in an English-speaking country, so of course it's up to you/anyone how to spell it =).

I'm the same way. And I think it's because I'm Canadian, so most of the people I interact with are Canadian, and their families have been here for generations. Big cultural distinctions that we once had, we lost, and now our European names are just all mixed together until it's like, "well, it's sounds White European, that's all I know."

Whereas, I've had less contact with people with distinct names like Hoshi, Keiko, or Mbeke, so they stick out, and feel more awkward on somebody who isn't that culture.

So, to me, it's more important that it matches the feel of the names around me and in my country and culture. Not that there aren't Hoshis, Keikos and Mbekes in Canada, but they're not prevalent where I live. To me, Joshua, Erin and Fleur, random names I just picked, all have the same type of feel, even if they don't have the same origins, or are even the same language.

"well, it's sounds White European, that's all I know."
That's pretty much my dividing line too.

Fleur :). If you hadn't mentioned you were Canadian, I would have guessed from that name. I say that because it makes me think of the Fleurys and Lafleur in the NHL.

I think its a lovely name. And its pronounced the same way as Annika, it seems (O've known a couple girls with that name) so I don't think you'd have a problem.

Now that I'm older, I am more intent on matching names to my ancestory. . .well, at least to some extent. I haven't really looked at Polish names, but all the names I like are very English.

At the same time, most names do have origins elsewhere.

However, I am no longer in love with the name Kiki as I was when I watched The Puzzle Place.

I don't think it matters all that much. The difference, really, is that some names are less used by English speaking people and that's why they seem 'weird' to use. For example, Tanya/Tania and Natalie are Russian names but widely used in English-speaking populations and it's not weird.

The only 'issue' I can see with Anneke is pronunciation and spelling by other people.

Don't think there is anything wrong with using a Dutch name though you're not Dutch yourself. I prefer Annelie or Annelieke though.

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