I'm hlaf white and half black and my child/children will be 3/4 black?

Question

why does everyone insist on suggesting "white" names...i want my child to have a respectable name, but not something that everyone else will have. as far as LaKendra, thats MY name, and i love it... i think it has just the right amount of "black" and "white"
whats wrong with names that suggest certain ethnicities?

i like

Kalandrah
Kiely
Jascha (jah-sha)
Kaydence/Jaydence
Ariel

i think Jascha is my favorite....
but my point is...this child is NOT a Sarah, or a Jason... but also not a Latoya or a DeQuan...
i just dont understand...why white people always hate black names

Of course i have to repeat my name more than once to people..but i like that...and as far as spelling...people are going to mess up on spelling any name....

Answer 1

I'm multi-racial too, so please don't take this wrong... Why are mis-spelled names "black"? Kaydence is a mis-spelling of cadence. "Penny" Hardaway's name in Anfernee, which sounds like his parents couldn't spell/pronounce Anthony. I went to school with a kid whose mother named him Philanderer! These names aren't "black." They aren't from African origin. If you want to give the child an ethnic name, give him/her one that is truly related to culture, not one that connotes ignorance. That is why those names aren't liked by "white people."

I like Kiely or Ariel myself. LaKendra is definitely an "ethnic" name, but doesn't sound like the person was making a poor attempt at using a "white" name, making a "white" name sound "black", or a word they thought sounded pretty without knowing its meaning or derivation.

I put quotes around the words white and black because I think that using them that way continues to feed into the racism and prejudice that exists in both black and white cultural identities. I just don't see what makes a name white or black.
"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet"... or something like that.

Answer 2

Most of the "black" names I hear sound like something the parents made up.
Example: Kaydence is not a name. It's a rhythmic rap that soldiers use to keep time while marching. It's just spelled wrong.
The only "name" I can see on the list you have is Ariel.
I know that this is not true for most black America but it does seem to be getting more and more common.
What's wrong with a name? I know a young black woman named Akeela. It means "sunrise". It's a name common in Africa. I think it's beautiful. Do some research and come up with a name. Don't just make something up.

Answer 3

Names that suggest ethnicity are dangerous. You don't know what prejudgments people will have if the see the name Latoya or Josefina or something that is not essentially American. American names are not "white" names, and I don't know why people think that.

You never know if it comes down to it and your child applies for a job and someone black, white, whatever has a name like Sarah or Joe, as opposed to Bonifa or Rayquan or whatever, an employer might get a mental picture because of that name and pass them up for that job. Not to say that the employer is right, but America is just not to the point yet where they are entirely accepting of something that is different.

Just give that some thought before you make a decision.

Answer 4

Speaking as a white person, we don't always hate or always like anything...nor does any other race I know of.

I have no problem with "black" names, although sometimes they sound silly...but I've also seen names given white children and other race children that I thought were equally silly or unfortunate to put on a child (re: teasing and such when they are younger...other young children can be brutal).

Name your child whatever you like...if he/she doesn't dig it, when they get old enough they can change it...just try not to make it too hard to pronounce or something that few would ever look at the spelling and be able to say correctly the first time...the kid has to live with this for a while, and it gets to be a DRAG if you end up having to correct nearly everyone, all your life, when they try to say your name upon reading it...

Answer 5

I am white and my husband is black and I understand what you mean b/c we had the same problem with naming our children. We tried to come up with names that were niether too black or too white but a mixture of both. My son was named after his father Reginald Criston-Antonio and our daughter will Khyren Mae when she is born. My family thinks the names will never get them a job and his family says they will never be treated right by black people b/c of their white names. I think that their name are just fine. It doesn't matter what others think only what you and the father think. It is your child. As for the names you have listed I really like Jascha or Jaydence. I think those two are adorable. I like jascha rihann but that is just me. Well good luck with the pregnancy.

Answer 6

I like Kaydence and Jascha. As for the 3/4 thing, I have no idea. That is an interesting question though. Congrats on becoming a mommy!

Answer 7

The right amount of black and white? No offense but where's the white in LaKendra? Also, it seems after reading your last sentence that you are a black person that hates white names so whats the difference between you and the white person that doesn't like black names...it's all just opinion anyway.....not to mention that your getting advice for your kids name on yahoo answers....how unoriginal and weak is that!!

Answer 8

Stop being so rude, everyone.

I am white, and I'll admit that sometimes I have trouble understanding african names, And i have heard people laugh at some of them. Also, When I was in highschool, some of my friends used to joke around and give eachother "ghetto" pet names trying to sounds black like "Lanaynay", "Yolanda","Laquana", "Moesha", etc.

I don't think that what you said about white people was an assumption, I believe it was entirely true. Also, People don't only laugh at african names. Ignorant people will laugh at any name that doesn't sound american. That's why i'm glad i'm not 5th or more generation american. I still have a european way of thinking in me and I don't laugh when I here a foreign name (Although I will admit some will make me laugh, like the names celebrities give their children. haha! But those aren't exactly foreign)

Anyway, there is nothing wrong with names that suggest certain ethnicities, but you must be careful and give them a name in consideration of what they might think when they are older. For example, I have a friend and she is one quarter arab, but looks 100% white and doesn't speak arabic. She has an arabic/muslim name, and everybody teases her, and she hates it. Her name is "Fatima", and that is a classic arabic/muslim name. There is nothing wrong with ethnic names but she is American, born and raised here, so to her, that name sounds weird.

Name your daughter anything you'd like but I suggest you take into consideration that there are chances that your daughter won't be happy, and even you might not be happy in the future.

In my opinion, I think you should name her something that could accommodate her lifestyle. If she will not be in touch with her African roots, and will be "All American", I suggest you should give her a name which will sound more "normal" to her as she is growing up. I don't mean "Sara", or "ashley", or "Christina". No, no more of those! I mean, give her a name which is more simple . If you truly want an african name, Try to choose one which she will like. Since she will be american, she will most likely want an "american" name. So, you should maybe choose a simple african name which is easy to pronounce, and easy to remember. Or you could choose a unique "american" name or another ethnic name which is commonly used in america.

It's your decision, but i hope this helped.

Good luck, and congratulations!

Answer 9

I'm not sure whether all the names you listed have a meaning. I guess Kaydence is an alternate spelling of "cadence". What does Jaydence mean?

I don't like some of the names, because I suspect that some of them are made up. However, maybe I'm just ignorant as to their meanings.

In any event, I love the name Ariel. It means "Lion of God" in Hebrew, and that's what we named our daughter.

Anyway, congrats on the impending birth!

Answer 10

Go with what you feel don't let ethnicity play apart in the naming of your child. Of course i understand that you want your child to have a respectable name, but don't let what other people think change your mind. I know plenty of white girls with names like A'Niah and La shay. A name is just a name and nothing else. Just raise your child to love herself that's all that matters.

Besides i like the name that you picked for your child it's different.