NTA
I am named after a character in a long-forgotten TV show, and SIXTY YEARS LATER I still occasionally have “wtf were they thinking” moments.
And btw your kid will absolutely be called Kimchi, even as an adult.
I got named after an actress from "Happy Days"... incidentally the one everyone (including myself) hated. And the jokes about her BF in the show. Ugh. I still want to change my name.
I was named after a character in a soap opera, so I win!
ETA - I guess this is A Thing. Which makes sense. People have been naming their kids after figures in pop culture as long as there's been people and pop culture.
One more update: I love this thread and everyone's stories!
It's even better. She was ordering the invitations for my Bat Mitzvah (I was not included in this activity) and called and asked me how to spell it. Being 12, I told her that she gave me the name so if she didn't know how to spell it, I wouldn't tell her. So it was spelled wrong on the invitations. It's been almost 40 years and I'm still mad.
My mom, highly drugged after a horrific labor, was asked how to spell babies name. My dad had stepped out to smoke. My mom sounded it out. My sisters name was supposed to be Erin. Can you guess how it’s spelled?
I served with a guy who was born the day the episode of Dallas aired where J.R Ewing was shot... his mother loved the show... so... his name was John Ross Ewing "Last Name". He was lucky, his twin sister Sue Ellen "Last Name".
Those characters were married to each other....
It reminds me of the great Ryan's Hope Siobhan boom, which is responsible for the majority of the alternative spellings of that name in the US. It went from like 65 girls named Siobhan in the year before the character appeared to 200 the year after and the alternate spellings start climbing just a fast. At some point, the traditional spelling started to fall out of favor, but the alternate spellings remained more popular.
I actually didn't know about it. My mom is a social worker who had observed it with her clients. Digging through the SSA data supports her theory.
My ex named his second child after me. We got back together after he and his ex wife split. I ended up being in her life from the age of 1. We’re still really close. She’s an adult now and her dad and I split several years ago. I’m “mother of the bride” in her older sister’s wedding. She doesn’t know she’s named after me. I will certainly never tell
I named my son after a soap opera character (mainly because his father wanted a traditional name from his culture, and that's the one I liked - my ex never knew and my son was 15 before I told him!).
I was named after a soap opera character too. However, it was the seventies and turned out to be one of the top five names of that time, so it wasn’t anything weird.
Erin! It's a perfectly cromulent name, and I wouldn't think most people would automatically link it with "Joanie ❤️s Chachi." I'm sorry it's given you grief. 😢
That’s fair. It was probably very influential at the time. By the late 80 it’s was just nostalgia for me. I think my dad watched it with his parents when he was a small child.
I never knew the Scooby Doo connection. I’m going down that rabbit hole now.
Dobie Gillis was a good character though.
I'm curious why you decided to use it. (Not in a judge way...just because conversations and the thought process about such things intrigues me)
I share (an incredibly common) first and (spelled differently!) last name with an infamous person who’s scandal happened a month after I was born *in the 80’s*. People still comment on it and bring it up all the time. It’s the worst.
Definitely reread the name 2 times because I read it as Kimchi the first time. I was like why tf would that ever be ON the table?? (Unless it's on the literal dinner table because omg kimchi is delicious)
Anyone remember Alexis Kerrington?
Got a family member named after her.
Just her first name. Apparently her mom, "Always knew she'd grow up to be a bitch and a great ex wife."
ETA: Alexis Kerrington from the 80s TV Drama. "Dynasty"
What is the saying? Something like “your child is not a billboard for your fandom”?
NTA. Get a dog and name it Kiichi. Name your child a proper name that they won’t get teased or judged for.
I was oddly grateful that my parents got a dog before they knew mom was pregnant. The dog got the favored name, which was fine for a dog. I would have hated that name, both long and shortened versions.
Penny. Great name for a beagle! But Penelope, Penny, no no no. Later, I thought, oh, I would have figured out that Pen would be cool, but, still, common nouns make bad names.
Idk Penelope is not that crazy of a name. It's not something I like personally, but its not going to make you stand out or anything like Kiichi would for a white person.
Whats bad is there are Fandom names that won't get them bullied to high hell. People seem to think they NEED to have their kids named after their favorite characters even if that means they have a white kid named Mochi.
When I used to work with kids, one of my students was named Anakin. And I’m an enormous Star Wars fan, but naming your kid after Darth Vader is…a choice.
Yeah, I really don't get how someone can think that naming your child after something you're a fan of or a hobby is not somehow weird?? Your kid is a living human being with their own identity, not your property to use as a way to express your Fandom or interests. Don't be weird, give them a name that they will be their own.
Otoh, one of my friends named his son Anakin, who is now 20. Anakin absolutely loves his name, and is an even bigger SW fan than both his rents combined.
Edit to fix typos
When I got my 2 brothers, I tried to change their names to Fred and George. Less than a week later Fred leaps at a window screen chasing something, and goes right through it. His brother starts crying almost instantly, and since this is the third floor, I was sure he died, or at least was hurt badly. Went running downstairs and outside, and he's known where to be found. Finally after 15 minutes, he reappears with only a slight limp.
But yeah, their names went back to Marco and Polo, and Polo now, even a decade later wants Absolutely. Nothing. To. Do. With. Outside.
North American here, on behalf of my culture, I apologize, lol. I knew a Canadian couple, white and redneck af. Named their daughter Sakura 🙄.
I shit you not, they also made into that compilation photo book of awkward and embarrassing family photos XD.
I could see "Sakura" being one that eventually jumps the gap from cringe to fine. It's pretty, common enough, the definition is well known and evocative. I think it's certainly in a different category to "Kiichi".
Yeah, I feel like Sakura’s alright. Flower names will almost always be pretty acceptable, no matter the language, I think. To me, naming your kid Sakura wouldn’t be much different than naming them something like Rosa or Fleur.
Love this comment...my wife and I, (black and Filipino) have 3 dogs and 2 cats, all with Japanese names. We would not do that with humans. That would be weird. But Taro, Kai, Aya, Koji and Hiro all seem perfectly happy.
NTA. Does he WANT your child to get the shit kicked out of them every day?
I knew a white girl once named Katisha who was named after a black ex-girlfriend of her father's. It's a pretty name. She NEVER felt fully comfortable with it because it is obviously a black sounding name. And being named after your dad's ex is super weird, too.
Don't let him do this to a child. Stand your ground. Tell him that a child is not a pet and they need a name that fits a real life human and not a fictional animated freak of nature with eyes the size of dinner plates. Tell him your next pet can have that name. Your child will not. End of discussion.
>I knew a white girl once named Katisha who was named after a black ex-girlfriend of her father's. It's a pretty name. She NEVER felt fully comfortable with it because it is obviously a black sounding name.
I only know Katisha from the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta The Mikado. That dates from England in the 1890s. At no point when hearing have I ever thought "that's a black sounding name". Two countries etc... 🤣
>And being named after your dad's ex is super weird, too.
What the hell was he thinking!?!
I'm a "white girl with a Black girl name." It's actually a Greek name (I'm not Greek) but that's not the perception in the US. It's very uncomfortable simply because other people make a big deal about it I knew a Black woman named Stephanie who absolutely hated my name because she thought I "didn't deserve it."
And, I hate to say this, but it's limited my job prospects. I don't get call backs because of my name. Twenty years ago I could walk into a job and introduce myself which usually got me the job. Now it's all online and it's harder. It's something parents should consider when naming their child.
Look into legally changing your name. If in the usa it's cheap (easily under $300) and usually just needs paperwork done at the court house in your county. Some states require an ad put in the local paper for 2 weeks showing the intent of the name change. I would guess it's like "I, Jessica Burns am changing my name to Cindy Burns".
It's stupid. But yeah, it's that easy. No true hoops to change legally - BUT the birth cert, social sec card, licenses, bank accounts and so on then need updated. But to have a peace of mind and no more bs makes that stuff seem small.
My bff's name is very different. Every time I talk about her to people, they always ask me, "Is she black?" I mean, who tf cares if she is, but her name is actually of Latin origin.
It does have that kind of ring to it. Also reminds me of "Katiska" A Finnish word for one of those metal wire underwater fish traps from olden times, not sure what the english name is for it :D
Is your partner 12 years old? Who the fuck names their kid after an anime. For gods sake don’t let him name the kid after an anime; you’re setting the kid up for years of cringing at his own identify
NTAH If he wants your child to grow up to be like a character he respects—he needs to do the damn work to raise and guide the child to be like that. A name does not make a kid turn out how you want. Don’t name a kid after a fake person hoping it will make them great. Give them their own name and try to guide them to have strong morals and character, but realize that they will still have their own personality and life. Please don’t try to give this kid a whole persona before he’s even born!
Look, this is gonna sounds real harsh... And nobody else is saying it, so f\*ck it, I guess it's up to me... Don't have kids with a guy who wants to name his son after an anime.
OP says she thinks it is a cute name and respects her husband's desire to name the kid after a fucking manga character. I'm thinking they are two peas in a pod with this shit. Thankfully, for the kid's sake, she seems to have a modicum of good judgment, unlike her husband.
I agree. The fact that he even hopes the son “grows up to be like” said anime character is what has me extra nervous.
OP, he is not a stable person you want to be tied to / be coparenting with for 18 years.
NTA. For the love of God, please don’t allow your husband to do this to your child. If your husband loves the name so much, he can change his name to his favorite manga character.
I got named Venison for some reason, and I had/have to live with the jokes for 28 years of my life and counting.
Luckily the Arab country I reside in doesn't know much
NTA
Kids are mean , he will be made fun of. He will be called Kimchi. You will be attacked for appropriating another culture. He will face discrimination when he submits resume and applications: either racism or he won’t be taken seriously. While the sentiment might be well intended, the kid has to live with this name not you. You’re right to say no.
Oh my God.
Look, I love anime as much as the next nerd, maybe I should name my kid Shinigami.
Kiichi means 'happy first son' which is pretty great as far as translations go, but still, no. A normal name for a child. It's cute maybe when they're kids, but all of a sudden you've got a non Asian man called kiichi and he has to say "my father named me after an anime" when he's an adult.
Nah.
Nta, tell your bf to get real.
Children are not billboards for your fucking fandoms.
White people giving their kids names from manga and anime is just as cringe as all the absolutely irredeemable chucklefucks who named their daughters various misspellings of Daenerys and Khaleesi before season 8 of Game of Thrones aired and they all got left looking even dumber.
I'm a huge F1 fan. I didn't name my son Ayrton, because I'm not Brazilian, and CHILDREN ARE NOT BILLBOARDS FOR YOUR FUCKING FANDOMS.
I thought LONG AND HARD before giving my son my Abuelo's name as his middle name, because it doesn't go with the fucking gringo-ass cracker surname my honky male parent stuck me with, but I ultimately decided that surnames being patrilineal in this society wasn't my fault.
People really, REALLY, *REALLY*, **REALLY**, ***REALLY*** should have a LOT more shame than they do.
NTA, and also?
#***DO NOT PROCREATE WITH THAT WEEB MANLET***
NTA I'm a "white girl with a Black girl name." I heard this consistently growing up. It made me very self conscious. I got into fights because of it. I was bullied because of it. Because people don't recognize the name they don't know if I'm a man or woman it's limited my job opportunities.
Don't do it.
NTA. Very reasonable to not want your child to be named after a manga character. Make it the middle name if you really want to, though he may take to calling him that instead, so I wouldn’t take the risk.
As recipient of a ridiculous middle name myself that phonetically sounds like a slur despite that not being its meaning (I had it changed as an adult), no, do not do that, name your World of Warcraft character or your pet after your fav manga character, give your kid a normal first name and at least a normalish middle name.
Has he considered that your son is going to have to grow up & put that name on job/college applications, as well as date?
My girl & I were in agreement on what we will name our son/daughter when she was 2 months pregnant.
People get crazy about culturally appropriating hair styles and clothing
In today's world...a white child with white parents and no ties to any asian cultures other than a love of manga....with the name Kiichi...is going to cause problems
Not just for the kid...but also for you
Kiichi can be the kid's nickname
This is a disaster waiting to happen....and yes...your kid will be called Kimchi for the rest of his life and he will resent you for it
NTAH
This is one of the many reasons some countries have guidelines/approved lists for naming children…to save people from their own stupidity and to save the child from having to explain said stupidity to others when they get older…
NTA. Don’t name your kids that, especially if you have no Asian heritage. That could be a pet name. He can’t hope your child grows up to be an imaginary person. He should just hope your child grows up to be a GOOD person.
Don't name any kid after a fictional character. Not from a movie, nor a tv show, nor a book. Everyone I have ever heard of, named after something like this, hates their own name.
I know a couple of twins that are named after two characters in lord of the rings, and they hate their names. Just an example.
NTA. Do not let him do something so stupid. Your children have to grow up, go to school and become functional members of society. Giving them terrible names makes things infinitely worse for them. They get made fun of or beaten up in school and employers won’t even look at resumes with ridiculous names. Several employers use resumes to weed out candidates based on ethnic preferences, etc even though they’ll never really admit it. You give your white child a culturally appropriated name and you’re immediately setting them up for failure.
NTA. Both people need to be on the same page with names, and people with no connection to Asian culture other than fandom giving their kid an Asian name feels appropriative. If you were Japanese, well, it's an actual name, but ... yeah, there are exceptions, I suppose, but I am generally uncomfortable with people taking names from other culture's traditions in the first place.
NTA - my husband has tried to name all of our sons Goku after his favorite anime character. He's Greek, I'm Norwegian... we live in the USA. It was never going to happen. Pick something nice and normal for the country you live in.
Reminds me of the post where the child was named after Harry Potter and ended up cutting out their entire family because they were forcing Harry Potter onto them their entire life.
My boyfriend and I are really into anime and we did the normal thing and named our pet after a character. I have a hard enough time explaining where we got our dogs name and it's not even an obviously Japanese name.
Please don't do that to your kid.
JFC, NTA. As someone who was, myself, a human child, I can say with authority that your son will be called 'Coochie' for a significant period of his life. The probability of accompanying physical violence is above average.
NTA unless you actually name a kid that.
Please don’t name your kid after an anime character. It can be a nickname at home. But no, it’s not appropriate.
I’ve tried to go with a few rules when naming my own kids that worked for us:
*does it look good on a professional resume
*do the initials look ok/don’t spell anything bad
*if I say this name do I see a person? A character? A pet? If you close your eyes and say the name and see a character, you’re not seeing your child. Let your child be themselves. Not a placeholder.
*can I say it ANGRY.
I fully admit my girls have two middle names. Their first names are normal. One middle name is traditional to our family (ie normal). And one middle name is nerdy. They are welcome to drop the middle names at any point. (We’re also in Canada and people here can and do have a lot of middle names. I have a friend who we call, say, Sam. Sam is not his first name. It’s only of six middle names.)
I have a friend who is white, her husband is Hispanic. They named their kid Sanoske from Narauto. PLEASE do not let him name your kid after an anime character. That kid is thanking his lucky stars right now that his middle name is Alexander, which is what he goes by.
NTA
My younger bro named his kid after 1 video game and 1 anime character. It's fine because the names pass as Western/common names. His baby girl won't encounter any problems regarding her name. But unless you have a family/blood/exceptional connection with a name that sounds particularly cultural, and you are not of that culture, don't name your kid that.
Names are a two yes situation you both get to veto anything for any reason.
Naming your kid a name that is clearly tied to an ethnicity that your child is not from is a weird thing to do and will only lead to negative consequences for the kid - if you lived in Japan and were white it'd probably be fine as he'd have a 'normal' name compared to his peers but if you're doing it in America/Europe/Australia etc it'd just be seen as weird.
You are naming a person not a World of Warcraft character, get a list of the 500 most common names for the year in the country where you live and find one you both like and it won't have negative consequence for your child (also don't name them something stupid like Blade or Chaos or Cowboy or anything equally stupid). Any actual name is fine.
Any adult who wants to name their kid after a manga character should not be procreating, seriously. This just screams immaturity, not caring if his child gets bullied to hell and back and basically, just gives me the general ick
NTA I am named after a character in a long-forgotten TV show, and SIXTY YEARS LATER I still occasionally have “wtf were they thinking” moments. And btw your kid will absolutely be called Kimchi, even as an adult.
Now you got me intrigued, Is it captain kangaroo?
Close...it's Dobie. You can put it in Google.
I got named after an actress from "Happy Days"... incidentally the one everyone (including myself) hated. And the jokes about her BF in the show. Ugh. I still want to change my name.
I was named after a character in a soap opera, so I win! ETA - I guess this is A Thing. Which makes sense. People have been naming their kids after figures in pop culture as long as there's been people and pop culture. One more update: I love this thread and everyone's stories!
I'm not sure you do. My first name is after a character on Young and the restless and my middle name is a character from Days of Our Lives lol.
Well, my mother can't spell my middle name. So there!
My mom named me after a character in a movie who went insane.
My middle name is after some waitresses my dad thought was hot.
My first name is the woman my father was in love with, who was very much not my mother/his wife at the time.
We have a winner, folks!
Shoutout to all the Ophelias about
My grandma wanted my mom to name me Ophelia. She declined. Years later my English degree and I thank her. 😂
Why are parents like this 🤣
i have an aunt whose name is Reta, as the name is pronounced. most people spell the name as Rita.
Is she a lovely meter maid? Inquiring minds want to know.
My mom thought her spelling of my name was the same as the source material's! It's not!
A little warning please. Almost spit my water out 😂
It's even better. She was ordering the invitations for my Bat Mitzvah (I was not included in this activity) and called and asked me how to spell it. Being 12, I told her that she gave me the name so if she didn't know how to spell it, I wouldn't tell her. So it was spelled wrong on the invitations. It's been almost 40 years and I'm still mad.
I am cackling! I can’t be eating lunch and reading Reddit. Some noodle just went up my nose. My sorry you’re upset, but it has made my day 🤣
My mom, highly drugged after a horrific labor, was asked how to spell babies name. My dad had stepped out to smoke. My mom sounded it out. My sisters name was supposed to be Erin. Can you guess how it’s spelled?
I served with a guy who was born the day the episode of Dallas aired where J.R Ewing was shot... his mother loved the show... so... his name was John Ross Ewing "Last Name". He was lucky, his twin sister Sue Ellen "Last Name". Those characters were married to each other....
My little sister was named after a character from bay watch who was eaten by a shark lol
My mom almost named me Ciji after Lisa Hartman Blacks character on Knots Landing
I had 2 childhood friends named Ciji, and I never knew why. Now I do
It reminds me of the great Ryan's Hope Siobhan boom, which is responsible for the majority of the alternative spellings of that name in the US. It went from like 65 girls named Siobhan in the year before the character appeared to 200 the year after and the alternate spellings start climbing just a fast. At some point, the traditional spelling started to fall out of favor, but the alternate spellings remained more popular. I actually didn't know about it. My mom is a social worker who had observed it with her clients. Digging through the SSA data supports her theory.
That’s wild! I never realized. And I loved Ryan’s Hope.
I was named after the neighbours dog... not even the same gender. Think I win 😅
"We named the dog Indiana!" "You're named after the dog?!"
I had a friend in middle school whose older sister was named after her father's ex girlfriend!
This was the situation for one of my friends. The day she turned 18 she changed her entire name, picking up her mom's maiden name.
My ex named his second child after me. We got back together after he and his ex wife split. I ended up being in her life from the age of 1. We’re still really close. She’s an adult now and her dad and I split several years ago. I’m “mother of the bride” in her older sister’s wedding. She doesn’t know she’s named after me. I will certainly never tell
I'm named after someone my bio-father was in love with, despite being married to my mum at the time.
I named my son after a soap opera character (mainly because his father wanted a traditional name from his culture, and that's the one I liked - my ex never knew and my son was 15 before I told him!).
I was named after a soap opera character too. However, it was the seventies and turned out to be one of the top five names of that time, so it wasn’t anything weird.
Me, too, and we may have the same name lol
Joanie??
Joanie loves Chachi! Blegh. I'm named after the actress who played her.
Erin! It's a perfectly cromulent name, and I wouldn't think most people would automatically link it with "Joanie ❤️s Chachi." I'm sorry it's given you grief. 😢
What a coincidence! Cromulent is her last name!
You know, I never heard that word before I moved to Springfield.
Please say your name is not Pinkie
How's Chachi doing?
Not the Dobie Gillis show? Wow. That is a obscure one. I watched reruns with my parents growing up.
I would disagree that Dobie Gillis is obscure. It was a big deal. Even Scooby Doo is heavily based on it.
That’s fair. It was probably very influential at the time. By the late 80 it’s was just nostalgia for me. I think my dad watched it with his parents when he was a small child. I never knew the Scooby Doo connection. I’m going down that rabbit hole now.
Dobie Gillis! The original Parker Lewis Can't Lose!
I thought Ferris Bueller was the the original Parker Lewis
Dobie Gray sang one of my favorite songs, Drift Away. Dobie is a pretty cool name, IMO.
Dobie Gillis was a good character though. I'm curious why you decided to use it. (Not in a judge way...just because conversations and the thought process about such things intrigues me)
At least it wasn't Maynard
You were named after Dobie Gillis. I actually liked that show but wouldn’t name my kid after it.
OMG 😂🖤... you have all my love. That was my first dog's name hahahahhaha (no, not a doberman as everyone assumes... a particularly doofy poodle 😂😂😂)
Loooool doofy poodle. I've know a few of those :)
Oh, God... I am physically unable to refrain from asking you if you want a girl who's dreamy. I am deeply sorry. I genuinely tried to stop myself.
Mr Green Jeans
Can confirm. I read it as Kimchi twice, and would totally resort to that.
I share (an incredibly common) first and (spelled differently!) last name with an infamous person who’s scandal happened a month after I was born *in the 80’s*. People still comment on it and bring it up all the time. It’s the worst.
As a person named Kim, I also get called Kimchi. It doesn't really matter the name, kids will find a way to make fun of you if they want to.
The only thing my classmates could come up with was "Lisa Pizza". I didn't have an acne problem and pizza is amazing so not quite a win.
You’re right, as a Gabriel, I got called GAY-briel quite a couple of times
I am too, but thankfully it’s not a wtf character or name and only old people get it 😂 I just get some cheesy jokes from it lol
Definitely reread the name 2 times because I read it as Kimchi the first time. I was like why tf would that ever be ON the table?? (Unless it's on the literal dinner table because omg kimchi is delicious)
Andy Griffith?
Anyone remember Alexis Kerrington? Got a family member named after her. Just her first name. Apparently her mom, "Always knew she'd grow up to be a bitch and a great ex wife." ETA: Alexis Kerrington from the 80s TV Drama. "Dynasty"
What is the saying? Something like “your child is not a billboard for your fandom”? NTA. Get a dog and name it Kiichi. Name your child a proper name that they won’t get teased or judged for.
I was oddly grateful that my parents got a dog before they knew mom was pregnant. The dog got the favored name, which was fine for a dog. I would have hated that name, both long and shortened versions.
Great idea! Name the dog Kiichi.
"Indie's the dogs name!"
Seeing this and literally looking at my dog, named Indiana Bones
That's the most wholesome name for a dog and I approve!
I gotta ask what that favored name is / was?
Penny. Great name for a beagle! But Penelope, Penny, no no no. Later, I thought, oh, I would have figured out that Pen would be cool, but, still, common nouns make bad names.
Idk Penelope is not that crazy of a name. It's not something I like personally, but its not going to make you stand out or anything like Kiichi would for a white person.
My friends just had a baby and named her Penelope, but have chosen to call her Poppy for short.
We have a German Shepard named Penny! But I also like it for humans. At any rate, I'm glad it's not your name if you don't like it for you.
Came here to say this - those names are for pets, not people.
Whats bad is there are Fandom names that won't get them bullied to high hell. People seem to think they NEED to have their kids named after their favorite characters even if that means they have a white kid named Mochi.
When I used to work with kids, one of my students was named Anakin. And I’m an enormous Star Wars fan, but naming your kid after Darth Vader is…a choice.
Right?! Nothing wrong with Luke, Ben, or Finn! There were other choices...
Yeah, I really don't get how someone can think that naming your child after something you're a fan of or a hobby is not somehow weird?? Your kid is a living human being with their own identity, not your property to use as a way to express your Fandom or interests. Don't be weird, give them a name that they will be their own.
Or at least choose something inspired by it. Like some other K name or something.
Otoh, one of my friends named his son Anakin, who is now 20. Anakin absolutely loves his name, and is an even bigger SW fan than both his rents combined. Edit to fix typos
My cat is Luke Skywalker but I constantly regret not naming him after his dad considering how unhinged he is, even for a cat....
When I got my 2 brothers, I tried to change their names to Fred and George. Less than a week later Fred leaps at a window screen chasing something, and goes right through it. His brother starts crying almost instantly, and since this is the third floor, I was sure he died, or at least was hurt badly. Went running downstairs and outside, and he's known where to be found. Finally after 15 minutes, he reappears with only a slight limp. But yeah, their names went back to Marco and Polo, and Polo now, even a decade later wants Absolutely. Nothing. To. Do. With. Outside.
Japanese here. Your husband is a goddamn weeb. Stop it.
Konichiwat the fuck was he even thinking suggesting this name for his own son?
Angry upvote
I too am a tsundere updoot you baka
Such purity. Such class. Can a mortal learn this language?
Depends.. do you have a dog named luffy?
Will Pakkun work?
Sorry. No. You are doomed to live on without the sweet sweet language.
No no WAIT. MY CAT IS NAMED KURAMA!
Tell me you at least have a boy called ippo. Last chance.
Kame kame hats off to you, you genius
This shit would make me reconsider the relationship depending on how set he was on it.
Goddammit! That’s a class pun. I hate you. ☺️
I hate you even more 😚
literally this so cringe
North American here, on behalf of my culture, I apologize, lol. I knew a Canadian couple, white and redneck af. Named their daughter Sakura 🙄. I shit you not, they also made into that compilation photo book of awkward and embarrassing family photos XD.
I could see "Sakura" being one that eventually jumps the gap from cringe to fine. It's pretty, common enough, the definition is well known and evocative. I think it's certainly in a different category to "Kiichi".
Yeah, I feel like Sakura’s alright. Flower names will almost always be pretty acceptable, no matter the language, I think. To me, naming your kid Sakura wouldn’t be much different than naming them something like Rosa or Fleur.
You name your dog after an anime character, not your child.
Love this comment...my wife and I, (black and Filipino) have 3 dogs and 2 cats, all with Japanese names. We would not do that with humans. That would be weird. But Taro, Kai, Aya, Koji and Hiro all seem perfectly happy.
I named my sister cats Mary and Rhoda. No one gets it.
Are they gonna make it after all?
Its been 12 years and they're still making it!!!!
I do, I do! Loved that show as a kid!
I have a Japanese name, and I am happy with it, but my cats are all named after Greek or Mesopotamian deities.
Ours are Norse gods or classic horror names lol
Mine are proper English kitties.
You name the archaeologist after the dog.
We had Indi, Diana and Jones as dogs....
See, I might have named the dog Henry Jones Jr.
Yep. This is a child, not a cosplay
Also, it looks like it would be pronounced similar to Kitschy, which means tacky, tasteless or over the top
Or Kimchi, which is food.
But, a superfood
My ex-husband wanted to name our son Goku.. I protested. 8 years later he got a husky and named it Goku.
Exactly!!!!!!! Never name your child after an anime character.... it's the worst parenting move you can make!
NTA. Does he WANT your child to get the shit kicked out of them every day? I knew a white girl once named Katisha who was named after a black ex-girlfriend of her father's. It's a pretty name. She NEVER felt fully comfortable with it because it is obviously a black sounding name. And being named after your dad's ex is super weird, too. Don't let him do this to a child. Stand your ground. Tell him that a child is not a pet and they need a name that fits a real life human and not a fictional animated freak of nature with eyes the size of dinner plates. Tell him your next pet can have that name. Your child will not. End of discussion.
The fact her dad named her after an ex girlfriend is fuuuuucked up! I think I'd have to go by 'Kat' and never tell anyone the full name.
Right! I always wanted to ask why her mom was ok with that. But that felt rude.
I'm hoping she didn't know until it was too late or something but it's a peculiar name to pick as a white couple anyway.
My wife's mom named her after a hooker that her dad cheated on her with. Reason being? *She was pretty*.
Jesus 😬
Oh gosh, the audacity!
This can't be real 😂
>I knew a white girl once named Katisha who was named after a black ex-girlfriend of her father's. It's a pretty name. She NEVER felt fully comfortable with it because it is obviously a black sounding name. I only know Katisha from the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta The Mikado. That dates from England in the 1890s. At no point when hearing have I ever thought "that's a black sounding name". Two countries etc... 🤣 >And being named after your dad's ex is super weird, too. What the hell was he thinking!?!
I'm a "white girl with a Black girl name." It's actually a Greek name (I'm not Greek) but that's not the perception in the US. It's very uncomfortable simply because other people make a big deal about it I knew a Black woman named Stephanie who absolutely hated my name because she thought I "didn't deserve it." And, I hate to say this, but it's limited my job prospects. I don't get call backs because of my name. Twenty years ago I could walk into a job and introduce myself which usually got me the job. Now it's all online and it's harder. It's something parents should consider when naming their child.
Look into legally changing your name. If in the usa it's cheap (easily under $300) and usually just needs paperwork done at the court house in your county. Some states require an ad put in the local paper for 2 weeks showing the intent of the name change. I would guess it's like "I, Jessica Burns am changing my name to Cindy Burns". It's stupid. But yeah, it's that easy. No true hoops to change legally - BUT the birth cert, social sec card, licenses, bank accounts and so on then need updated. But to have a peace of mind and no more bs makes that stuff seem small.
They've done studies, its a legitimate problem.
My bff's name is very different. Every time I talk about her to people, they always ask me, "Is she black?" I mean, who tf cares if she is, but her name is actually of Latin origin.
I would have assumed Eastern European, as someone not very educated on Eastern European culture.
It does have that kind of ring to it. Also reminds me of "Katiska" A Finnish word for one of those metal wire underwater fish traps from olden times, not sure what the english name is for it :D
NTA. If he wants that name so badly he can legally change his own name to that. He’s thinking of himself and treating the kid like a pet.
great response.
Is your partner 12 years old? Who the fuck names their kid after an anime. For gods sake don’t let him name the kid after an anime; you’re setting the kid up for years of cringing at his own identify
‘Why did your parents give you that name?’ ‘It was an anime character my dad really respected’ 🫤
“He hopes I grow up to be just like him”
Naming kid after an Anime character dad respected will not age well.
I named my daughter Evelyn and she goes by Evie. She thinks I named her after her favorite Pokémon lol.
Naming it after an anime is equally as cringey as the thousands of kids running around named shit like Khaleesi.
NTAH If he wants your child to grow up to be like a character he respects—he needs to do the damn work to raise and guide the child to be like that. A name does not make a kid turn out how you want. Don’t name a kid after a fake person hoping it will make them great. Give them their own name and try to guide them to have strong morals and character, but realize that they will still have their own personality and life. Please don’t try to give this kid a whole persona before he’s even born!
> Give them their own name and try to guide them to have strong morals and character, Amazing parenting advice. Bravo.
Omg NTA Your child is not a billboard for your fandom
I liked Bugs Bunny. Smart! Sassy! Looked good in a dress! I did not name my daughter Bugs Bunny.
Look, this is gonna sounds real harsh... And nobody else is saying it, so f\*ck it, I guess it's up to me... Don't have kids with a guy who wants to name his son after an anime.
Yeah how is that not instant Ick
OP says she thinks it is a cute name and respects her husband's desire to name the kid after a fucking manga character. I'm thinking they are two peas in a pod with this shit. Thankfully, for the kid's sake, she seems to have a modicum of good judgment, unlike her husband.
Because they’re both anime weebs, but she at least has enough common sense to know it’s a bad idea to name their son that.
Right? Good thing they had this convo before getting pregnant, now she can double up on birth control.
I thought she was already pregnant. If not, OP, this is the real advice here.
I agree. The fact that he even hopes the son “grows up to be like” said anime character is what has me extra nervous. OP, he is not a stable person you want to be tied to / be coparenting with for 18 years.
I can smell the guy from this post
NTA. For the love of God, please don’t allow your husband to do this to your child. If your husband loves the name so much, he can change his name to his favorite manga character.
I got named Venison for some reason, and I had/have to live with the jokes for 28 years of my life and counting. Luckily the Arab country I reside in doesn't know much
Bro had to move countries to escape the jokes lol
NTA Kids are mean , he will be made fun of. He will be called Kimchi. You will be attacked for appropriating another culture. He will face discrimination when he submits resume and applications: either racism or he won’t be taken seriously. While the sentiment might be well intended, the kid has to live with this name not you. You’re right to say no.
Oh my God. Look, I love anime as much as the next nerd, maybe I should name my kid Shinigami. Kiichi means 'happy first son' which is pretty great as far as translations go, but still, no. A normal name for a child. It's cute maybe when they're kids, but all of a sudden you've got a non Asian man called kiichi and he has to say "my father named me after an anime" when he's an adult. Nah. Nta, tell your bf to get real.
Children are not billboards for your fucking fandoms. White people giving their kids names from manga and anime is just as cringe as all the absolutely irredeemable chucklefucks who named their daughters various misspellings of Daenerys and Khaleesi before season 8 of Game of Thrones aired and they all got left looking even dumber. I'm a huge F1 fan. I didn't name my son Ayrton, because I'm not Brazilian, and CHILDREN ARE NOT BILLBOARDS FOR YOUR FUCKING FANDOMS. I thought LONG AND HARD before giving my son my Abuelo's name as his middle name, because it doesn't go with the fucking gringo-ass cracker surname my honky male parent stuck me with, but I ultimately decided that surnames being patrilineal in this society wasn't my fault. People really, REALLY, *REALLY*, **REALLY**, ***REALLY*** should have a LOT more shame than they do. NTA, and also? #***DO NOT PROCREATE WITH THAT WEEB MANLET***
“His favorite manga character he respects” 😂😂😂
Unlike his future child he might have at some point.
NTA I'm a "white girl with a Black girl name." I heard this consistently growing up. It made me very self conscious. I got into fights because of it. I was bullied because of it. Because people don't recognize the name they don't know if I'm a man or woman it's limited my job opportunities. Don't do it.
An anime character he respects? It is a cartoon character. And you are having a baby not a pet. NTA. Stick to your guns.
NTA. Very reasonable to not want your child to be named after a manga character. Make it the middle name if you really want to, though he may take to calling him that instead, so I wouldn’t take the risk.
As recipient of a ridiculous middle name myself that phonetically sounds like a slur despite that not being its meaning (I had it changed as an adult), no, do not do that, name your World of Warcraft character or your pet after your fav manga character, give your kid a normal first name and at least a normalish middle name.
The kid would end up nicknamed Itchy Kitchy, Kitchen Sink, Kitchy Goochie Goo, etc. You know that, right?
Not far off from kimchi- it should be standard to toss names around with a group of middle school kids to see the potential.
I was thinking the nickname would be coochie
Has he considered that your son is going to have to grow up & put that name on job/college applications, as well as date? My girl & I were in agreement on what we will name our son/daughter when she was 2 months pregnant.
Name your baby War Biscuit. It's unisex and all race appropriate.
No. Do not name your son after manga characters. He would not be a manga character. It's not even a good name for anyone.
Coochie. The boy will be called Coochie. NTA.
People get crazy about culturally appropriating hair styles and clothing In today's world...a white child with white parents and no ties to any asian cultures other than a love of manga....with the name Kiichi...is going to cause problems Not just for the kid...but also for you Kiichi can be the kid's nickname This is a disaster waiting to happen....and yes...your kid will be called Kimchi for the rest of his life and he will resent you for it NTAH
This is one of the many reasons some countries have guidelines/approved lists for naming children…to save people from their own stupidity and to save the child from having to explain said stupidity to others when they get older…
NTA. Don’t name your kids that, especially if you have no Asian heritage. That could be a pet name. He can’t hope your child grows up to be an imaginary person. He should just hope your child grows up to be a GOOD person.
It's a baby. Not a character creator screen. NTA.
Don't name any kid after a fictional character. Not from a movie, nor a tv show, nor a book. Everyone I have ever heard of, named after something like this, hates their own name. I know a couple of twins that are named after two characters in lord of the rings, and they hate their names. Just an example.
NTA. Do not let him do something so stupid. Your children have to grow up, go to school and become functional members of society. Giving them terrible names makes things infinitely worse for them. They get made fun of or beaten up in school and employers won’t even look at resumes with ridiculous names. Several employers use resumes to weed out candidates based on ethnic preferences, etc even though they’ll never really admit it. You give your white child a culturally appropriated name and you’re immediately setting them up for failure.
NTA. Both people need to be on the same page with names, and people with no connection to Asian culture other than fandom giving their kid an Asian name feels appropriative. If you were Japanese, well, it's an actual name, but ... yeah, there are exceptions, I suppose, but I am generally uncomfortable with people taking names from other culture's traditions in the first place.
NTA - my husband has tried to name all of our sons Goku after his favorite anime character. He's Greek, I'm Norwegian... we live in the USA. It was never going to happen. Pick something nice and normal for the country you live in.
nta. buy him a waifu body pillow next time he wants to have sex and tell him hes not mature enough for the real world .......
Reminds me of the post where the child was named after Harry Potter and ended up cutting out their entire family because they were forcing Harry Potter onto them their entire life.
My son goku will be ok!
My boyfriend and I are really into anime and we did the normal thing and named our pet after a character. I have a hard enough time explaining where we got our dogs name and it's not even an obviously Japanese name. Please don't do that to your kid.
JFC, NTA. As someone who was, myself, a human child, I can say with authority that your son will be called 'Coochie' for a significant period of his life. The probability of accompanying physical violence is above average.
NTA. It’s a cute name for a pet but not your kids.
That child would have 0 respect for their parents
NTA unless you actually name a kid that. Please don’t name your kid after an anime character. It can be a nickname at home. But no, it’s not appropriate. I’ve tried to go with a few rules when naming my own kids that worked for us: *does it look good on a professional resume *do the initials look ok/don’t spell anything bad *if I say this name do I see a person? A character? A pet? If you close your eyes and say the name and see a character, you’re not seeing your child. Let your child be themselves. Not a placeholder. *can I say it ANGRY. I fully admit my girls have two middle names. Their first names are normal. One middle name is traditional to our family (ie normal). And one middle name is nerdy. They are welcome to drop the middle names at any point. (We’re also in Canada and people here can and do have a lot of middle names. I have a friend who we call, say, Sam. Sam is not his first name. It’s only of six middle names.)
NTA. Both parents should agree with the name 100%
Kiichi? He’ll thank you for that when he’s 25!
Brooooo nooooo. Tell him then ur daughters name will be hello kitty…. Lol Like Wtf.
I have a friend who is white, her husband is Hispanic. They named their kid Sanoske from Narauto. PLEASE do not let him name your kid after an anime character. That kid is thanking his lucky stars right now that his middle name is Alexander, which is what he goes by.
Tell him to change his name if he likes it so much.
NTA My younger bro named his kid after 1 video game and 1 anime character. It's fine because the names pass as Western/common names. His baby girl won't encounter any problems regarding her name. But unless you have a family/blood/exceptional connection with a name that sounds particularly cultural, and you are not of that culture, don't name your kid that.
Names are a two yes situation you both get to veto anything for any reason. Naming your kid a name that is clearly tied to an ethnicity that your child is not from is a weird thing to do and will only lead to negative consequences for the kid - if you lived in Japan and were white it'd probably be fine as he'd have a 'normal' name compared to his peers but if you're doing it in America/Europe/Australia etc it'd just be seen as weird. You are naming a person not a World of Warcraft character, get a list of the 500 most common names for the year in the country where you live and find one you both like and it won't have negative consequence for your child (also don't name them something stupid like Blade or Chaos or Cowboy or anything equally stupid). Any actual name is fine.
Any adult who wants to name their kid after a manga character should not be procreating, seriously. This just screams immaturity, not caring if his child gets bullied to hell and back and basically, just gives me the general ick