Re: Middle name question about appropriation
in reply to a message by PrincessZ
If you were American and had an ancestor (no matter how remote) who was Native American, then I would not consider it an issue if you used Winona even if you appeared white. In your shoes, as a white British person with no connection to Native Americans, I would not use it. Maybe, if you visited Winona, Minnesota and had an amazing experience, it would create some affinity with the name that would make it seem more about the place rather than just randomly borrowing? Maybe if you married an American it would seem less odd? Quite a few Americans have some distant Native American ancestry (à la Elizabeth Warren), so I don't judge American people who may look white for using it since I have no idea about their heritage and recessive genes show up on reservations sometimes. If you are descended from Thomas Rolfe (Pocahontas's son), then a Tsenacommacah name would be okay. In general, I would find Native American names on British people odd.
I wouldn't use a Japanese name myself unless I married someone with Japanese heritage or if I lived in Japan for an extended period. Japanese people and culture wouldn't be harmed by you using a Japanese name, but it isn't something I would recommend. Using it as a middle name does seem better since hypothetically, they could use their Japanese name if you decided to move there or if they did an extended study abroad and wanted to assimilate.
I wouldn't use a Japanese name myself unless I married someone with Japanese heritage or if I lived in Japan for an extended period. Japanese people and culture wouldn't be harmed by you using a Japanese name, but it isn't something I would recommend. Using it as a middle name does seem better since hypothetically, they could use their Japanese name if you decided to move there or if they did an extended study abroad and wanted to assimilate.