I got this question multiple times while introducing myself. It sounds a bit odd and I don’t think they are really interested in the origin of my name. Is this a politically correct way of asking my ethnic origin? I guess “Where are you from” wouldn’t work for everyone since there are many born-and-raised British people with foreign names and ethnic origin.
Why is this far-fetched to you?
If someone introduced themselves as a name I’d never heard before, I’d be curious. Maybe they just want to chat and you gave them an easy topic.