People and culture can move across borders bringing personal names across traditional linguistic boundaries. This process has changed and enriched the use of personal names throughout history – and continues to do so in our time. However, names can also lead to name based ethnic discrimination. This article discusses ethnic connotations to first names in Sweden that were originally imported from other languages, some quite recently, others centuries ago. A survey was conducted to investigate factors that potentially influence people’s ethnic connotations to first names: a) structural properties deviating from the main Swedish norm, b) how frequently the name occurs in Sweden, and c) how long the name has been established in Sweden. Furthermore, the article uses the results to discuss and problematize the concept of “marked” and “unmarked” names. © Respektive författare 2023