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Help[Opinions] Wolfgang: Ethnic
in reply to a message by Danielle79
Having said that... as much as I adore the name myself, with such an incredibly, recognizably ethnic name as Wolfgang, you truly need to be of blood and possess a German surname, otherwise: yes, it will appear terribly pretentious, slightly comical, and certainly out-of-place.
Elsa is quite the enchanter, by the way.
Best of wishes,
- Francesca
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Replies
As Do I With You...
This is a matter of opinion, everyone; I will disagree with you, as you disagree with me, respectfully. I said it as I see it-- it truly does appear tacky, personally, for drastic, incredibly ethnic name mixtures when you possess no heritage or connections of that land and culture (/unless your parents formed connections... which is still debateable, in my eyes.)
I am glad that you feel fit to use those names, but I will never.
I am glad that you feel fit to use those names, but I will never.
This message was edited 2/23/2012, 7:29 AM
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Every time I read your posts, I hear Diane Chambers' voice in my head.
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I just get the word "ethnocentric"... (in reference to attitude)... but that's ok... she can stick with names of her own heritage if she wishes... and we can choose from whatever languages we see as right for our children.
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I merely see complete, utter, extremely ethnic opposites of no connection slightly tacky in appearance. Boleslava Nelson, Vladimir Taylor, Stylianos Cavey, and Mufaddal Lopez are not attractive, in my opinion.
It is another story if you immigrated (permanently live) in another country. I know families from China, the Philippines, Mexico, Russia, Italy, and Germany who all have adopted new callings and/or began to give their children names that reflected the United States. My father's name is English, my Grandfather's name is English, and so on-- but for that particular instance, a large reason was because of discrimination and harsh stereotypes many years ago.
This message was edited 2/23/2012, 9:42 PM
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The thing is that the word "tacky" carries a definite sense of judgement and personal superiority.
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I felt that the word displayed my view as softly, truthfully, and acceptably as possible. In all honesty, no matter what I chose I was destined to be hounded over it due to the fact that it is a negative word. People can dig too deeply into what was allegedly implied, or people can take it at face value (my intention.)
I apologize for any misunderstandings. A difference in opinion does not merit being wrongly labeled, however.
This message was edited 2/24/2012, 9:52 AM
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Ok then... I'm sorry if you found the term offensive and the term may not apply to other aspects of your life and attitude... Another post you made some time back condemning people with no Italian heritage using the name Francesca did come across as extremely ethnocentric though... It's not just about superiority though... it's about having to have things done the way one's own culture does things and a possessiveness of that language and culture for only that group... and you need to consider that some people who happen to LOVE names not of their own ethnic heritage or have those names might find your labelling such combos as "tacky" simply on the basis of not being part of their own origins or not "matching" them somehow to be offensive... esp. in cultures like Canada and the States where mixing cultures in some ways is part of the culture. You can walk down the street in some neighbourhoods and find a colourful mix of children and languages and some of them may intermarry. That in itself will naturally result in surnames and given names that don't necessarily match... as well as children who see other languages and cultures as part of a bigger picture. I remember having 3 girls in the same Sun. school class who'd gone all through school together and were fairly good friends and all had different ethnic backgrounds... Their children could marry each other and have the result be children with these "mis-matched" names. 1 had a Fr. fn (that's also common in En.) w/ a surname that I'm not sure exact origins of (but it wasn't Fr.) and Friesian (sp?) ancestors. Another was Cdn. born Chinese. Another was white and Filipino mixed. It finally hit 1 of them near the end of gr. 7 that they were all different that way. It didn't bother her and it was just an observation, but the point was that that mixture of cultures was just normal and natural to them... when the mix is normal and natural, the potential to adopt bits of other languages and cultures into one's own life -regardless of ethnic origins.
This message was edited 2/24/2012, 12:33 AM
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BRAVO!
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Totally disagree
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As someone whose name & ethnicity do not match, I strongly disagree.
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I also have no problem with it... (Not that anyone would expect me to... If I did, I'd be a hippocrite)... Even Anglosaxons have a bit of German blood in there quite often if you go back enough generations historically... more-so than we would Japanese. :-P I don't think people in a mix and match culture where you can eat at restaurants of different varieties for every meal for a few weeks straight really need to worry so much about names not "matching" their ethnic heritage so much.
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Me three
pfft
pfft
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Ditto.
f
f
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agreed
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I'm not so sure...
...about the necessity of a blood and surname connection for Wolfgang to be feasible/accepted in the U.S. I suppose the choice is perhaps more defensible with these in place but this German name, in particular, is so associated with Mozart/music/the arts that I think it's received almost more as an honoring name, regardless of the ethnicity of the bearer...unusual, to be sure, but respectable.
...about the necessity of a blood and surname connection for Wolfgang to be feasible/accepted in the U.S. I suppose the choice is perhaps more defensible with these in place but this German name, in particular, is so associated with Mozart/music/the arts that I think it's received almost more as an honoring name, regardless of the ethnicity of the bearer...unusual, to be sure, but respectable.
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I myself have a German name with a Dutch last name. it's similar enough so that no one even notices and sometimes I can slip through the courts pretending to be a noble by spelling it "von" rather than "van"
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Ever watch "Mr. Show"? What you said reminds me of a character they had called the Dutch of Dukes. Towards the end of the show, he was arrested for impersonating royalty.
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Wolfgang Van Halen and Wolfgang Diefenbach are sophisticated and powerful; Wolfgang McDonald, Wolfgang Doyle,, Wolfgang D'Angelo appear comical. There is a difference, regrettably or not.
This message was edited 2/22/2012, 9:59 AM
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Looks pretty cool to me.
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I actually like them all. For some reason it sounds really interesting paired with something Italian. When Wolfgang is paired with something German I find it rather boring. Maybe that's because my dad is German and I know lots of older guys named Wolfgang Schneider and stuff like that. Wolfgang Armando sounds cool and young whereas Wolfgang Scheider is the boring guy who lives down the street. To each their own, I guess. I like unexpected combos. Stuff like Michiko Thompson or Chloe Fujita. I just think it's nice. Plus there are so many immigrants in the US and they name their kids English names too which I think is nice. I know many people with names like Hannah Chang or Brooke Giovanni. I always thought that was nice rather than odd.
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I'm not trying to pick a fight, but:
we get it, you don't like mixing names of different origin... sheesh, let it die already.
we get it, you don't like mixing names of different origin... sheesh, let it die already.
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I knew a Toshiro McIrishLastName, and he seemed to carry it well. Sometimes, it all depends on the personality; comical isn't always a negative if you have the right attitude.
This message was edited 2/22/2012, 9:49 AM
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:-)
I know plenty of people who marry into different ethnic last names and their first and last names don't "match"... or their children have fn.s of one ethnicity and surnames of another... In this age of mixed marriages and international adoption, it's ethnocentric to expect EVERYBODY's names to match. If some people want their children's names to "match" their heritage, that's fine, but we shouldn't expect everyone to play by such rules if they don't want to. Plus, a large percentage of Chinese Canadians and Jpns. Americans have western fn.s with their Chinese or American surnames... If they can get away with using names so different from their ethnic heritage, I see no reason why it can't go the other way or even just someone from one European descent using names from another European language... It's not that big a deal... and the more common it becomes, the easier it is for people to accept...
I know plenty of people who marry into different ethnic last names and their first and last names don't "match"... or their children have fn.s of one ethnicity and surnames of another... In this age of mixed marriages and international adoption, it's ethnocentric to expect EVERYBODY's names to match. If some people want their children's names to "match" their heritage, that's fine, but we shouldn't expect everyone to play by such rules if they don't want to. Plus, a large percentage of Chinese Canadians and Jpns. Americans have western fn.s with their Chinese or American surnames... If they can get away with using names so different from their ethnic heritage, I see no reason why it can't go the other way or even just someone from one European descent using names from another European language... It's not that big a deal... and the more common it becomes, the easier it is for people to accept...
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Agree to disagree. :)
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We definitely have the surname to match, and my husband speaks German. (I don't, which is too bad.) That said, we're third/fourth generation in the US at this point, so it's still possible for the name to seem as though we were trying a mite too hard. Its not as though we arrived 10 years ago.
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Participating in the use and honor of your heritage, despite being third- or fourth-generation, is nothing to nurture concern over. My family has been here roughly the same length, and my name is in accordance with their origin.
Be aware, however, that there will be confusion in the United States regarding the pronunciation. Then again, the majority names (despite their simplicity, or otherwise) receive their share of butchering at some point, so it really is unavoidable and should not cause worry.
This message was edited 2/22/2012, 9:12 AM
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