I don't think it'd be
very weird for a "cultural
Christian" to use the name
Christian. At any rate, since we don't name ourselves, it'd only be weird for about 18 years and then it would no longer matter. Except that it'd indicate what his heritage was
not. I don't think it's really different from using the name
Christina or
Kristin or
Christopher!
I'd certainly feel weird using it, even though our heritage is all
Christian, because I'm not one and I'd wonder what the heck practicing Christians thought of me naming my kid
Christian. I guess if you said you named him after someone, that'd cover it.
But ... to me, where I am, the word "
Christian," when it's applied to things other than people, is sort of a synonym for charitable, humble, goodwilling, or otherwise expressing
Christian values. Like, when we say something is "the
Christian thing to do." So it works as a name, even if you are only nominally or by-heritage
Christian, and don't worship.
The big question to me would be, would you mind being named
Christian, yourself, if you weren't raised in a
Christian church? Or even if you were? I wouldn't, but your mileage may vary.
I love the sounds of the name and always have.
This message was edited 1/5/2012, 8:40 PM