Hell yes!

Of course that doesn’t mean one should automatically go for European-origin names instead, but it’s just a matter of being a responsible parent and remembering that some names which are appropriate for the subcontinent may not be the best choices for life out here in the West. You have to put the child’s wellbeing first.

My parents thought this out 20-odd years ago and gave me an anglo name they loved. I don’t know that’s it’s made me any better off: I will always be sepia, first and foremost, and that’s all ignorant idiots will see. They could care less about my name.

Interestingly, african americans are also considering the implications of the name game. Do you think employers go through resumes, and put anglo names in priority? Probably, but an anglo name won’t help you out any when you have to do the actual interview. Lesson: name your kids what you want… except for apple or some other egotistical crap (some actor named his kid Skypilot) – That’s just selfish!

No reason? I think there is a lot of thought that goes into Desi names, most of the time they mean something.

Navdeep is a simple enough name, but what about people who gives their US born kids names like Ariyapiratti Utaiyapperumal ?

• A little condescending dude. It sounds like your trying to take a stab at South Indian names.

I don’t feel, though, that Mandeep should have to call himself Michael or Venkat have to call himself Victor.

I agree, also most long Desi names (the South Indian ones anyway) have there own shorter versions too, which I don’t think are to hard to pronounce, like I’ve known Madhavans that go by Madhu.

I was born in the US and so was my brother. We’ve never had anglo names or anglo nicknames, as is the case with many Asians I’ve come across in my lifetime, East and South. Not saying it doesn’t happen, or that it’s a rarity, or even hating- I’m just saying “always” is a strong word.

Of course that doesn’t mean one should automatically go for European-origin names instead, but it’s just a matter of being a responsible parent and remembering that some names which are appropriate for the subcontinent may not be the best choices for life out here in the West. You have to put the child’s wellbeing first.

But why insist on keeping names which are harder to pronounce, harder to remember and cause grief to people for no reason ? The Asian community in the US understands this and they always keep an anglo first name for kids born in the US. I also dont believe Asian names are necessarily more difficult to pronounce than Desi names. Navdeep is a simple enough name, but what about people who gives their US born kids names like Ariyapiratti Utaiyapperumal ?

Kindly refer to the first sketch of the first episode of the first season with a man named Jonathan from the UK going to work at a Delhi company and the boss goes “Why make everyone’s life more difficult by giving yourself a silly hard to pronounce foreign name, huh?” I have it on my comp and I can send it to you if you’d like.

With “foreign sounding” names, it’s just laziness and this elitest mindset in which everyone else has to live according to their laziness. It’s not as if we made up any letters and are making you learn a new alphabet. My name’s Navdeep. I had a supervisor ask me if I went by anything shorter. Now, my nickname at home is Deepa, but is that shorter? No, and I also refuse to go by my nickname at work with people who are not my actual friends- I don’t find it professional. I look at the supervisor and go, “Two syllables getting a bit much for you, eh?” If I have to pronounce everyone else’s name correctly, they can take an f’ing second to figure out how to pronounce a two-syllabled name like Navdeep, instead of asking me if I have something shorter. No a-hole, I don’t. It’s my country, too, and I’m an American just like you. Learn my name.

Good one! I have heard a prominent Christian cricket player in Pakistan has converted to Islam ostensibly because he saw the ‘light’;)

I see nothing wrong in people changing their names when they have names which are ‘unpronouncable’ in societies where they live. There is some research which shows (I am too lazy to cite) that people with ‘ethnic’ names are less likely to get called back for interviews. Having names which are difficult to pronouce just makes it difficult on everybody. I can understand immigrants who have such names. Its almost rude to have such difficult names when the kid is US and which invariably leads to constant awkwardness whenever hes addressed for the rest of his life. I for one am going to keep this in consideration and not name give my kid a name like Muwafaq Muayid Baltiwala or Mehrunisa Mehbooba Mahjabeen.