More common "continental"-style mens' names in the US and Canada?

I'll apologize in advance to our Canadian members but I've assumed (since I don't feel like doing research) that male first names in Canada roughly parallel those in the US (note emphasis).

That said, how would one have what I'll call more common European-style mens' names? I'm thinking, for example, of names like Gustav or Emil: you won't find very many of those in North America apart from recent immigrants and first generation descendants. Let's stipulate that the distribution of immigrants to both nations is approximately what it was/is IOTL, by the way. So...how is this accomplished?
 
You'd have to make America less racist. Reduce the animus against immigrants, and fewer will elect to change their name to sound more Anglo-American.
 
It's not Canada's proximity - geographically or culturally - that's the problem. It's just that every era has its own fashionable names that get shared around. Currently the global media market is dominated by the US, so most fads and fashions for names seem to come straight out of Hollywood. Although one can argue how 'American' names like Autumn, Summer, Glen, Aiden, Kobe and Sasha really are. (Just like one can argue about Bruce and Mathew, Olivia and Mary ) Often the main reason those names are considered American is because some famous Hollywood couple picked it up first.
 
Well, many names are from a similiar British and German influence (with British dominating). You still get other name types though (I knew two people at my highschool named Mika/Miika, then there's Quebec). How do Australia and New Zealand compare?
 
Also changing names to the culturally dominant language is hardly unique to the US.

Essentially this, Anglo-America is Anglo in root/base culture even if it has assimilated people of many different cultures and races, so of course names will be Anglicized.
 
Well, many names are from a similiar British and German influence (with British dominating). You still get other name types though (I knew two people at my highschool named Mika/Miika, then there's Quebec). How do Australia and New Zealand compare?

Pretty similar tbh, if we use my family as an example:

My grandfather (who immigrated to NZ from Croatia) was named Ante, but went by the named 'Tony' (Ante is the Croatian form of Anthony). My father (i.e. his son) was named Paul rather than the Croatian equivalent Pavle. We also have a family tradition of the father's name being used as the son's middle name. But instead of 'Ante', my dad's middle name is Anthony. Nevertheless, these are still pretty stock-standard Catholic names. I guess my name broke that tradition by being named Joshua (of Hebrew roots). Granddad wasn't happy about it, but my parents liked the name and it was fairly fashionable in the 90s.

My sister has an invented name (i.e. my mother came up with it), but her middle name couldn't get more Anglo (it's Victoria). A big reason for that was to prevent discrimination by having people reading her CV etc. knowing that she's European :/
 

Isaac Beach

Banned
Well, many names are from a similiar British and German influence (with British dominating). You still get other name types though (I knew two people at my highschool named Mika/Miika, then there's Quebec). How do Australia and New Zealand compare?

Well, we've plenty of third and fourth generation Vietnamese and Chinese and most I know tend towards very Western, usually biblical names, like David or John. Though that's becoming less pronounced as more first generation immigrants from East Africa, the Middle East and of course China choose to keep their original names.

As an aside, I've five siblings so that's a pretty good median of names. All biblical I believe, except Cole. But he's an asshole so.
 
You'd have to make America less racist. Reduce the animus against immigrants, and fewer will elect to change their name to sound more Anglo-American.

Looking at all the Hispano- and Luso- phone Americans, seeing them stick to their native names pretty reliably. And I have to think they face more discrimination than Germans named Gustav.

Two main things:

1) If you're part of an immigrant group that has dispersed fairly thinly, you're going to assimilate to the dominant naming conventions pretty quickly, no matter what.
2) There is no two.
 
Well, these are English-speaking countries, so it makes sense the naming language would be similar to that of Britain. Early on, there would've been direct influence - same kind that gave most East Coast US ports non-rhotic accents.

(By the way, I'll confirm English Canada is similar to the US in names at least in broad outline.)
 

Driftless

Donor
Preventing America from entering WW I will help a lot with more German culture in America.

I believe this is true. Even many of the WW2 generation with Germanic last names often tried to disconnect themselves by claiming Dutch heritage. Also, it was common for men (especially) to universally answer to their Americanized nickname. i.e. Hermann Hamburg probably only answers to "Buddy" and signs all documents with that name.
 
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