Is it cultural appropriation to name my son “Chiang Kai-Shek” if I am not Chinese? I am a White American who admires Chiang.
Do NOT name your son after Chiang Kai-Shek, or any Chinese for that matter. In Chinese culture, you never name someone after someone famous. This is why you would never come across a Chinese with the suffix “Jr.” or “The Third”, etc. It is taboo and very insulting to do this in the Chinese culture.
This probably goes back to Imperial China. Back in those days, if you name your son after the emperor’s name, you would be executed. If you happen to have the same name as the emperor, even if you are older than the emperor, you must change your name to something else.