I am caucasian and when I have told some people that I would like to name my son Julius, they respond I can't because it is a name for African Americans. Is this true? Does society stereotype what name you can place based on race? Are there implications for doing so? I think this is ridicious, but I thought I better check before I send my son out into the world.
2006-12-05 12:11:34 · 16 answers · asked by Mommy of Two 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Other - Pregnancy & Parenting
I don't think that Julius is really a name that makes one automatically think it's African-American. You can name your kid whatever you want. If you are really worried just make sure you give him a "regular" middle name so when he is an adult he can use it if he wants to.
I read an article a couple of years ago where they did an experiment with people with really "black" names. Like Shaniqua, etc. They had a person fill out 2 applications for the same job and on one put their real name which was one that would be perceived as "black" and on another use a first name that would be "white". They did this for a few jobs and the person got interviews for the ones where she used white names even though she had everything else filled out exactly the same in terms of education, etc. Something to think about.
2006-12-05 12:25:56 · answer #1 · answered by KL 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We have the same problem! My daughter's name is Ariana...but we call her Ari for short. And apparently it's a jewish boys name and we get comments about it a lot. I think it's stupid. However my hubby is all about Finnish names....and we're not finnish...and I can't pronounce, spell, or understand finnish names. So I've put my foot down about using different languages names that I can't pronounce. Other than that I think you can use any name you want! And another thing...Julius isn't an african american name...only names derived from african languages can be considered african american names as far as I'm concerned...and they're still african first. Additionally Julius in my opinion is a roman name as the first big historical figure to use it was a Caesar.
2006-12-05 14:43:09 · answer #2 · answered by evilangelfaery919 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have worked job seminars in the past where we would take in a couple of hundred resumes' for maybe 20 jobs.
Trust me the name is incredibly important. When the written word is the main thing a prospective Boss sees, a neutral name is much more acceptable and likely to get an interview.
I actually had the job of trashing the unfit resumes'. The ones without qualifications or had a bad image from the beginning. The names were the key in many cases and they never made the first cut.
2006-12-05 12:30:59 · answer #3 · answered by ? 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You can name your baby whatever you want. When someone tells you they don't like it, just tell them you weren't asking for their permission or opinion. My husband and I got sick of people's rudeness over baby names so we wouldn't tell anyone. That drove them crazy and after you've already named the baby, what are they going to say? I am caucasian and we like the name Xavier for a boy, we ended up with a girl, named Lindsay. My brother just had a baby boy and they named it Rainen. My sister-in-law named her son Josiah. They are also both caucasian, but the names sound very different. Name him what you want, people get used to it, and there are many different names out there today. Personally, I think Julius is nicer than Rainen, but it wasn't my choice and I still love the little guy. Good Luck.
2006-12-05 12:23:44 · answer #4 · answered by KC 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think people do tend to place certain names with certain races.
If i said Kim Young, you think of an asian person.
If I said Deshawn you'd think of an african american.
Or Flying White Owl might bring up thoughts of Indians.
But I also think some names really arent as ethnicaly biased as people think they are.
Julius was originally the name of one of Romes great emperors. Names like that are up for grabs.
EIther way it doesnt make a difference. The name William makes you think of all kinds of people. All races have a Will, or Bill. :) So who cares.
2006-12-05 12:16:03 · answer #5 · answered by amosunknown 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Julius Ceasar was white. If you look at some of the movies in the late eighies a lot of the pompus rich college boys were names Julius
2006-12-05 12:22:03 · answer #6 · answered by Darby 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Name your son whatever you want and don't listen to what anyone says. Julius is a very nice name!
2006-12-05 12:15:31 · answer #7 · answered by One Race The Human Race 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, and that i have 2 daughters of courting age... ALL their BFs so a techniques were of "yet another ethnicity". My in elementary words difficulty is that the boy be well mannered, honest, troublesome-operating, and is established with that if he hurts or harms my toddlers he will discover himself dealing with my shotgun (or the Sheriff if he's fortunate).
2016-11-30 04:49:11 · answer #8 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You have the absolute right to name your child whatever you want, but sadly, people are prejudiced against names. Studies have shown that employers are more likely to turn down 'black' names on applications before they even meet the person.
2006-12-05 12:21:29 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
hun, name your child whatever you want, as a matter of fact if you feel like naming him Julius the day he's born or Josh the day after, hell you can!! it's YOUR child!!!!! lol
Julius is a very nice name!!! take care!
2006-12-06 03:57:58 · answer #10 · answered by ladivina 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋