Is it true that in America, it is weird for a non-white person to have a biblical name (Paul, John, Adam etc.)?

27 comments

1. [deleted]

2. In high school about…15 years ago (._.) most of my Asian/Asian-American friends had biblical names.

3. No, not at all. If anything, most of the my asian friends who have given themselves english names have names like that.

4. No it is not at all. Your teacher is incorrectly gatekeeping.

5. I know a few Asian-Americans who have biblical names so it’s not unheard of. I think these days most people just see those as common names without too much religious connotation.

   Religious names are also very common in the Black community and among Hispanics (although they tend to use the Spanish variants).

6. Nope. My daughter’s last boyfriend for over 4 years was Paul(he is black), and the very first Asian American trial Judge to be elected in Indiana was an old boy scout friend named Michael(we are both retired now).

7. Your English teacher should learn about Filipinos. Asian nation, 86% Catholics. Most seem to have Spanish versions of biblical names.

   But outside of that, a lot Chinese Americans have biblical first names probably more than white people since white people like giving kids old European names (Aiden, Liam). Now Indian Americans [almost] always give their kids Indian names. I’ve never met a Michael Patel. There are some that take nick names like Piyush “Bobby” Jindal. Nimirata Nikki Hailey goes by her very western sounding middle name.

8. No.

9. > because they are related to religion

   Historically, yes. In day-to-day use, no. No one hears “John” and thinks “John The Baptist.”

10. That is not true.

11. Not at all.

    Latino people use a ton of biblical names (usually the Spanish versions), African Americans use a ton of biblical names, a lot of Asian Americans use biblical names and depending on which Asian Americans you meet a lot of them are Christian.

    Your teacher is being way too cautious.

    Some of our most popular names for all people have biblical roots. Andrew, James, John, Aaron, Sarah, Mary, etc., etc.

    If you eliminated all biblical or religious names you’d be eliminating like half of common names for no reason. People don’t usually think about religious origins of names and extremely religious people often don’t pick religious names.

12. Biblical names are extraordinarily popular in the US. I would not blink an eye at a nonwhite person with a common biblical name. And with very few exceptions, I wouldn’t even assume that the person possessing that name was necessarily someone who follows a bible based religion.

13. Your teacher is making shit up

14. It’s not uncommon at all.

15. Why would it be? Many people who are not white are Christian, it’s a religion from the Middle East.

16. Biblical names are likely to lead to greater acceptance because you won’t be perceived as foreign. It makes you more one of us, not less.

17. No. White people don’t have a monopoly on those names or Christianity.

18. No, they’re pretty common amongst everyone.

    Also your teacher doesn’t seem to know that both Korea and the Philippines are pretty christian populated countries.

19. There are plenty of Christian south Asians. Aside from that, I’m indo-Caribbean and a lot of people have a western name that they go by which sometimes is biblical bc they don’t care. Hindu vs Christian isn’t really a thing there.

20. Not at all.

    I actually work with an Korean guy named John-Paul.

21. Most Korean American people I know have a biblical name. John, Matthew, Peter, Grace, Hannah, Andrew, Philip, Elizabeth, etc.

22. You mean like the very common name Jesus? Among the Hispanic population?

23. Not at all. Biblical names are very common among white people. I’m white, grew up in an almost completely white church surrounded by men called John, Paul, Adam, Seth, Aaron, Noah, Daniel, David, Benjamin, Joseph, Ethan, and Samuel. All through school, these names were very common, as well.

24. Not at all. Your teacher is incorrect.

25. No. Moreover, I know some South Asian Americans whose *last* names are Paul and John.

26. Not true. It is pretty common for asain immigrants to pick English names here. Everyone knows this sometimes the names are picked without understanding the cultural significance like someone picking a really old name associated with older generations but even that is rare.

    I will say though as a country we seem to be moving away from those names a bit. I think because they are so common and people want unique names. Pick whatever name you want. Ignore your teacher. I myself have a name picked out in my second language because mine is hard to say in that language. The sounds don’t exist. I don’t speak it enough to use my picked out name but i always have it ready just in case.

27. Names like John, Paul, and Adam are extremely common and unremarkable. An East Asian immigrant with a name like that I would assume had adopted a “western name” and chosen something perfectly normal. The person in question might be Christian or might not be: the name wouldn’t give it away.

    A more obscure biblical name I might assume the parents were Christian to have been aware of such a name.

    It’s very common for people of any race to have names that are common. There are name trends common to certain racial and ethnic groups, but a common biblical name would be normal enough from most ethnic groups.