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HelpCheyenne / Cheyanne
Hey guys. What are your thoughts on the name Cheyenne? Last year in my grade I met both a Cheyanne and a Cheyenne. It’s has a pretty and delicate sound to it and I’m surprised people dislike it so much aside the cultural appropriation.
"It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves." - William Shakespeare
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Cheyenne is okay. I've met a lot of Cheyennes and variants like Cheyanne and even Shyann. I think the variants are silly, it's usually trying to include Anne in some way but it always just looks misspelled. I think it's usually used as a place name.
I think it would be too dated for a baby/kid, I picture it on an older teenager or young adult.
I think it would be too dated for a baby/kid, I picture it on an older teenager or young adult.
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I actually quite enjoy the sound, but considering I'm not familiar with American place names, it feels like naming a child Armenians or Residents-of-Djibouti.
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I think it’s pretty but I’m worried about “cultural appropriation”. I guess you could argue that it is a reference to the city in Wyoming. Maybe Shiane might be an okay alternative.
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I do not personally care for this as a name because I don't like the how it sounds like "shy Ann".
But I don't see how using it is "cultural appropriation". How can this be "appropriating" someone's "culture" when this is NOT what the Cheyenne people call themselves in their own language? It's a Frenchification of a Lakota word meaning "red speakers", which to the Lakotas was a metaphorical way to say "people whose language we do not understand."
Plus many parents who have given it think of it as the place name rather than the tribal name. No one who complains about "cultural appropriation" ever seems to object to Cheyenne or Dakota as place names, not to mention Wyoming. Wyoming as a state name is way closer to "cultural appropriation" because its' a name derived from a Native American culture in one place shifted onto an area where that particular culture never existed. The original Wyoming is a valley in Pennsylvania whose name comes from a Lenape Munsee word, and though some of this group ended up being pushed to a reservation in Wisconsin, they never made it as far west as what's now the state of Wyoming. It would make a lot more sense to complain about this state name than to complain about everyday people naming kids Cheyenne or Dakota, in my opinion.
But I don't see how using it is "cultural appropriation". How can this be "appropriating" someone's "culture" when this is NOT what the Cheyenne people call themselves in their own language? It's a Frenchification of a Lakota word meaning "red speakers", which to the Lakotas was a metaphorical way to say "people whose language we do not understand."
Plus many parents who have given it think of it as the place name rather than the tribal name. No one who complains about "cultural appropriation" ever seems to object to Cheyenne or Dakota as place names, not to mention Wyoming. Wyoming as a state name is way closer to "cultural appropriation" because its' a name derived from a Native American culture in one place shifted onto an area where that particular culture never existed. The original Wyoming is a valley in Pennsylvania whose name comes from a Lenape Munsee word, and though some of this group ended up being pushed to a reservation in Wisconsin, they never made it as far west as what's now the state of Wyoming. It would make a lot more sense to complain about this state name than to complain about everyday people naming kids Cheyenne or Dakota, in my opinion.
This message was edited 7/18/2022, 9:35 AM
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Love the word, but hate it as a name, its tacky. If you wont name a kid 'German' 'Korean' or 'Bolivian' you should not use Cheyenne either, same thing.
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It sounds pretty but it's dated. Also all the cultural appropriation issues. Shiloh could be an alternative to consider
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I used to actually really love the name Cheyenne, and still think it sounds beautiful.
Yet, speaking as a white cisgender Christian man, the cultural appropriation is deeply problematic and I think puts this name out of any potential use. I am actually quite struck and disturbed by how popular this once was.
I feel similarly about names like Seneca, Dakota, etc., all of which I have encountered among people who have no tie to those nations.
Cheyanne is even worse - cultural appropriation mixed with cultural bastardization.
Yet, speaking as a white cisgender Christian man, the cultural appropriation is deeply problematic and I think puts this name out of any potential use. I am actually quite struck and disturbed by how popular this once was.
I feel similarly about names like Seneca, Dakota, etc., all of which I have encountered among people who have no tie to those nations.
Cheyanne is even worse - cultural appropriation mixed with cultural bastardization.
This message was edited 7/17/2022, 10:33 AM
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I do like this name. It is very pretty. I prefer the spelling Cheyenne. But both are good.
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It does sound very pretty, but I wouldn't use it. I don't feel like it belongs to a culture that is "okay" for me to sample from, if that makes any sense.
I'm not trying to start a debate or anything, this is just how I feel. If you feel differently, that's fine.
I'm not trying to start a debate or anything, this is just how I feel. If you feel differently, that's fine.
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It's not as appropriative as a lot of other names, because it's also a place name, and a well-established one.
I do think Cheyanne is obnoxious because that a is not in the original proper noun, and it's like someone thinks it's a mashup of Shy and Anne which it isn't.
Cheyenne is okay. I like it best for a mn.
I do think Cheyanne is obnoxious because that a is not in the original proper noun, and it's like someone thinks it's a mashup of Shy and Anne which it isn't.
Cheyenne is okay. I like it best for a mn.
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