Heritage Names--what is an American name?

How important is/was your heritage to you when you're thinking of names for your children?  Are you Greek but have a huge crush on a dozen Irish names?  Are you Irish, but want something with a Gallic flavor?  Maybe you're African American and adore the soft sounds of Arabic names?

I think a lot of us in the United States have a mixed heritage, so we can pick and choose which culture we want to emphasize with what we name our children.  This can be great, it can ground us in our families' deep pasts, and reflect what aspect of our heritage we most identify with.  But it also means that unlike more culturally and ethnically homogenous societies (like Finland, for example), there aren't very many names we can call "American".  Not very many people set out to give their baby an American name, at least not in the same way they do with French names or Italian names.

What is an American name?  Obvious choices would be names closely identified with American places (Montana, Dixie, Indiana, Savannah, Dakota), American presidents (Adams, Jackson, Cal, Barack), Cowboy names (Rusty, Tex, Autry), "down home" names (Clyde, Jolene, Earl, Bobbi Jo, Billie Sue, Jim Bob) and invented names (Darvel, Shaylee, Kerzeeah, Dequarious) that sort of thing.

I wonder how many names that are used in the U.S. could actually be considered American?

My husband and I are considering our heritage in naming our baby.  He and I both have French heritage.  I'm Polish and French, and he's Russian, Belgian, French and Polish.  I feel almost obligated to opt for something French.  I'm not sure why this is.  I don't have any affinity for French in particular, in fact I feel more naturally drawn to Welsh names (a country to which I have no personal connection). 

The problem comes in when I realize that there are only a handful of French names that I like for boys or for girls. I suppose we'll cross that road when we come to it.

Let me name you?

Hi there!  I'm a 20-something name nerd who decided that the internet wasn't full enough of baby-name advice. lol  I'm not actually going to make this into an advice column, but if you wanna talk about names just shoot me a message.

I've been researching names and naming trends since I was 13 years old, and that was 13 years ago.  My husband and I have been talking about starting a family of our own soon, so it renewed the obesessive bee in my bonnet about names.

"Are you naming again?" asks my husband, while I'm supposed to be watching Doctor Who with him.

"Yes, but not really," I explain.  I'm not COMPLETELY crazy for names--I do take a bathroom break from time to time without a name book in my hands.  I do occasionally spend an evening here and there without making a new list of cool middle name options.

It's sort of a guilty pleasure with me, since I feel I've spent more time on it than any human being ought to spend who isn't getting paid for it.  So, here I am, offering to name you, your children, your cats and dogs, your car, or your favorite garden gnome.  If you'd like to pay me for it, I will happily accept.

Otherwise, you're welcome to just come and obsess with me!