The Meanings Of The Arabic & Traditional African Language First & Middle Names Of Hakeem Sekou Jeffries & His Brother Hasan Kwame Jeffries

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents some information from the Wikipedia page of United States Congressional Representative Hakeem Jeffries. 

This post also presents the meanings of the first and middle names of United States Rep. Hakeem Sekou Jeffries and his younger brother university professor Hasan Kwame Jeffries. These African American men are Christians who received their Arabic first names and their traditional African language middle names at birth from their parents. 

These men serve as examples of non-Muslim African Americans who have Arabic names which were given at birth or otherwise. These men also serve as examples of African Americans who have names from traditional African languages which were given at birth or otherwise.

The content of this post is presented for onomastic and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
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This pancocojams post is part of an ongoing series on distinctive African American names and naming practices.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/07/why-arabic-names-have-been-relatively.html for a pancocojams post entitled "Why Arabic Names Have Become Relatively Common Among African Americans Since The Late 1960s"

Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/01/possible-origins-meanings-of-names-from.html for a pancocojams post entitled "Traditional African Languages, Arabic Languages, & Other Sources For Names In The 2018 Black Panther Movie".

And click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/09/how-i-got-my-african-name.html for the pancocojams post that I wrote entitled "How I Got My African Name"

Other posts in this series can be accessed by clicking the "distinctive African American names" tab below.

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SOME GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT HAKEEM JEFFRIES AND HIS BROTHER HASAN JEFFRIES
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakeem_Jeffries
“Hakeem Sekou Jeffries … born August 4, 1970)[1] is an American politician and attorney who has been House Minority Leader and leader of the House Democratic Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2023. Jeffries has represented New York's 8th congressional district, anchored in southern and eastern Brooklyn, since 2013.

[...]

Early life and career

Jeffries was born in New York City, at Brooklyn Hospital Center to Laneda Jeffries, a social worker, and Marland Jeffries, a state substance-abuse counselor.[8][9] He grew up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

[...]

Personal life
Jeffries is a Baptist.[124]

Jeffries's younger brother, Hasan Kwame Jeffries, is an associate professor of history at Ohio State University[125] and the author of Bloody Lowndes: Civil Rights and Black Power in Alabama's Black Belt.[126] Hakeem and Hasan are the nephews of Leonard Jeffries, a former professor at City College of New York.[52]”…

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THE ORIGIN AND MEANING OF THE NAME "HAKEEM"
Excerpt #1
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakeem
"Hakeem is an Arabic-language given name, a romanization variant of Hakim. It can also be used as a surname. 

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Excerpt #2
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakim
"Hakim may refer to:

 Al-Ḥakīm (Arabic: الحكيم), one of the names of God in Islam, meaning "The All-Wise".

Hakim (name), an Arabic masculine name, including a list of people bearing this name.

Hakim (title), an Arabic name and title, used in both Arabic-speaking and Muslim countries."

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Excerpt #3
From https://www.thebump.com/b/hakeem-baby-name
"Meaning: wise, learned

Hakeem is a boy's name, Arabic in origin and invigorated with intellectual might. Springing from the Arabic word hakim, Hakeem retains its meaning as "wise" and "learned," asserting its bearer as a fountain of deep knowledge. Far more than an academic, the noun hakim represents a Muslim leader in a highly respected field, most notably a judge, governor, or physician."... 

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Excerpt #4
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akeem#:~:text=Akeem%20is%20a%20name%20of,and%20among%20the%20African%20diaspora. 

"Akeem is a name of Arabic origin, being a variation of Hakeem, and commonly used in Africa and among the African diaspora. "....

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THE ORIGIN AND MEANING OF THE NAME "SEKOU"
Excerpt #1
From  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sekou
"Sekou, also spelled Sékou or Seku, is a given name from the Fula language. It is equivalent to the Arabic Sheikh."

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Excerpt #2
From https://nameberry.com/babyname/sekou
"The name Sekou is boy's name meaning "sheikh".

Sekou, also written as Sékou, is a given name as well as a title synonymous with the Arabic Sheikh. It comes from the Fula language of West Africa, and is widely used among the Fula people."
-snip-
Here's some information about the Fula language:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fula_language
"Fula /ˈfuːlə/,[2] also known as Fulani /fʊˈlɑːniː/[2] or Fulah[1][3][4] (Fulfulde, Pulaar, Pular; Adlam: 𞤊𞤵𞤤𞤬𞤵𞤤𞤣𞤫, 𞤆𞤵𞤤𞤢𞥄𞤪, 𞤆𞤵𞤤𞤢𞤪), is a Senegambian language spoken by around 25 million[citation needed] people as a set of various dialects in a continuum that stretches across some 18 countries in West and Central Africa. Along with other related languages such as Serer and Wolof, it belongs to the Atlantic geographic group within Niger–Congo, and more specifically to the Senegambian branch. Unlike most Niger-Congo languages, Fula does not have tones.

It is spoken as a first language by the Fula people ("Fulani", Fula: Fulɓe) from the Senegambia region and Guinea to Cameroon, Nigeria, and Sudan and by related groups such as the Toucouleur people in the Senegal River Valley. It is also spoken as a second language by various peoples in the region, such as the Kirdi of northern Cameroon and northeastern Nigeria."...
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Here's the meaning of the Arabic word "sheikh"
From https://www.britannica.com/topic/sheikh
"sheikh, also spelled sheik, shaikh, or shaykh, Arabic shaykh, Arabic title of respect dating from pre-Islamic antiquity; it strictly means a venerable man of more than 50 years of age. The title sheikh is especially borne by heads of religious orders, heads of colleges, such as Al-Azhar University in Cairo, chiefs of tribes, and headmen of villages and of separate quarters of towns. It is also applied to learned men, especially members of the class of ʿulamāʾ (theologians), and has been applied to anyone who has memorized the whole Qur’ān, however young he might be."

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THE ORIGIN AND MEANING OF THE NAME "HASAN"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hassan_(given_name)#:~:text=The%20name%20Hassan%20in%20Arabic,in%20Arabic%20script%20spelled%20differently.
"Hassan or Hasan (Arabic: حسن Ḥasan) is an Arabic masculine given name in the Muslim world.

As a surname, Hassan may be Arabic, Irish, Scottish, or Jewish (Sephardic and Mizrahic) (see Hassan (surname)).[1][2]

Etymology and spelling

The name Hassan in Arabic means 'handsome' or 'good', or 'benefactor'.

There are two different Arabic names that are both romanized with the spelling "Hassan". However, they are pronounced differently, and in Arabic script spelled differently.

The more common name ‏حَسَن‎ Ḥasan (as in the name of the Islamic prophet Muhammad's grandson Hasan ibn Ali),[3] coming from the Arabic language triconsonantal root Ḥ-S-N, has two short vowels and a single /s/. Its meaning is 'the good' or 'the handsome'. Its usual form in Classical Arabic is الحسن al-Ḥasan, incorporating the definite article al-, which may be omitted in modern Arabic names.

The name ‏حَسَّان‎ Ḥassān, which comes from the same Arabic root, has a long vowel and a doubled /sː/. Its meaning is 'doer of good' or 'benefactor'. It is not used with the definite article in Classical Arabic."...

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THE ORIGIN AND MEANING OF THE NAME KWAME
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwame
"Kwame is an Akan masculine given name among the Akan people (such as the Ashanti and Fante) in Ghana which is given to a boy born on Saturday. Traditionally in Ghana, a child would receive their Akan day name during their Outdooring, eight days after birth.[1][2]

[...]

According to Akan tradition, people born on particular days exhibit certain characteristics or attributes.[1][2] Kwame has the appellation "Atoapoma" or "Oteanankannuro" meaning "combat ready."[1][2]

[...]

Female version of Kwame

In the Akan culture and other local cultures in Ghana, day names come in pairs for males and females.[1] The variant of the name used for a female child born on Saturday is Ama.[1][2]"...

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Why Some African Americans Have An Arabic First Name Or A First Name From A Traditional African Language

 Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post features one article excerpt and one 2011 pancocojams post about the custom of  African Americans having an Arabic first name or a first name from a traditional African language.

Selected comments about African Americans having African or Arabic first names are also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

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ARTICLE EXCERPT
From https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/whats-in-name/201503/our-evolving-black-american-naming-traditions "What's In A Name": Our Evolving Black American Naming Traditions"

Given names can provide important social and spiritual insights.

Posted March 1, 2015; Reviewed by Ekua Hagan
..."Very rarely, plantation slave lists reveal a name that appears to be an African name (e.g. Ayuba Suleiman Diallo, Cudjo Lewis). A surviving African name suggests that the slave was able to communicate with his owners and gain enough respect to maintain his ethnic name. Such was the case for Ayuba Suleiman Diallo, an educated Muslim, who could read and write Arabic, and eventually published one of the earliest U.S. slave narratives. Scholarly estimates are that most Africans brought to America were animist, 10 to 30 percent may have been Muslim, and 3 to 5 percent Christian. Biblical slave names may be those of Muslim or Christian slaves.

Slaves secretly called one another by their African names in slave quarters. African families were repeatedly split, living in a foreign culture with a foreign language, among diverse African ethnic groups, and their owners suppressed African customs and religions. Maintaining African traditions over generations would be impossible. With emancipation, liberated slaves abandoned diminutive names like Betty or Tom for the full given name (e.g. Elizabeth, Thomas). For surnames, they had a wide range of choices — the surname of their former owners, that of prominent leaders, their occupation, a city or town, etc.

[…]

The Civil Rights movement of the '60s and '70s strengthened the sense of Black pride and identity.*

American Blacks began to discover more about their origins. The horrors of slavery and racism were exposed as never before. In 1976, Alex Haley published the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Roots, The Saga of an American Family. Roots was made into a TV miniseries that won nine Emmy awards. The series spurred an interest in the Black community to give children African names (e.g. Ama) or African-sounding names.

The trend to create African-sounding names led to making up totally unique names, which is an ongoing trend. Searching for unique names is also a current phenomenon among Caucasian parents. In addition to names with African resonance, Muslim names are also found in the Black community (e.g., Jamal, Aisha)."...
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*As a friendly correction, I would say that "The Black Power movement of the mid 60s to the 1980s and the wave of African nations becoming independent from European colonization,  strengthened African Americans' sense of Black pride and resulted in many African Americans increased identification with Africa.

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REPRINT OF THE  2011 PANCOCOJAMS POST: How I Got My African Name
From http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/09/how-i-got-my-african-name.html
Written by Azizi Powell

Note: I wrote this post on January 22, 2005 as part of this thread on the Folk & Blues discussion forum Mudcat.org: How did you choose your mudcat name? This post is presented without any corrections, additions, or updating.

"In the late 1960s I was a member of a organization that focused on African culture. Like other members of that group, I wanted an African personal name. My male friend at that time, Zayd, said he would give me an African name. And because I just loved loved loved him, I said I would accept the name that he selected. So out of the kindness of his soon to be cheatin heart, Zayd gave me a choice of two names-either "Aziza": Arabic for "one who is rare & precious" or "Azizi": Kiswahili with the same meaning.

Back in those days {and now} a lot of female names given to African Americans from the Arabic language and other language sources {as well as names which are creatively 'made up'} end with the 'ah" sound, names like "Keisha", "Maisha", "Malika", "Fatimah", "Kadisha", "Aaliyah". I liked the idea of "Azizi" because it sounded more unique.

But in those days {and still today} there was also a brand of makeup called "Aziza". The REAL reason why I choose 'Azizi' instead of 'Aziza' is that I didn't want to give somebody the opportunity to look at me and say "Aziza, you forgot your make-up, girl."

So I've been 'Azizi' now for 37 years-and I try to live up to that name with or without wearing makeup."
-Azizi Powell

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UPDATE 7/2/2012
Here's a response that I wrote to blogger's comment about a Nigerian man living in Poland who changed his name. (This comment is reposted with minor typographical corrections.)

From comments to http://afroeurope.blogspot.com/2012/07/in-2008-europes-minorities-saw-obamas.html

"It occurs to me that one of the reason that Chikama Onyekwere adopted the names "John" and "Godson" could be because of those English names' etymological meanings.

The meaning of the name "John" is "God is gracious" and/or "gift from God". The meaning of "Godson" is obvious.

Also, Chikama Onyekwere may have selected those English names because their etymological meanings might be similar to the meanings of his Nigerian names.

I haven't been able to find the etymological meaning for "Onyekwere" but I wonder if the element "Onye" might have something to do with the Supreme God. That element "Onye" is similar to the name of the Ghanaian/Ivory Coast Akan Supreme Deity Onyame ('Nyame). But this information may not be relevant since (if) "Onyekwere is an Igbo name or a Yoruba name, or some other Nigerian ethnic group name.

I had better luck searching online for the name "Chikama". http://www.onlinenigeria.com/nigeriannames/?page=47 gives this information & meaning for the name Chikaima: "Unisex; ibo; it is God we know"
and this meaning for the name Chikanma:
"Unisex; Igbo; God is the best".

Of course, this is just a guess, and doesn't address the implied question "Why isn't Chikama Onyekwere using his biological names or at least using those African names for his public persona?

In the USA, some African Americans -like me- changed our names (or, in most cases, at least our first name) to better reflect and celebrate our recognition of our African ancestry/heritage. But I think the opposite action ism't necessarily opposite.

In my opinion, if a continental African man or woman gives himself or herself non-African name/s, in addition to his or her African birth names or as a replacement for his or her African birth name/s, that doesn't necessarily mean that he or she doesn't still honor his heritage. [Of course, if an African American or other Black people from the African Diaspora doesn't change his or her name, that doesn't mean that he or she doesn't honor or celebrate his or her African ancestry/heritage. But giving those names to oneself or one's children can symbolize that recognition.]

Perhaps the reason why Chikama Onyekwere adopted English names for himself is that those names are easier for many Polish people to pronounce. I think it's interesting that he didn't choose Polish names (such as Ivan, Jan, Janusz, Janek, the Polish forms of the name John (which is an English form of a Latin form of a Hebrew male name). But I suspect that there are probably a number of people in Poland with English names, and I'm sure that English names -particularly "John" - are more widely used throughout the world than Polish names, so if a person decides to change his or her name, that factor might have also been part of the consideration."
-Azizi Powell, 7/2/2012
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As a point of reference, John Godson/Chikama Onyekwere was mentioned in the above linked Afro-Europe blog post because he recently became Poland's first Black member of Parliament."
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Here's one comment that I wrote on Sept. 1, 2011 in the discussion thread for that pancocojams post. That discussion thread has also has my comment written in exchange to a visitor's comment, and his comment in response to mine.

 
"In the late 1960s and the 1970s, afro-centric African Americans referred to our biological personal names & biological and married surnames (last names) as "slave names" if those names were of European or Hebrew origin. And we referred to the Arabic or traditional African language names that we choose or were given as "free names". Usually people just chose or were given an African/Arabic first name, and kept their biological or married last name. That's what I did.

Most of the people I know don't know my "real" first name (I'm not tellin' lol). The name "Azizi" is very real to me, but I've never legally changed it. I introduce myself using that name, and friends have sometimes shortened it to "Z". I'm retired now, but when I worked I asked people to call me "Azizi", saying that that is my "nickname". I just found that it was easier to do that then to get into this explanation (for White people). Sometimes I'm asked if I am Muslim, and I respond that I'm not nor have I ever been (not that there's anything wrong with being Muslim).

My former husband & I named our children African frst and middle names. One son's first name is Yoruba, the other son's first name is a shortened form of a Yoruba name, and my daughter's first name is a blend of part of my name and part of my then husband's "free name". I consider her name to be African too, although it's not traditional African. I'm basing that on the position that African Americans are an African people]

I'm curious about the experiences of other African Americans who changed their names during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. (or after those dates, but it seems to me that after the 1980s a number of African Americans were routinely naming their children Arabic/African names at birth rather than those children changing their names when they got older.

I think that more African Americans have traditional Arabic names (and African American variants of those names) in part because we know more Arabic names than names from traditional African languages besides Swahili. The other reason why Arabic/Swahili names are more often found among African Americans is that those names are relatively easy for us to pronounce as they generally conform to our (American) English pronunciation & gender "rules"."

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SELECTED COMMENTS ON THIS TOPIC FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD OF A YOUTUBE MUSIC VIDEO
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bovm6-15Ooo ; Reekado Banks - Ozumba Mbadiwe (Official Video); published by Reekado Banks, Nov 12, 2021

Selected comments from a sub-thread of that discussion thread. Numbers are added for referencing purposes only. A comment that I wrote is the last one in that discussion sub-thread as of the publication date for this pancocojams post.

1. Chigozie Gerald, 2021
"Black American gather here,Nigeria making African proud 🇺🇸"
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This comment has 554 likes and 40 replies as of Feb. 16, 2022 at 3:59 PM.

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Reply
2. AFRICA'S BEST, 2021
"New York City in da place 🇺🇸"

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Reply
3. Thom Frank, 2021
"How’s your name chigozie?"

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Reply
4. Ifeoluwa, 2021
"@Thom Frank   same  thing I ask myself oo"

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Reply
5. Thom Frank, 2021
"@Ifeoluwa  dem just Dey lie behind keyboard anyhow 🤣🤣"

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Reply
6. Pubg starccr7, 2021
"@Thom Frank  loll noo my name is oluwatimileyin and I'm african american specifically Nigerian American so just cuz u have am african name doesn't mean ur not african american please get ur facts right have a great day doe bro."

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Reply
7. SylviasWorld, 2022
"@Pubg starccr7  Yeah, you are not actually African American if you are Nigerian American. The term African American refers to people who are descendants of former slaves in America and that is how their ancestors got to America. That's not your story."

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Reply
8. NaturalMystic88, 2022
"@Thom Frank  African Americans are giving their kids African names. I plan to do the same."

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Reply
9. Aisha Griffith, 2022
"California 🇺🇸💕🙌"

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Reply
10. Emmoh, 2022
"Don’t y’all get tired of diaspora wars…black Americans are largely descendants of Nigerians anyways..I’m tired. Give it a rest. Let us enjoy the music"

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Reply
11. Ad, 2022
"@Thom Frank  why be mean? Many Americans call their names African names"

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Reply
12. Iy M, 2022
"But he didn't say African American he said Black American. Two different things."

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Reply
13. SylviasWorld, 2022
"@Ad  Yes because of their African heritage. A Nigerian American for example, does not have African American heritage so its not the same."

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Reply
14. AfricanProudVillageWomanJuju, 2022
"@Chigozie Gerald  you’re confused"

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Reply
15. EfemzyEkun, 2022
"@NaturalMystic88  wow! I love that move...lemme give iu a great Yoruba name to give your child. If he is a male, give him Olufemi (God loves me).

If it's a female, give her Oluwakemi (Godtakes care of me). Havea great day.♥️🇳🇬"

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Reply
16. Monica Dantata, 2022
"African American living in London!!"

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Reply
17. Uju Duruaku, 2022
" @Thom Frank  maybe he means his nationality is American nvm I don’t want to stress my brain lol😂😂.

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Reply
18. Uju Duruaku, 2022
"@Ifeoluwa  nah he’s American by nationalization and Nigerian through like ethnicity"

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Reply
19. Kenny Munyua, 2022
"He ddn't say let's gather..  He ddn't identify or say his Nationality why is it that people are saying he is lying???? Is English that hard?? 🤷🏽‍♂:

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Reply
20. Gruuxeth, 2022
"@Thom Frank  Its kinda weird if you think about it. You have an "English" name and that is totally normal to you because i guess...english is the default of the world? Maybe the OP is a black American that was given a Nigerian name just liek you were given an english name?"

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Reply
21. igbo guy 🕊️ ☮, 2022
"️Igbo man in NYC.. never forget 20th October, 2020 ✊🏿"
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This is the date of the Lekki Gate Massacre in Nigeria.  "Ozumba Mbadiwe", the title of the song/video for this discussion thread refers to that massacre.
From https://daily4mative.com/ozumba-mbadiwe-meaning/ 
"Ozumba Mbadiwe is a song by popular singer Reekado Banks released for a commemoration of lost lives during lekki massacre by Nigerian government under Mohamed Buhari regime.

Originally Ozumba Mbadiwe is the name of the street where END SARS protest started. It was the place leading to lekki toll gate where Buhari commanded Nigerian army to shoot at peaceful protesters. Nigerian army killed hundreds of Nigerian youths who were protesting against police brutality."...

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Reply
23. Willow Adol, 2022
"@Thom Frank  Nigerian Americans are also black Americans."

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Reply
24. Willow Adol, 2022
"@SylviasWorld  There is no category in US official forms for Nigerian American slot. They are grouped as African Americans."

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Reply
25. Azizi Powell, 2022
"First off, thanks Reekado Banks for this song and RIP all those who lost their lives at Lekki Toll Gate.

I'm an African American from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1967 during when a number of Black Americans were changing their first names to Arabic or traditional African first names, I  was given my KiSwahili first name. My now deceased husband who was African American also had an African name which he was told was based on a Congolese name. In honor of our African ancestry, in the late 1970s, my husband and I gave one of our sons the Yoruba names Fela Ayinde, and another son was given the name Aki (which is a short form of a number of Yoruba names.) We don't know if we have any Nigerian ancestry, East African ancestry, or Central African ancestry, but we know that we have some Black African ancestry.

On another note, I don't agree with Sylviasworld's comment in this discussion thread that "The term African American refers to people who are descendants of former slaves in America". My mother's parents were from the Caribbean and my father was of mixed Black/White ancestry and was adopted from New York. I don't know if his birth parents were enslaved in the USA, or enslaved in the Caribbean or enslaved elsewhere. Besides, not all Black peopl in the USA were enslaved, and I believe that Black people who came to the USA after slavery ended here can correctly consider themselves African Americans if they choose to. I also believe that "Nigerian American" can be a subset of African American. This is my position People can disagree if they choose to."

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Information & Speculation About The Names "Zaila Avant-garde", The Name Of The First African American Winner Of The Scripps National Spelling Bee

Today, July 9, 2021

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Zaila Avant-garde wins Scripps National Spelling Bee

Guardian News, July 9, 2021

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Notice that the name "Zaila" is pronounced zai-EE-lah (or zah-EE-lah) in these video clips.  

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents a Today show clip of fourteen year old Zaila Avant-garde, the first African American winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, July 8, 2021.

The focus of this post is information and speculation about the sources or inspirations for this fourteen year old's name "Zaila" and "Avant-garde".

The content of this post is presented for cultural and onomastic, purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Congratulations to Zaila Avant-garde for her historic achievement. Thanks also to all the finalists in the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
-snip-
DISCLAIMER
I am not an expert in the study of names. The information presented in this post is gleaned from various online articles. That information may not be accurate or may not be totally accurate.

While some online articles provide information about the name "Avant-garde" for this Scripps National Spelling Bee winner, I've found no information about how or why Zaila Avant-garde was given the name "Zaila" or what she was told that name means.  This post includes my guesses about one or more names that may have inspired the name "Zaila" and the particular pronounciation of that name that this spelling bee winner uses.

This pancocojams post also includes my speculation about whether "Avant-garde" is actually Zaila Avant-garde's  official surname. 
 
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THE ORIGIN OF THE NAME "ZAILA"
My guess is that the name "Zaila" is a contemporary (1960s on) African American originating female name that is inspired by the spelling (but not necessarily the pronounciation) of one or both of the female names "Laila", "Jaila", and/or "Jalilah". The name "Zaila" has no fixed meaning. 

Here's information about the name  LAILA from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leila_(name)
"Leila (Persian: لیلا‎, Arabic: ليلى‎, Hebrew: לילה‎) is a feminine given name in the Semitic (Arabic, Hebrew) and Persian languages.

Etymologically the word comes from proto-semitic layl-, which gives לֵילְיָא (lēləyā) in Aramaic, לילה (layla) in Hebrew, لَيْل (layl) or لَيْلَة (layla) in Arabic, and ܠܹܠܝܵܐ (lēlyā) in Syriac.

In Hebrew and Arabic the word Leila or Laila means "night", "dark"[1] and the name is often given to girls born during the night, signifying "daughter of the night".[2]

In Judaism, the identification of the word "night" as the name of an angel originates with the interpretation of "Rabbi Yochanan" (possibly Yochanan ben Zakkai, c. 30–90 AD) who read "At night [Abraham] and his servants deployed against them and defeated them" (Genesis 14:15, JPS) as "by [an angel called] night" (Sanhedrin 96a).

The story of Qays and Layla or Layla and Majnun is based on the romantic poems of Qais Ibn Al-Mulawwah (Arabic: قيس بن الملوح‎) in 7th century Arabia, who was nicknamed Majnoon Layla (مجنون ليلى), Arabic for "madly in love with Layla", referring to his cousin Layla Al-Amiriah (ليلى العامرية).[3] His poems are considered the paragon of unrequited chaste love. They later became a popular romance in medieval Iran,[4] and use of the name spread accordingly. The name gained popularity further afield in the Muslim world, amongst Turkic peoples and in the Balkans and India. Variant spellings include Laela, Laelah, Laila, Layla, Leïla, Leighla, Lejla and Leyla.

In the Nordic countries, Laila or Lajla (pronounced lie-lah)[needs IPA] is derived from the Sami name Láilá, the Sami variant of Helga which means "holy".[5]"...

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Here's information about the name JAILA  & JALILA (JALEELA)

Excerpt #1

From https://imuslim.name/6357-meaning-Jala-muslim-arabic-names.html
"The name Jala (Arabic writing : جالا) is a Muslim girls Names. The meaning of name Jala is " Bringing to light, shining "

[...] 

Similar Muslim Names :

Name    Arabic   Meaning

Jala         جالا         Bringing to light, shining

Jaleela  جليلة       Glorious, Magnificent

Jaleesah               جليسه     Companion

Jalila       جليلة       Great, exalted, magnificent

Jalilah    جليله       Splendid, lofty"

****

Excerpt #2
From https://www.ebabynames.com/#!meaning-of-Jaila

"The meaning of Jaila is unknown.

Its origin is "Arabic; Variant of the English name Jayla".
Jaila is a form of Jayla and is generally pronounced like "JAY lah".

Recently this name is mostly being used as a girls name, but historically it's a unisex's name. Last year it ranked 3,299th in the U.S. Social Security Administration list of most popular baby girl names...

Jaila is a variant of Jayla, a Modern English creation which is a combination of the English names Jay and Kayla.

Jay, within the context of the English language, has traditionally been used as a nickname for any name beginning with J. Common names using Jay as a nickname include Jason and James. Its use as a full given name refers to various birds known as jays.

Kayla is a Modern English short form of Michaela, the feminized version of Michael.

Jaila is also used as an Arabic name. Its meaning is not known."

****

HOW ZAILA  AVANT-GARDE PRONOUNCES HER FIRST NAME

Pancocojams Editor's Note:

The information about the pronounciation for the name "Zaila" is meant to refer to the way that Zaila Avant-gard's name is pronounced and is not necessarily the way that that name is usually pronounced.

The Today show video clip given above in this pancocojams post and other video clips about the July 8, 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee document that  Zaila Avant-gard pronounces the name "Zaila" this way: "zah-EE-lah" (or "zai-EE-lah", assuming that there is an additional letter "i" in that name).  The "za" (or "zai") is pronounced to rhyme with the English words "by", "my", "sky",  etc.).  

This is NOT necessarily how other people who may have that name would pronounce it.  Instead, it's likely that more African Americans (and other Americans) would pronounce the name "Zaila" to rhyme with the female names "Layla" and "Jayla" since it appears that those two female names are becoming increasingly popular in the United States, particularly among African Americans. i.e. "LAY" and "JAY" rhyming with the English word "day").  

Zaila Avant-gard's pronunciation of her first name "Zaila" seems to borrow most strongly from the Arabic name "Jalila" (jah-LEE-lah) than from the name "Jayla" or its contemporary adaptation "Jaila".

The Arabic female name "Zaira" may be another possible inspiration for the name "Zaila".
Here's information about the name "Zaira" from  https://quranicnames.com/zaira/
"Zaira

A Quranic Name for Girls

Zaira is an indirect Quranic name for girls that means “visitor”, “guest”. It is derived from the Z-W-R root which is used in the Quran in verse 102:2."

Coincidentally, Zaila Avant-gard's pronounciation of the name "Zaila" is quite pronounced very much like the name "Akeelah" which is the name of the lead character in the 2006 American movie about an African American girl participating in the Scripss National Spelling Bee.

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akeelah_and_the_Bee
"Akeelah and the Bee is a 2006 American drama film written and directed by Doug Atchison. It tells the story of Akeelah Anderson (Keke Palmer), an 11-year-old girl who participates in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, her mother (Angela Bassett), her schoolmates, John Calloway and Virgina Wildman, and her coach, Dr. Joshua Larabee (Laurence Fishburne). The cast also features Curtis Armstrong, J.R. Villarreal, Sean Michael Afable, Erica Hubbard, Lee Thompson Young, Julito McCullum, Sahara Garey, Eddie Steeples, and Tzi Ma.

The film was developed over a period of 10 years by Atchison, who came up with the initial concept after seeing the 1994 Scripps National Spelling Bee and noting that a majority of the competitors came from well-off socioeconomic backgrounds. After completing the script in 1999, Atchison won one of the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting in 2000, which attracted producers Sid Ganis and Nancy Hult Ganis. After an initial inability to secure funding, the project got a second wind as a result of the success of the 2002 documentary film Spellbound. Lionsgate Films undertook the production in 2004 and in the following year it was filmed in South Los Angeles on a budget of over $6 million.

Atchison remarked that his theme for the film, deemed an inspirational film, was about overcoming obstacles despite difficult challenges along the way. "...
-snip-
The name "Akeelah" is a (probably African American originated) variant spelling for the Arabic female name "Akilah".
Here's information about the name "Akilah" from https://quranicnames.com/akilah/
"Akilah is variant of Aqeelah and has the exact same meaning and pronunciation (see below for full meaning). You can use either Akilah or Aqeelah, both are correct and acceptable. If you like this variant more and you'd like to pronounce it the way it is spelled (different than the original name), this is perfectly acceptable. For more details please see the main entry at: Aqeelah. https://quranicnames.com/aqeelah/

Full Meaning of Akilah

Akilah is an indirect Quranic name for girls that means “very wise”, “very discerning”, “sensible”, “reasonable”. It is derived from the AIN-Q-L root which is used in many places in the Quran."...

****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPELLING BEE WINNER'S "AVANT-GARDE" NAME
Excerpt #1:
From https://news.yahoo.com/zaila-avant-garde-breezes-national-021044126.html "African American spelling bee champ makes history with flair" by Ben Nuckolss,  July 8, 2021
..."her [Zaila Avant-garde’s] dad gave her the last name Avant-garde in tribute to jazz musician John Coltrane."…
-snip-
Here's information about John Coltrane's album entitled "The Avant-Garde" from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Avant-Garde_(album)
"The Avant-Garde is an album credited to jazz musicians John Coltrane and Don Cherry that was released in 1966 by Atlantic Records. It features Coltrane playing several compositions by Ornette Coleman accompanied by the members of Coleman's quartet: Cherry, Charlie Haden, and Ed Blackwell. The album was assembled from two unissued recording sessions at Atlantic Studios in New York City in 1960.

[…]

Released - 1966

Recorded - June 28, 1960; July 8, 1960

Studio - Atlantic Studios, New York City

Genre- Free jazz, avant-garde jazz"...

-snip-
Here's a definition for the term "Avant-garde" from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avant-garde
"The avant-garde (/ˌævɒ̃ˈɡɑːrd/;[2] In French: [avɑ̃ɡaʁd][3] 'advance guard' or 'vanguard', literally 'fore-guard')[4] are people or works that are experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.[4][5][6] It is frequently characterized by aesthetic innovation and initial unacceptability.[7]"...

****
IS "AVANT-GARDE" ZAILA'S ACTUAL SURNAME?
Here's an excerpt from https://starsoffline.com/zaila-avant-garde-wiki-parents-siblings-height-school/ "Zaila Avant-garde Wiki, parents, siblings"etc.
..."Zaila was born to her father “Jawara “Spacetime” Heard and her mother Alma Venice Heard in her hometown of Harvey, Louisiana in the United States. In honor of the jazz artist John Coltrane, her father had named her “Avant-garde"

[...]

Zaila Avant-garde reportedly has three siblings for brothers. They are Sol Heard, Zwe Heard, and Wonder Heard.

Not much information has surfaced for her siblings."
-snip-
Note that the name "Heard" is given as a last name for other members of Zaila's family. That  leads me to wonder if "Avant-garde" is a middle name, or nickname for this spelling bee winner or if "Avant-garde"  is her "stage name" and her actual "government" (birth) last name is "Heard". 

For what it's worth, the https://news.yahoo.com/zaila-avant-garde-breezes-national-021044126.html article "African American spelling bee champ makes history with flair" by Ben Nuckols, July 8, 2021 10:10 PM gives "Spacetime" as Zaila's father's last name, while the starsoffline article quoted above gives "Spacetime" as his nickname:

 ..."Many of top Scripps spellers start competing as young as kindergarten. Zaila only started a few years ago, after her father, Jawara Spacetime, watched the bee on TV and realized his daughter's affinity for doing complicated math in her head could translate well to spelling. She progressed quickly enough to make it to nationals in 2019 but bowed out in the preliminary rounds."....

This article also gives "Spacetime" as Zaila's father's last name:
From https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2021/07/09/who-are-zaila-avant-gardes-parents-inside-national-spelling-bee-2021-winners-personal-life/  by Shania Wilson, July 9, 2021
...."WHO ARE THE SPELLING BEE WINNER’S PARENTS?

Reportedly, Zaila’s parents are named Alma Heard and Jawara Spacetime and the family live in Harvey, Louisiana.

 According to this source, the teen’s father, Jawara Spacetime, is actually the reason that Zaila got involved in Spelling Bee contests.

 Although many spelling competitors start from a young age – some as young as Kindergarten – Zaila only started a few years prior. Apparently, Jawara Spacetime saw the bee on television and it struck him that his daughter’s ability for calculating maths problems in her head could translate well into spelling. Well, the rest is history!

 Obviously, Zaila’s parents are extremely proud – who wouldn’t be? Jawara Spacetime was spotted in the crowd at the National Spelling Bee."....
-end of quote-
Either way, if "Avant-garde" is Zaila's "stage name" or it's her actual last name, I'm all for it.

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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Why Arabic Names Have Become Relatively Common Among African Americans Since The Late 1960s

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest revision: July 19, 2026

This pancocojams post presents my speculative reasons as to why Arabic names have become relatively common among some African Americans since the late 1960s.

The Addendum to this post is an excerpt of a 2015 pancocojams post entitled Arabic Names That Begin With "Sh" or "Ch".

The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural and onomastics purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
This post is part of an ongoing series on distinctive African American names and naming practices.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/01/possible-origins-meanings-of-names-from.html for a pancocojams post entitled "Traditional African Languages, Arabic Languages, & Other Sources For Names In The 2018 Black Panther Movie".

Also, click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-real-sources-of-female-name-keisha.html The REAL Sources Of The Female Name "Keisha"

Other posts in this series can be accessed by clicking the "distinctive African American names" tab below.

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
This post was prompted by several statements or questions about why African Americans have Arabic names in the discussion thread for the June 27, 2019 YouTube video blog (vlog) entitled "Black Sounding Names And Their Surprising History" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjiGBpdmk_I.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/07/comments-from-africans-about-their.html for another pancocojams post that focuses on that vlog. That post is entitled "Comments From Africans About Their Traditional Names (From The YouTube Vlog:"Black Sounding Names And Their Surprising History".

****
EXAMPLES OF STATEMENTS FROM THAT VLOG ABOUT BLACK PEOPLE USING ARABIC NAMES
(These entries are given in no particular order; All of these entries were published between June 27, 2019 and July 5, 2019)
1. juan david restrepo duran
"Very ironic to change the Anglo plantation name to the Arab slaver names"

**
2. Drams O'Scotch
"Arabs have been enslaving Blacks for thousands of years and still do to this very day, and y'all adopt their names? Lol. What a joke."

**
3. Stew stew Nonyo
"Using Arabic names to renounce “Christian ways of enslaving the people” when Arabs have literally enslaved Africans for over 1400 years. And they continue to do so today. What a total joke."
-snip-
There are several other similar examples of these statements. Based on their similarities, I wonder if they were posted by the same person with multiple screen names and/or by members of a specific organization.

****
REASONS WHY ARABIC NAMES ARE RELATIVELY COMMON AMONG AFRICAN AMERICANS
(These reasons are given in no particular order. Please read the Addendum below for a more "fleshed out" summary of these points.)

1. Arabic names are selected by African Americans who convert to Islam or are given at birth to African Americans who are born into Muslim families (including some members of the Moorish Science Temple and some members of factions of the Nation of Islam. 

However, I believe that many African Americans who have Arabic names aren't Muslim.

2. In the late 1960s/1970s some African Americans (like me) were interested in adopting names that were unique (but not too unique) and which connected us to our African heritage. "Pan-African" is one referent for these names that I read in the discussion thread for the YouTube vlog "Black Sounding Names And Their Surprising History" for personal names from the African motherland that African Americans could adopt for themselves and/or give to their children. Whether those names came from cultures which had enslaved people wasn't a factor in our selection process, since slavery occurred in many African cultures, including Black people enslaving other Black people in all or most of the cultures in West Africa.

Furthermore, Islam has been in the African continent since the 7th century AD. Arabic names and versions of those names are not only found in North Africa, but also in East Africa and West Africa.

3. Prior to the publication of name books that included Arabic names, Swahili names, and other traditional African names, and prior to the internet which made non-European names and non-Hebrew names very accessible, African Americans and other Americans had become somewhat familiar with Arabic names as a result of those names being used in fictional works (such as Arabian Nights stories and movies, and movies such as Lawrence of Arabia, and by those names being given to famous people. For example, the Arabic male name "Omar" is familiar to people in the United States because of the Egyptian actor Omar Sharif, the Persian mathematician, astronomer, and poet Omar Khayyam, and the Anglo American general Omar Bradley.

Also prior to the internet, African Americans and other Americans became familiar with Arabic names as a result of the conversion to Islam by several famous African American athletes such as Muhammad Ali and Kareem Abdul Jabbar or jazz musicians such as Yusef Lateef and Rahshaan Roland Kirk. Prior to the internet, African Americans became familiar with Arabic names when other famous African Americans chose those names or were given those names at birth (examples: Jazz musician Ahmad Jamal, singers Queen Latifah, singer Aaliyah, model Iman, actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, and actor Kadeem Hardison). Furthermore, African Americans became familiar with Arabic names when fictional television characters were given those names. Example: Queen Latifah portrayed a single woman named Khadijah James in the television sitcom Living Single.

4. African Americans were (and continue to be) interested in Arabic names (and Swahili names) because those names are aesthetically pleasing to us (for instance Arabic names with "sh" sounds).

Arabic names (and Swahili names) have the same or similar construction as Latin based names that we (and other Americans) are familiar with (two or three syllables, no unfamiliar consonant clusters such as "tch" or "gw"; Arabic isn't a tonal language, and Arabic has no click sounds. Arabic names are therefore easy for Americans to pronounce, although we may change the accentuated syllables.

5. Many Arabic names (and Swahili names) have positive and complimentary meanings which are the types of names that appeal to African Americans.

6. Many Arabic (and Swahili names) female names end with an "a" (ah sound) which is a feature that is very familiar to African Americans and other Americans.

****
ADDENDUM: EXCERPT FROM 2015 PANCOCOJAMS POST "ARABIC NAMES THAT BEGIN WITH "SHA" OR "CH"
From http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/05/arabic-names-that-begin-with-sh-or-ch.html
"This pancocojams series provides examples and comments about African American naming traditions, including my speculations about why many African Americans have preferred and, in some cases, still prefer certain prefixes and certain suffixes. For example, it's my premise that the large subset of 19th century and, in particular, 20th & 21st century distinctive Black (African American) names that begin with "sh" or "ch" can be at least partially explained by:
1. the existence of a large number of Arabic names and traditional African language names that begin with one of those sounds

2. the pre-1960s existence of mainstream American names and distinctive Black American names that begin with one of those sounds

and

3. the presence of Arabic names with those sounds by fictitious characters or by real people prior to the 1970s on.

**
COMMENTS ABOUT AFRICAN AMERICANS RECEIVING OR SELECTING AN AFRICAN NAME PRIOR TO THE 1980s
In the late 1960s some African Americans were very interested in finding lists of African names so that we could change our "slave names" (European or Hebrew language birth names) to "free names" (names from Arabic or traditional African languages.) In those early days of the Black power movement with its interest in African cultures there was no internet, and lists of African names were hard to come by. 

I recall people in the Committee For Unified Newark, (the cultural nationalist group that I belonged to which eventually was headed by poet, playwright, activist Amiri Baraka, formerly Le Roi Jones), sharing mimeographed (reprinted) copies of African names that we happened to come by. Many of those names were from the Arabic language and others were from KiSwahili, which is largely based on Arabic.

My theory is that early on African Americans developed a fondness for the "sh" or "ch" sound at least partly because of their memories of Arabic/traditional African names that begin with that sound, or have that sound within the name or at the end of the name (such as the "sha" suffix. prefix).

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, African Americans who were interested in changing their names to an African name were more likely to find Arabic names than any other African continent names. Those name were considered very acceptable "free names" for afro-centric African Americans, whether we were Muslim or not.

The conversion of several African American celebrities (particularly athletes and Jazz musicians) to Islam was only one reason why Arabic names became known to African Americans. Two African American jazz musicians who changed their names to Arabic names (prior to the 1980s) because of their conversion to Islam or another reason or reasons are Yusef Lateef and Rahshaan Roland Kirk. Two African American athletes who changed their names to Arabic names are Mohammad Ali and Kareem Adul Jabbar.

****
AFRICAN AMERICANS & ISLAM PRIOR TO THE 1960S- The Moorish Science Temple and The Nation Of Islam
Excerpt from https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/collection/african-muslims-early-america
"Islam has been a piece of the American religious fabric since the first settlers arrived in North America.

While we do not know exactly how many African Muslims were enslaved and transported to the New World, there are clues in legal doctrines, slaveholders’ documents, and existing cultural and religious traditions. African Muslims were caught in the middle of complicated social and legal attitudes from the very moment they landed on our Eastern shores, and collections at the [Smithsonian] Museum help provide insight into their lives.

I knew several [people] who must have been, from what I have since learned, Mohamedans [Muslims]; though at that time, I had never heard of the religion of Mohamed. There was one man on this plantation … who prayed five times every day, always turning his face to the east, when in the performance of his devotion.
CHARLES BALL, 1837

African Muslims were an integral part of creating America from mapping its borders to fighting against British rule. Muslims first came to North America in the 1500s as part of colonial expeditions. One of these explorers, Mustafa Zemmouri (also known as Estevanico), was sold by the Portuguese into slavery in 1522. While enslaved by Spanish conquistador Andrés Dorantes de Carranza, Estevanico became one of the first Africans to set foot on the North American continent. He explored Florida and the Gulf Coast, eventually traveling as far west as New Mexico.

African Muslims also fought alongside colonists during the Revolutionary War (1775-1783). Multiple men with Muslim names appear on the military muster rolls, including Bampett Muhamed, Yusuf ben Ali (also known as Joseph Benhaley), and Joseph Saba. Other men listed on muster rolls have names that are likely connected to Islamic practice, such as Salem Poor and Peter Salem, whose names may reflect a form of the Arabic salaam, meaning peace. These men often distinguished themselves on the battlefield.

The founding fathers were aware of Islam and the presence of Muslims in America. Thomas Jefferson, who owned a copy of the Quran, included Islam in many of his early writings and political treatises.... Jefferson was not the only statesman who recognized religions other than Christianity in his work. However, their knowledge of and theoretical openness to Islam did not stop them from enslaving African Muslims."...

****
From https://www.amazon.com/Muslim-American-Slave-Wisconsin-Autobiography/dp/0299249549 book review A Muslim American Slave: The Life of Omar Ibn Said
by Omar Ibn Said (Author), Ala Alryyes (Editor), July 20, 2011
"Born to a wealthy family in West Africa around 1770, Omar Ibn Said was abducted and sold into slavery in the United States, where he came to the attention of a prominent North Carolina family after filling “the walls of his room with piteous petitions to be released, all written in the Arabic language,” as one local newspaper reported. Ibn Said soon became a local celebrity, and in 1831 he was asked to write his life story, producing the only known surviving American slave narrative written in Arabic.

In A Muslim American Slave, scholar and translator Ala Alryyes offers both a definitive translation and an authoritative edition of this singularly important work, lending new insights into the early history of Islam in America and exploring the multiple, shifting interpretations of Ibn Said’s narrative by the nineteenth-century missionaries, ethnographers, and intellectuals who championed it."...
-snip-
I doubt whether the history of Africans who were Muslims and who were enslaved in the United States contributed greatly to the custom in the late 1960s/early 1970s of African Americans adopting Arabic names to themselves and/or giving Arabic names to their children at birth or otherwise. However, I believe the seldom acknowledged history of  Islam among Black people in the United States prior to the 1960s contributed to our (African Americans') aesthetic preferences for certain names, certain prefixes, and certain suffixes.    

The Moorish Science Temple is one example of the seldom acknowledged history of Islam in the United States. 

****
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moorish_Science_Temple_of_America
"The Moorish Science Temple of America is an American national and religious organization founded by Noble Drew Ali.

[...]

The Moorish Science Temple of America was incorporated under the Illinois Religious Corporation Act 805 ILCS 110. Timothy Drew, known to its members as Prophet Noble Drew Ali, founded the Moorish Science Temple of America in 1913 in Newark, New Jersey, a booming industrial city. After some difficulties, Ali moved to Chicago, establishing a center there, as well as temples in other major cities. The movement expanded rapidly during the late 1920s. The quick expansion of the Moorish Science Temple arose in large part from the search for identity and context among black Americans at the time of the Great Migration to northern and midwestern cities, as they were becoming an urbanized people.[2]

Competing factions developed among the congregations and leaders, especially after the death of the charismatic Ali. Three independent organizations developed from this ferment. The founding of the Nation of Islam by Wallace Fard Muhammad in 1930 also created competition for members. In the 1930s membership was estimated at 30,000, with one third in Chicago. During the postwar years, the Moorish Science Temple of America continued to increase in membership, albeit at a slower rate.”...
-snip-
Disclaimer: I've never been a member of either the Moorish Science Temple or the Nation of Islam (or its off-shoots). I also have never attended any services of these organizations.

Prior to high school, I don't recall knowing or seeing any Muslims. I only have a cloudy recollection of one African American male named Abdul in my high school (which was the only public high school in Atlantic City and which had 3,000 students when I graduated in 1969). I don't recall any female students wearing hijab, but I believe that there were a few other Muslim students in "my" high school who were members of the same family or were cousins. For what it's worth, I recall that these males were light skinned. I think that they were Sunni Muslims, but I'm not sure about that.

I first became somewhat familiar with the Moorish Science Temple when I moved to East Orange, New Jersey (near Newark, New Jersey) in 1965. I also have known some members of the Moorish Science Temple since I moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1969.

I believe that people who are members of the Moorish Science Temple adopt (or have from birth) a Bey, El, or Ali surname (My experience is that the "El" surname is used with the European biological surname hyphenated, example "Owens-El".

My experience is that some members of the Moorish Science Temple, have Arabic names from birth or were given/selected Arabic names when they joined that organization.

****
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nation_of_Islam
"The Nation of Islam, abbreviated NOI, is an African American political and religious movement, founded in Detroit, Michigan, United States, by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad on July 4, 1930.[2] Its stated goals are to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African Americans in the United States and all of humanity.[3] Critics have described the organization as being black supremacist[4] and antisemitic.[5][6][7] The Southern Poverty Law Center tracks the NOI as a hate group.[8][9] Its official newspaper is The Final Call. In 2007, the core membership was estimated to be between 20,000 and 50,000.[1]

Fard disappeared in June 1934. His successor Elijah Muhammad established places of worship (called temples or mosques), a school named Muhammad University of Islam, farms, and real estate holdings in the United States and abroad.[10]

...There were a number of splits and splinter groups during Elijah Muhammad's leadership, most notably the departure of senior leader Malcolm X to become a Sunni Muslim. After Elijah Muhammad's death in 1975, his son, Warith Deen Mohammed, changed the name of the organization to "World Community of Islam in the West" (and twice more after that), and attempted to convert it to a mainstream Sunni Muslim ideology.[12]

In 1977, Louis Farrakhan rejected Warith Deen Mohammed's leadership and re-established the Nation of Islam on the original model. He took over the Nation of Islam's headquarters temple, Mosque Maryam (Mosque #2) in Chicago, Illinois."...

I believe that members who followed Warith Deen Mohammed's leadership were/are particularly likely to adopt Arabic names and give those names to their children.

**
EARLY BOOKS IN THE UNITED STATES ON AFRICAN/ARABIC NAMES
I'm not aware of any book of African names that was published before The Book of African Names (As Told by Chief Osuntoki) was published in 1970. In 1972 another book of African names was published - Names from Africa: Their Origin, Meaning, and Pronunciation by Ogonna Chuks-orji helped introduce African Americans to names from traditional African languages.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/04/jamaican-names-that-begin-with-ch-or-sh.html for the pancocojams post entitled "Swahili & Igbo Names That Begin With "Sh" or "Ch".

Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/04/jamaican-names-that-begin-with-ch-or-sh.html>A? for the pancocojams post entitled "Jamaican Names That Begin with "Ch" or "Sh".

INFORMATION ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE ARABIC LANGUAGE IN AFRICA

The history of the Arabic language in Africa is the same as the history of the spread of Islam in Africa.

 Here's information about that topic from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Africa:

"Africa was the first continent, outside of Arabia that Islam spread into in the early 7th century. Almost one-third of the world's Muslim population resides in this continent...

Spread of Islam in Africa

On the advice of Muhammad, in Rajab 8BH, or May 614AD, twenty three Muslims migrated to Abyssinia where they were protected by its king, Al-Najashi, who also accepted Islam later. They were followed by 101 Muslims later in the same year. By Muharram 7H, or May 628AD, all those Muslims returned to Medina, but locals who embraced Islam remained there. In 20H/641AD during the reign of Caliph Omar bin al-Khattab, Muslim troops took over current Egypt and conquered current Libya the following year. Muslims then expanded to current Tunisia in 27H/647AD during the reign of the third Muslim Caliph, Othman bin Affan. The conquest of North Africa continued under the Umayyad dynasty, taking Algeria by 61H/680AD, and Morocco the following year. From the latter Muslim troops crossed the Strait of Gibraltar to Europe in 711. Islam gained momentum during the tenth century in West Africa with the start of the Almoravids movement on the Senegal River and as rulers and kings embraced Islam.[citation needed] Islam then spread slowly in much of the continent through trade and preaching.[4] By the ninth century Muslim Sultanates started being established in the Horn of Africa, and by the 12th century the Kilwa Sultanate had spread as far south as Mozambique. Islam only crossed deeper into Malawi and Congo in the second half of the nineteenth century under the Zanzibar Sultanate. Then the British brought their labor force from India, including some Muslim Indian nationals, to their African colonies towards the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries."
-snip-
That Wikipedia article indicates that "African Islam is not static and is constantly being reshaped by prevalent social, economic, and political conditions. Generally Islam in Africa often adapted to African cultural contexts and belief systems forming Africa's own orthodoxies. [2]"
-end of quote-
Among those African adaptations are examples of certain Arabic derived personal names. For instance, in the Wolof language of Senegal, West Africa "Aminata" is the form of the Arabic female name "Amina" and "Abdou" is the form of the Arabic male name "Abdul".

Also, here's a brief excerpt from https://www.nairaland.com/1811085/top-10-yoruba-names-never "Top 10 Yoruba Names You Never Guessed Were Arabic Names." by idumuose(m): 2:02pm On Jul 13, 2014
"I have always been fascinated by Yoruba people’s creative morphological domestication of Arabic names. There are scores of Yoruba names that are derived from Arabic but which are barely recognizable to Arabs or other African Muslims because they have taken on the structural features of the Yoruba language.

This is not unique to Yoruba, of course. As scholars of onomastics or onomatology know only too well, when proper names leave their primordial shores to other climes they, in time, are often liable to local adaptation.

(Onomastics or onomatology is the scientific study of the origins, forms, conventions, history and uses of proper names. Anthroponomastics specifically studies personal names, so this article is an anthroponamastic analysis of Yoruba Muslim names).

That’s why, for instance, there are many Arabic-derived personal names in Hausa, the most Arabized ethnic group in Nigeria, that would be unrecognizable to Arabs. Names like Mamman (Muhammad), Lawan (Auwal), Shehu (Sheikh), etc. would hardly make much sense to an Arab."...

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Information About The African Name "Diallo" (including traditional Fula pronunciation and the pronunciation of "Diallo" as a first name among African Americans)

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest revision: December 12, 2019

This pancocojams post provides information about the African name "Diallo".

The content of this post is presented for linguistic, cultural, and educational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publishers of these embedded YouTube videos.

This post is dedicated to the memory of Amadou Diallo. Information about Amadou Diallo can be found after the YouTube video given as Example #2 below.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SURNAME (LAST NAME) DIALLO
From https://erickoch.wordpress.com/2011/07/29/diallo/ Is “Diallo” the “Smith” of West Africa?; Eric Koch, Posted on July 29, 2011
It seems as if every Guinean in the news has the same last name.
..."The name ["Diallo"] is everywhere in Guinea – applying to roughly 10 percent of the population, experts say – and fairly common across the rest of West Africa, too. For comparison, there were just 2.4 million Smiths in the United States as of 2000, accounting for just 0.9 percent of the population. (Johnsons came in second place, with 1.9 million, or about 0.6 percent.)

What makes Diallo so common? A significant portion of the Guinean population is Fulbe, or Fulani, and almost all Fulbe have one of four family names: Diallo, also spelled Jalloh; Barry; Balde, also spelled Bah; and Sow. (Diallo is not any more popular than the other three names.) About two-fifths of all Guineans are Fulbe, and they live in smaller concentrations in other countries throughout West Africa, with significant clusters in Senegal and Mali, where many more Diallos are found."...
-snip-
Comments:
jdvorkin46 | July 29, 2011 at 3:26 pm |
"Eric – Diallo is a very widespread name throughout West Africa. When I was in Guinea and Niger last year, I must have met dozens of Diallos in both countries. Moreover, there are Guinéens and Nigériens who also have Diallo as a first name. It is a reference to their shared Fulani heritage which long predates the arrival of the Europeans and their arbitrary creation of borders which did not reflect the real cultural realities of where people lived."

**
Ninu | August 22, 2011 at 3:34 pm |
"Fulani is a language and a people spread from the Atlantic all the way to Sudan. They are distinguished by being muslim and traditionally from the Sahel and having cattle herding as the center of their society and mores."...
-snip-
This comment included the link for a no longer active website about Fulanis.

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"DIALLO" AS A FIRST NAME
Notice the comment given above from jdvorkin46: ..."there are Guinéens and Nigériens who also have Diallo as a first name."

More information about "Diallo" as a first name is given in the Statistic section that follows.

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STATISTICS REGARDING THE NAME "DIALLO"
Excerpt #1:
From http://forebears.io/surnames/diallo
"Diallo Surname Meaning & Statistics
160th most common surname in the world
Approximately 2,965,826 people bear this surname
Most prevalent in: Guinea
Highest density in: Guinea"

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Excerpt #2:
From http://www.namespedia.com/details/Diallo
Statistics and meaning of name Diallo
"Usage: 7% firstname, 93% surname.
Diallo first name was found 806 times in 33 different countries.
Surname Diallo is used at least 9341 times in at least 45 countries.
Gender of firstname Diallo is 28% feminine and 72% masculine."
-snip-
As per a chart on that page, example of "Diallo" used as a first name are most often found in the United States, but the following article may be an example of a Guinean man with the first name "Diallo":
From http://www.anc.org.za/content/statement-mr-diallo-telli-guinea-chairman-special-committee-against-apartheid
"Statement by Mr. Diallo Telli (Guinea), Chairman of the Special Committee against Apartheid, at the Plenary Meeting of the [United Nations] General Assembly on a resolution concerning the trial of Mr. Nelson Mandela and others
11 October 1963"...
-snip-
It's also possible that this man's first name was given last because of the different ways that people in other cultures write their full names.
-snip-
Here's another [?] example of an African man with the first name "Diallo":
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diallo_Guidileye
"Diallo Guidileye (born 30 December 1989) is a Mauritanian footballer who currently plays as a defensive midfielder for Gençlerbirliği.

[...]

International career
Though Guidileye was born in Mauritania, he has dual citizenship and thus can represent France on the national level. He has played for the France U-19 squad and recently was called up to participate in a training camp for future France under-21 players. On 25 May 2009, he was selected to the under-20 squad to participate in the 2009 Mediterranean Games.

In 2012, the French coach of Mauritania, Patrice Neveu, said he had reached an agreement with Guidileye to represent the senior national team from his country of origin in the future.[8]"...
-snip-
"Footballer" here means a soccer player.

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Excerpt #3:
From https://www.babynamespedia.com/meaning/Diallo
"Diallo is unusual as a baby name for boys. Its usage peaked modestly in 1972 with 0.004% of baby boys being named Diallo. Its ranking then was #918. The baby name has since experienced a fall in popularity, and is today of irregular use. Among all boy names in its group, Diallo was nevertheless the most popular in 2016."
-snip-
This statistical information is for the use of the name "Diallo" as a first name in the United States only.

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TRADITIONAL PRONUNCIATION/S [?] OF THE NAME "DIALLO"
Excerpt #1:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diallo
"Diallo (pronounced jallo) is the French transcription of a surname of Fula origin (English transcriptions are Jalloh and Jallow; the Portuguese and Creole transcription is Djaló)"...
-snip-
This page includes a list of famous people with the surname (last name) "Diallo".

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Excerpt #2:
From https://photos.state.gov/libraries/senegal/323264/pdf/Window_to_Dakar.pdf INTRODUCTION TO SENEGAL
..."NAMES
..."Di" is pronounced "j" in these typical last names: Badiane, Dia, Diagne, Diallo, Diaw, Dieng, Diop, Diouf. "Th" is pronounced "ch" in the following names: Bathily, Thiam, Thioune,
Mathiam. In last names beginning with N, the "N" is pronounced "en" - NDao, NDaw, NDiaye.”
-snip-
UPDATE: April 229, 2018
This YouTube vlogger pronounces her last name "Diop" "Dee op" and writes it that way in her African Name Tag vlog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRTxlG66nyY.

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Excerpt #3: How to Pronounce: Cheick Diallo


That One Sports Show, Apr 13, 2018

[Shek Dee-ah-loh]
-snip-
This video replaces one that is no longer available.

These comments from this video's discussion thread indicate that this pronunciation is incorrect:
Maddy Damia, 2018
"That’s not funny it’s offensive if u don’t know how to say it don’t say it period

fat bah Diallo, 2019
"Sheh Jahlow smh"
-snip-
"amh" = shake my head [probably, in disgust]

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"Cheick Diallo (born September 13, 1996) is a Malian professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA)." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheick_Diallo.

"Malian" = Mali, West Africa.

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Excerpt #4:
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESd3hHRbeuo
Cheick Diallo NBA draft journey - Canal NBA 28 octobre 2016
Triple Threat Agency, Published on Nov 2, 2016
-snip-
The name Cheick Diallo is also pronounced at .30 of this video.

The pronunciation of the name "Diallo" in these two videos seems to more closely conform with an American pronunciation rather than the "j" ("Jalloh") pronunciation that is given above. I wonder if Cheick Diallo is pronouncing his name closely to the American pronunciation on purpose or is this the way that name is pronounced in Mali?

If you know how the name "Diallo" is traditionally pronounced in various African nations, please share that information in the comment section below. Thanks!

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AFRICAN AMERICAN PRONUNCIATION OF THE FIRST NAME "DIALLO"
Adhering to customary ways that words are pronounced in the United States, particularly among many African Americans, the personal name "Diallo" appears to be pronounced "dee-ah-low"/"dee-AH-loh". Traditionally, the name "Diallo" is traditionally pronounced "JAH-low"/"JAH-loh".

Here are two examples of that pronunciation:
Example #1:
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpI6OaZGssY

Atlanta" - Black History with Diallo & Bashir (ft. Finesse Mitchell) | Night Class | History
HISTORY, Published on Dec 5, 2016
Diallo and Bashir discuss the cultural significance of Atlanta in the black community with "Saturday Night Live" alum Finesse Mitchell. #NightClass
-snip-
1:16 "Diallo" is pronounced “dee-AH-low”

Diallo Riddle and Bashir Salahuddin are African American television writers. The TBS series The Last O.G.* is an example of their writing credits.

*"O.G." in the title of that television series means 'Original Gangster". In Hip Hop culture calling someone an "O. G." is usually considered to be complimentary. Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_O.G for information about this American television series.

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Example #2:
http://www5.milwaukee.k12.wi.us/school/zablocki/staff/diallo-tyler/
Diallo Tyler
Position: Teacher

[...]

Teaching since: 2001

[…]

Fun fact: Diallo, an African name, means bold. For as long as I can remember, people have mispronounced my name and called me Diablo, which means devil in Spanish.
-snip-
Notice that the mispronunciation of "Diallo" with the Spanish word "diablo" (dee-AH-bloh").

Listen to the pronunciations of Diallo which are given in the videos that are embedded in this post.

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MEANING OF THE NAME "DIALLO"
A number of websites, including the one given above for "Diallo Tyler", indicate that the name "Diallo" means "bold".

A large number of websites that cite the meaning of the name "Diallo" refer to Rachel Dolezal, an American woman who has two biological White parents but considers herself to be Black. Rachel Dolezal legally changed her name to "Nkechi Amare Diallo" in 2016, but that information apparently wasn't widely known until March 2017.

From https://nypost.com/2017/03/01/rachel-dolezal-changes-her-name-to-west-african-moniker/ Rachel Dolezal changes her name to West African moniker
By Chris Perez March 1, 2017
"Rachel Dolezal — the white NAACP leader who pretended to be black for years — has reportedly changed her name to a West African moniker meaning “gift of God.”

The 39-year-old will now be called Nkechi Amare Diallo, according to the Daily Mail.

Legal documents obtained by the British outlet show that she legally changed her name in a Washington state court back in October.

Nkechi, which is short for Nkechinyere, originates from the Igbo language of Nigeria and translates to “what God has given” or “gift of God,” the Mail reports.

Diallo, or “bold,” is ultimately of Fula origin. The Muslim ethnic group is said to have roots in the Middle East and West Africa.

Dolezal — the former president of the NAACP’s Spokane chapter and a one-time professor of Africana studies at Eastern Washington University — reportedly has fallen on hard times since being exposed by her parents as white in June 2015."...
-snip-
UPDATE: April 29, 2018
Instead of just accepting what I read online, I wonder if the traditional meaning for "Diallo" really is "bold". If so, how and why that was "Diallo" given that meaning? Did an early Fula ancestor do something daring in some battle and thus that meaning came to be attached to that name?

What is the earliest documentation for this meaning? Knowing that might help to determine how real that meaning is.

Also, it occurs to me that if the Fula name "Diallo" really means "bold" (as various websites indicate), that might not be a positive characteristic.

If you know more about this subject, please share it in the comment section below. Thanks!

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SELECTED YOUTUBE VIDEOS
Example #1: Sweet Sweet Fanta Diallo-ALPHA BLONDY



jubaleeproductions, Published on Oct 20, 2012

EXCELLENT OLD SCHOOL
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/05/alpha-blondy-sweet-fanta-diallo-videos.html for a 2013 pancocojams post about Alpha Blondy's song "Sweet Fanta Diallo" That post includes the lyrics to this song.

Alpha Blondy is a Reggae singer who was born in The Ivory Coast, West Africa.

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Example #2: Wyclef Jean - Diallo



ObachLife, Published on Nov 25, 2009

Westcoast, Rap, Hip Hop, New York, NYC, Brooklyn, Ecleftic,
-snip-
This song is about Amadou Diallo. One example of the pronunciation of the name "Diallo" in this Reggae song is at 5:56-5:57.
Here's information about Amadou Diallo from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Amadou_Diallo:
"The shooting of Amadou Diallo occurred on February 4, 1999, when Amadou Diallo, a 23-year-old immigrant from Guinea, was shot and killed by four New York City Police Department plain-clothed officers—Sean Carroll, Richard Murphy, Edward McMellon and Kenneth Boss—after they mistook him for a rape suspect from one year earlier. The officers fired a combined total of 41 shots, 19 of which struck Diallo, outside his apartment at 1157 Wheeler Avenue in the Soundview section of The Bronx. The four were part of the now-defunct Street Crimes Unit. All four officers were charged with second-degree murder and acquitted at trial in Albany, New York.[1]

Diallo was unarmed, and a firestorm of controversy erupted subsequent to the event as the circumstances of the shooting prompted outrage both within and outside New York City. Issues such as police brutality, racial profiling, and contagious shooting were central to the ensuing controversy.

Early life and career
One of four children of Saikou and Kadijatou Diallo, Amadou's family is part of an old Fulbe trading family in Guinea. He was born in Sinoe County, Liberia, on September 2, 1975[2] while his father was working there, and grew up following his family to Togo, Bangkok and Singapore, attending schools in Thailand, and later in Guinea. In September 1996, he came to New York City where other family members had immigrated. He and a cousin started a business. He had reportedly come to New York City to study but had not enrolled in any school. According to his family's lawyer, Kyle B. Watters, he sought to remain in the United States by filing an application for political asylum under false pretenses, saying that he was from Mauritania and that his parents had been killed in fighting to buttress his claim that he had credible fear of going back to his country.[3] He worked as a street peddler, selling videotapes, gloves and socks from the sidewalk along 14th Street during the day. [4]"...
-snip-
"Fulbe" is another referent for the "Fula" ("Fulani", "Peul") ethnic group.

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