Do you think it would be appropriate for a white couple to give their child a name like Malik, Ahmir, Tariq, Jamal, etc.? My assumption is that it would not be appropriate and would be offensive to African Americans, but I would like to know how people of African-American background would feel if this actually happened.
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Name : Carl W., Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 22, City : Davis, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, I can't judge whether African Americans would be insulted, but it might help you to know that the names you've listed are actually all Arab names. 'Malik' is the word for 'king' and 'jamal' is the word for 'camel'. However, even though I had 2 years of Arabic at university, I've since forgotten what meaning Tariq and Ahmir have, if any. In fact, my own great-grandmother who was from a part of Syria, which later became Lebanon, was named 'Leila'. That means 'Night'.
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Name : Johnny29348, City : Silver Spring, State : MD Country : United States, It's funny that you should ask if African Americans mind if whites call their kids Malik etc because those are not even African names!!! You should be asking if MIDDLE EASTERN people mind African Americans naming their kids after THEM. Or, you could ask if the French mind African Americans calling their kids french names ie Monique, Antwon, La Tonya, Lateisha - but spelling them incorrectly!!!
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Name : Elaine25287, City : n/a, State : FL Country : United States, The names you listed are all of Arabic origin. If I met a white person with one of the names you mentioned, I would assume he either was from a Muslim family or at least partly Arab.
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Name : Matt, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 25, City : Oxford, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, If you look at it, Ahmir and Tariq aren't 'black' names. They look Arabic to me. No one should be allowed to claim names. Black people can name thier kids Emily and John and Molly if they want to.
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Name : Ivana21248, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, City : Lancaster, State : PA Country : United States, I can't speak for all African Americans. People usually name their children something that has meaning for them and their family (and they also might think of the child that will have to bear the name). If I came upon a white person with a name I normally associate with African Americans I might be curious. Whether a name is 'appropriate' depends on the situation. Did you know and respect someone named Malik and chose to honor that person by naming a son (or daughter?) after them? What's not appropriate about that? Do you just like the sound of a name? I think that's legitimate too? The child might just get some questions about the name. This could be a good or bad thing, again, depends on the circumstances. It could be embarassing or be a conversation starter, especially if there is a good story about the name.
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Name : Ramonna30224, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, City : Macon, State : DE Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Actually some of the names that you mentioned come from the Arabic language and are therefore used mostly by Arabs and Muslims. They are not just 'African American names.' If it is not innapropriate for Black Christians in the United States then I don't think it should be deemed inappropriate for Whites. It just might seem different that's all.
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Name : Victoria24559, Gender : F, Race : Spanish/Black, Age : 21, City : Wshington, State : DC Country : United States, Occupation : Student, I'd find it a bit peculiar if I met a Caucasian with a name like Tyrone, Melvin, Maulik, etc. Most peoples tend to name their children after someone from their own unique culture or a name that is common within their own unique culture U ask would it be appropriate? You'd have to ask the Caucasian community, honestly. It matters little what Blacks would think, but I can speak for myself that I'd only find it peculiar.
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Name : Kevin26324, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 36, City : Southfield, State : MI Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, You can name your offspring WHATEVER you wish and if anyone has a problem with that, then it is THEIR problem, not yours. Why is it not an issue when Black people give their offspring 'white' 'All-American' names???
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Name : Me21913, Disability : Clinical Depression, City : Anytown, State : NA Country : 8th Dimension, Education level : 2 Years of College, First, these names are Arabic/Muslim names and not only Black Americans use the name, those from Arabic countries use them also. The reason we as African Americans use these names are because of our heritage as Muslims some being from Arabic countries over east. . Would it be appropiate? It depends on how you see things, do you think an Arabic name will find the white child? I personally have never met a white person with any other name than a caucasian name.
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Name : Khalid, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Age : 24, City : Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Occupation : Business Owner, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, Those names are actually of Islamic origin, most likely coming from the Arabic language. There are Muslims of every color who speak many languages. While you may not be Muslim, neither are many blacks. They still choose Islamic names for their children. By the way, did you know that names like Malcom and Tyrone are actually of Celtic origin? After all, 'Malcom in the Middle' worked out well. I have a black friend name Yoko, but it doesn't make her a wannabe Japanese girl. My final word of advice is to choose a name based on its meaning.
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Name : Jahny, City : New York Metro Area, State : NY Country : United States, Why would African Americans be offended that whites give their kids Middle Eastern names? I don't even know why so my African Americans give their kids Middle Eastern names, being that they're neither from the Middle East nor of Middle Eastern descent.
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Name : Jay31089, City : New York, State : NY Country : United States, First, you have to realize that names such as Malik, Ahmir, Tariq and Jamal are Arabic, rooted in Islam, so there are already many people with these names who are not black. These names became popular in the black community when knowledge of Islam grew, particularly when the Nation of Islam became popular. Anyway, I would not be offended if I met a white couple with a child with one of these names, because no one would name their child out of hate. In fact, it would probably indicate that their parents were very open-minded.
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Name : Rashid, Gender : M, Race : mixed race, City : Washington, State : DC Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, Why wouldn't it be appropriate? The names you mentioned sound more Arabic than black. No black person I know would be offended. My guess is you'd probably get more negative reactions from your fellow whites.
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Name : ED25464, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 46, City : Kansas City, State : MO Country : United States, The names listed are Arabic/Islamic names first and foremost, not African-American names per se. I know that it offends some Muslims that some people in the West not only have those names but that they mangle the pronunciation. There are people named Tariq/Malik/etc running around who can't even say their own name correctly.
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Name : AbduSalaam, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : South Asian, Age : 22, City : New York, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : Teacher, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 
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