Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post provides information about the origins and meanings of the females names "Aisha" and "Maisha" as well as some examples of variants of those two names.
The content of this post is presented for onomastics and cultural purposes.
These excerpts are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those are quoted in this post.
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PART A: INFORMATION ABOUT THE NAME "AISHA" AND SOME EXAMPLES OF VARIANTS OF THAT NAME
Excerpt #1:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aisha
"Ā’ishah bint Abī Bakr (613/614 – 678 CE;[1] Arabic: عائشة transliteration: ‘Ā’ishah [ʕaːʔɪʃa], also transcribed as A'ishah, Aisyah, Ayesha, A'isha, Aishat, Aishah, or Aisha …. was one of Muhammad's wives.[3] In Islamic writings, her name is thus often prefixed by the title "Mother of the Believers" (Arabic: أمّ المؤمنين umm al-mu'minīn), per the description of Muhammad's wives in the Qur'an.[4][5][6]
Aisha had an important role in early Islamic history, both during Muhammad's life and after his death. In Sunni tradition, Aisha is thought to be scholarly and inquisitive. She contributed to the spread of Muhammad's message and served the Muslim community for 44 years after his death.[7] She is also known for narrating 2210 hadiths,[8] not just on matters related to the Prophet's private life, but also on topics such as inheritance, pilgrimage, and eschatology.[9] Her intellect and knowledge in various subjects, including poetry and medicine, were highly praised by early luminaries such as al-Zuhri and her student Urwa ibn al-Zubayr.[9]
Her father, Abu Bakr, became the first caliph to succeed Muhammad."...
**
Excerpt #2:
From http://www.quranschool.com/baby-name.php?page=11&t=girl&searches=A#table2
"Aisha - Girl: Living, Prosperous, Lively, Woman, Life, She is Life, Alive, Wife of Prophet Muhammad, Joy, Happiness
Aishah: Girl - Lucky, Flourishing, Lively, Woman, Life, Perfect (Women), Aisha was the Name of the Favorite Wife of the Prophet Mohammed
Aisaih: Girl - Add Meaning
Aisha: - Girl: Living, Prosperous, Lively, Woman, Life, She is Life, Alive, Wife of Prophet Muhammad, Joy, Happiness
Aishah: Girl - Lucky, Flourishing, Lively, Woman, Life, Perfect (Women), Aisha was the Name of the Favorite Wife of the Prophet Mohammed
Aishatou: Girl - Add Meaning
Aishatu: Girl -Add Meaning
Aishia: Girl - Add Meaning
Aishiah: Girl - Add Meaning
Aisia: Girl - Woman, Life, Lively, Perfect (Women)
Aisiah: Girl - Woman, Life, Lively, Perfect (Women)
Aiysha: Girl - Add Meaning"
-snip-
Here's a YouTube sound file of the traditional pronunciation for the name "Aisha":
How to Pronounce Aisha*
Emma Saying, Published on Dec 4, 2013
-snip-
*The speaker in that video pronounced "Aisha": "I-sha" (with the letter "i" being pronounced like the English word "eye".)
Based on my experiences, African Americans usually pronounce the name "Aisha": "i-EE-shah" with the "i" pronounced like the English word "eye". That doesn't mean that this pronunciation is wrong. It just isn't the traditional pronunciation.
****
Excerpt #3
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%27isha_(name)
"A'isha (Arabic: عائشة, Āʾisha; also spelled A'aisha , Aisha, Aishah, Aicha, Aishat, Aisya, Aisyah, Ayşe, Aiša, Ajša, Aïcha, or Aisyah) is an Arabic female given name which means "She who lives" or "womanly".
Ayesha is a common variant spelling in the Arab World and countries with a high population of Sunni Muslims such as the United States, where it was ranked 2,020 out of 4,275 for females of all ages in the 1990 US Census.[1] The name Ayesha was briefly popular among English-speakers after it appeared in the book She by Rider Haggard."
-snip-
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/She:_A_History_of_Adventure
"She, subtitled A History of Adventure, is a novel by English writer H. Rider Haggard, first serialised in The Graphic magazine from October 1886 to January 1887. She was extraordinarily popular upon its release and has never been out of print."...
****
Excerpt #4
http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/Ayesha
"Ayesha...as a girls' name is of Persian origin, and the meaning of Ayesha is "small one". Also variant of Aisha.
ASSOCIATED WITH small (little)
Variations
ALTERNATIVE FORMS VIA AISHA: Aayshah, Aeesha, Aeeshah, Aeisha, Aesha, Aeshah, Aiesha, Aieshah, Aishah, Aishia, Aisia, Asha, Ashah, Ashia, Asia, Ayeesa, Ayeesah, Ayeesha, Ayeeshah, Ayeisa, Ayeisah, Ayeisha, Ayeishah, Ayisa, Ayisah, Ayisat, Ayisha, Ayishah, Aysha, Ayshe, Ieasha, Ieesha, Ieeshah, Ieeshia, Iesha, Ieshah, Ihisha, Isha, Maisha, Miesha, Myesha, Niesha, Taisha, Teisha, Tiesha, Tyesha, Tyisha, Tynisha, Yiesha, Yieshah
[...]
How popular is Ayesha?
Ayesha is a very prominent first name for women (#2020 out of 4276, Top 47%) but an uncommon last name for both adults and children. (2000 U.S. CENSUS)
Ayesha entered the list in 1970-1979 and reached its top rank of #1182 in the U.S. in the 1980s, and is currently at #1497. (TOP 2000 NAMES, 2015)
-snip-
Pancocojams Editor's Notes:
Notice that thinkbabynames.com indicates that the Persian name "Ayesha" is a variant form of the Arabic name "Aisha".
Instead of variants of "Ayesha", some of the names on this thinkbabynames.com list appear to me to an example of the separate name "Maisha" and variants of that name and not the name "Aisha"- i.e. "Maisha, Miesha, Myesha, Niesha". As cited in Part B below, the word "maisha" and the name "Maisha" have different meanings in KiSwahili than the Arabic name "Aisha" or the Persian name "Ayesha".
Also, the names "Taisha, Teisha, Tiesha, Tyesha, Tyisha, and Tynisha" on that thinkbabyname.com list may have been coined to rhyme with the name "Aisha" or "Maisha" or they may have been inspired by the name "Tasha" (from "Natasha") or other already "established" female names or variants of those already established female names.
Furthermore, the names "Yiesha" and "Yieshah" appear to be examples of Cuban and other Caribbean nations' generation y names that began to appear in the 1970s.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/09/some-cuban-other-caribbean-first-names_30.html for a pancocojams post "Some Cuban & Other Caribbean First Names That Begin With "Y" (Article Excerpts & Some Name Meanings)"
It occurs to me that my African American niece who is in her mid 20s has the "Y" beginning name "Yameesha" (pronounced yah-MEE-shah". However, I don't think that that name is a variant form of "Aisha" or "Maisha". Instead, I think it's a creative way of combining name elements that include the popular (among some African Americans) suffix "isha" (which is pronounced "e shah")
My guess is that many of the variant names on that thinkbaby.com list were probably created in the United States or elsewhere in the late 1960s and afterwards.
****
Excerpt #5
From African Names by Julia Stewart (New York, Carol Publishing Group, 1993, page 9)
Ashia (ASH-ee-uh) - Somali female name referring to the Prophet Muhammed's favorite wife
-snip-
I have heard African Americans pronounce the name "Ashia" and its variants "Ashya" and "Ashiyah" etc. pronounced "ah-SHE-ah". That doesn't mean that these pronunciations are wrong. Instead, it means that that isn't the traditional pronunciation of that name.
****
Excerpt #6
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iesha
" "Iesha" is the debut single by Another Bad Creation, from the album Coolin' at the Playground Ya Know! Released on October 19, 1990, the song reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #6 on the R&B chart.[3][4]
[...]
Genre R&B, hip hop, new jack swing
Songwriter(s) Dallas Austin, Michael Bivins"...
-snip-
Here's the video of that song: Another Bad Creation - Iesha
AnotherBCreationVEVO, Published on Oct 8, 2009
Music video by Another Bad Creation performing Iesha. (C) 1990 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
-snip-
The name "Iesha" in this song is pronounced "i-EE-shah".
****
ADDED October 10/14/2017 7:21 PM
Excerpt #7
From February 2016 "Daily Trust" newspaper column: "Nigerian and African Muslim Personal Names Among the Gullah of Georgia and South Carolina"
[reprinted in http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/10/reprinted-nigerian-newspaper-column.html
..."[Lowenzo Dow] Turner recorded names like Aburika, which is probably a corruption of Abubakar; Adamu, incidentally my father's first name, which is the West African Muslim rendering of Adam; Aduwa, an Africanization du'a, the Arabic word for prayer; Ayisa and Ayisata, Mandingo and Bambara Muslim approximations of Aisha, the name of one of the wives of the Prophet of Islam"...
-end of added quote-
****
PART B: INFORMATION ABOUT THE WORD "MAISHA", THE NAME "MAISHA", AND EXAMPLES OF VARIANTS OF THAT NAME
Excerpt #1:
From African Names by Julia Stewart (New York, Carol Publishing Group, 1993, page 81)
"Maisha" (mah-ee-sha) Kiswahili word meaning "life"
-snip-
Here's another source for the Kiswahili word "maisha":
From http://en.bab.la/dictionary/swahili-english/maisha
"maisha = Swahili word meaning “life”
[example]
Na hizi zilikuwa nchi zinazoendelea: walikuwa na familia kubwa na walikuwa na maisha mafupi. [KiSwahili]
And these were developing countries: they had a large family and had a short life." [English translation]
****
Excerpt #2
From http://www.quranschool.com/baby-name.php?page=6&t=girl&searches=M#table2 [Arabic origin/meanings]
"Mais: Girl - Proud
Maisa: Girl - Walking with Proud Swinging Gait
Maisaa: Girl - To Walk with a Proud, Swinging Gait
Maisah: Girl - Walking with a Proud Swinging Gait, Swinging Gait"
****
Excerpt #4
Pronunciation for the word [and name] "Maisha"*
From https://www.howtopronounce.com/maisha/
[Transcription of the results for the first two sound files on that page ]
Pronunciation #1: My-shah
Pronunciation #2: may-shah
-snip-
* Based on my experiences, the usual African American pronunciation for "Maisha" (and its variants) is "my-EE-shah". Note that the second syllable EE is emphasized and elongated. This pronunciation isn't wrong, but it's not the way that word and name is traditionally pronounced in Arabic and in Kiswahili (Swahili).
****
Excerpt #5
From http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/Maisha
"Maisha as a girls' name is an Arabic name, and the meaning of Maisha is "alive and well". Maisha is a variant form of Aisha (Arabic): also possibly means "life" in Swahili.
ASSOCIATED WITH Ma-, arabic, alive (life)
Variations
VARIANTS Myesha, Miesha
RELATED FORMS VIA AISHA Aayshah, Aeesha, Aeisha, Aesha, Aiesha, Aishah, Aishia, Aisia, Asha, Ayeisha, Ayesha, Ayisa, Ayisha, Ayishah, Aysha, Ieasha, Ieesha, Iesha, Ihisha, Isha, Niesha, Taisha, Takisha, Teisha, Tiesha, Tinisha, Tyesha, Tyisha, Tynisha, Yiesha
How popular is Maisha?
Maisha is a somewhat popular first name for women (#3624 out of 4276, Top 85%) but a unique surname for both adults and children. (2000 U.S. CENSUS)
Maisha entered the list in 1970-1979 and reached its apex rank of #1450 in the U.S. in the 1970s, but is not found in the list currently. (TOP 2000 NAMES, 2015)"
-snip-
This thinkbabyname.com list for the variant forms of Maisha is basically the same list that thinkbabynames.com gave for variants forms of the name "Ayesha". My comments about those variations also apply to this entry.
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Showing posts with label sha names. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sha names. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Friday, April 8, 2016
Jamaican Names That Begin with "Ch" or "Sh"
Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest Update: Nov. 3, 2022
This pancocojams post presents a partial list of Jamaican personal names that begin with "ch" or "sch".
No name meanings are included with these names.
The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, and linguistic 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 names and naming practices in Africa and in the African Diaspora.
Some of the names listed below have Hebrew sources. Some have Anglo-European sources and some have Arabic or traditional African sources. Other names are creative spellings, combinations, clips of already excisting names, newly created names.
For two other posts in this series click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/05/arabic-names-that-begin-with-sh-or-ch.html Arabic names that begin with "sh" or "ch" and http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/05/swahili-igbo-names-that-begin-with-sh.html Swahili & Igbo Names That Begin With "Sh" or "Ch".
Other posts in this series can be accessed by clicking the "distinctive African American names" tab and the "names and naming practices" tab below.
DISCLAIMER:
The lists found in this post aren't meant to be comprehensive and aren't presented in any frequency of use order. Additions are welcome.
****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S COMMENT
Jamaicans and African Americans who have no Jamaican ancestry have similarities and differences between the way they create personal names and their sound preferences in personal names.
For example, since at least the 1990s, a number of African Americans and and a number of Jamaicans have created new personal names with the beginning or ending sound "sha" or "cha", indicating that both populations find those sounds to be aesthetically pleasing, especially in female names.
Some of the names found in the lists presented below are also found among lists of African American personal names. Read my comments in the hyperlinked posts given above about my theory as to why those sounds appear to be among those beginning sounds that are preferred by African Americans.
****
JAMAICAN NAMES THAT BEGIN WITH "CH" OR "SCH"
Each spelling is only presented one time for each gender although it might be found in more than one linked list.
FEMALE NAMES
From http://www.babynames.org.uk/jamaican-girl-baby-names.htm
Chantrelle
Charlotte
Chemier
Chloe
Chrystyna
Shakeia
Shakeina
Shakia
Shakina
Shalesia
Shalonna
Shamecca
Shandee
Shandrice
Shaneta
Shanise
Shanish
Shannel
Shantair
Shantaya
Shantel
Shantese
Sharise
Sharisha
Sharonda
Sharrita
Shauna
Shaundra
Shekeia
Shenice
Sherece
Sheree
Shona
Shonelle
Shontal
Shontaya
Shontecia
From http://parentingliteracy.com/baby-names/66-baby-names-by-nationality/130-popular-jamaican-baby-names
Chevelle [pronunciation shay-VEL]
Shakera/ Shakira [sha-KEE-ra]
Shamara [sha-MAHR-a]
Shavoy [sha-VOY]
From http://www.babynamescube.com/jamaican-baby-names/start-letter-c/2
Chandice
Chantae
Chantell
Chantrelle
Charlaine
Charmaine
Chastity
From http://www.babynamescube.com/jamaican-baby-names/start-letter-c/3
Chenell
Cherry
Chris
Chrisann
Chrisette
Christine
From http://www.top-100-baby-names-search.com/jamaica-baby-names.html
Shandi
Sharee
Shariann
Sharron
From http://www.studentsoftheworld.info/penpals/stats.php3?Pays=JAM
(students of the world pen pal statistics)
Shanice
Christina
Shayna
Cheneil
Shaleka
Shantell
ChelSi
Shinel
****
MALE NAMES
From http://www.babynames.org.uk/jamaican-boy-baby-names.htm
Shan
Shandrel
Shawnte
Sheik
Sherwin
From http://www.babynamescube.com/jamaican-baby-names/start-letter-c/2
Chad
Champaign
Charles
Charlie
From http://www.babynamescube.com/jamaican-baby-names/start-letter-c/3
Chili
Chilton
Chip
Chris
Christopher
Churchill
From http://www.top-100-baby-names-search.com/jamaica-baby-names.html
Sheldon
Shelton
Shep
Sherlock
From http://www.studentsoftheworld.info/penpals/stats.php3?Pays=JAM
(students of the world pen pal statistics)
Shamar
Shemar
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Additional names (and name pronounciations) are welcome.
Latest Update: Nov. 3, 2022
This pancocojams post presents a partial list of Jamaican personal names that begin with "ch" or "sch".
No name meanings are included with these names.
The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, and linguistic 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 names and naming practices in Africa and in the African Diaspora.
Some of the names listed below have Hebrew sources. Some have Anglo-European sources and some have Arabic or traditional African sources. Other names are creative spellings, combinations, clips of already excisting names, newly created names.
For two other posts in this series click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/05/arabic-names-that-begin-with-sh-or-ch.html Arabic names that begin with "sh" or "ch" and http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/05/swahili-igbo-names-that-begin-with-sh.html Swahili & Igbo Names That Begin With "Sh" or "Ch".
Other posts in this series can be accessed by clicking the "distinctive African American names" tab and the "names and naming practices" tab below.
DISCLAIMER:
The lists found in this post aren't meant to be comprehensive and aren't presented in any frequency of use order. Additions are welcome.
****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S COMMENT
Jamaicans and African Americans who have no Jamaican ancestry have similarities and differences between the way they create personal names and their sound preferences in personal names.
For example, since at least the 1990s, a number of African Americans and and a number of Jamaicans have created new personal names with the beginning or ending sound "sha" or "cha", indicating that both populations find those sounds to be aesthetically pleasing, especially in female names.
Some of the names found in the lists presented below are also found among lists of African American personal names. Read my comments in the hyperlinked posts given above about my theory as to why those sounds appear to be among those beginning sounds that are preferred by African Americans.
****
JAMAICAN NAMES THAT BEGIN WITH "CH" OR "SCH"
Each spelling is only presented one time for each gender although it might be found in more than one linked list.
FEMALE NAMES
From http://www.babynames.org.uk/jamaican-girl-baby-names.htm
Chantrelle
Charlotte
Chemier
Chloe
Chrystyna
Shakeia
Shakeina
Shakia
Shakina
Shalesia
Shalonna
Shamecca
Shandee
Shandrice
Shaneta
Shanise
Shanish
Shannel
Shantair
Shantaya
Shantel
Shantese
Sharise
Sharisha
Sharonda
Sharrita
Shauna
Shaundra
Shekeia
Shenice
Sherece
Sheree
Shona
Shonelle
Shontal
Shontaya
Shontecia
From http://parentingliteracy.com/baby-names/66-baby-names-by-nationality/130-popular-jamaican-baby-names
Chevelle [pronunciation shay-VEL]
Shakera/ Shakira [sha-KEE-ra]
Shamara [sha-MAHR-a]
Shavoy [sha-VOY]
From http://www.babynamescube.com/jamaican-baby-names/start-letter-c/2
Chandice
Chantae
Chantell
Chantrelle
Charlaine
Charmaine
Chastity
From http://www.babynamescube.com/jamaican-baby-names/start-letter-c/3
Chenell
Cherry
Chris
Chrisann
Chrisette
Christine
From http://www.top-100-baby-names-search.com/jamaica-baby-names.html
Shandi
Sharee
Shariann
Sharron
From http://www.studentsoftheworld.info/penpals/stats.php3?Pays=JAM
(students of the world pen pal statistics)
Shanice
Christina
Shayna
Cheneil
Shaleka
Shantell
ChelSi
Shinel
****
MALE NAMES
From http://www.babynames.org.uk/jamaican-boy-baby-names.htm
Shan
Shandrel
Shawnte
Sheik
Sherwin
From http://www.babynamescube.com/jamaican-baby-names/start-letter-c/2
Chad
Champaign
Charles
Charlie
From http://www.babynamescube.com/jamaican-baby-names/start-letter-c/3
Chili
Chilton
Chip
Chris
Christopher
Churchill
From http://www.top-100-baby-names-search.com/jamaica-baby-names.html
Sheldon
Shelton
Shep
Sherlock
From http://www.studentsoftheworld.info/penpals/stats.php3?Pays=JAM
(students of the world pen pal statistics)
Shamar
Shemar
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Additional names (and name pronounciations) are welcome.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Swahili & Igbo Names That Begin With "Sh" or "Ch"
Edited by Azizi Powell
Revised January 19, 2018
This post presents a partial list of traditional Swahili names and Igbo names that begin with "sh" or "ch". Information about the KiSwahili language and the Igbo language are also included in this post.
This post is part of an ongoing series on distinctive African American names and naming practices. Other posts in this series can be accessed by clicking the "distinctive African American names" tab below.
The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, and linguistic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
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EDITOR'S COMMENTS ABOUT THIS SERIES
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 existence of pre-1960s mainstream American names and distinctive Black American names that begin with one of those sounds and 3. the mass media attention given to some people or products with those names from the 1970s on.
I was one of the African Americans in the late 1960s who was 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 largly based on Arabic.
Islam (and therefore the Arabic language) was introduced in northern Africa in the early 7th century, in East Africa by the 9th century, in West Africa in the 10th century, and into Central Africa ( 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." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Africa.
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 one reason why Arabic names became known to African Americans. 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.
This post isn't meant to imply that the majority of distinctive African American names are from the Swahili language or the Igbo languages. In fact, only a small number of distinctive names that African Americans have are from Swahili, and very very few distinctive African American names are from the Igbo language.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/05/arabic-names-that-begin-with-sh-or-ch.html to read more about African Americans and Arabic names.
*"Free names" were names that weren't from European languages or from Hebrew (i.e. common "American names". Those names that were called "slave names".
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE KISWAHILI (SWAHILI) LANGUAGE
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swahili_language
"The Swahili language, also known as Kiswahili, is a Bantu language and the first language of the Swahili people. It is a lingua franca of the African Great Lakes region and other parts of Southeast Africa, including Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[7] The closely related Comorian language, spoken in the Comoros Islands, is sometimes considered a dialect.
Although only around fifteen to fifty million people speak Swahili as their first language,[8] it is used as a lingua franca in much of Southeast Africa. Estimates of the total number of Swahili speakers vary widely, from 60 million to over 150 million.[9] Swahili serves as a national or official language of four nations: Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its dialects are used as official languages in Comoros - Shikomor and Mayotte - Shimaore. It is also one of the official languages of the African Union and East African Community.
A significant fraction of Swahili vocabulary is derived from Arabic through contact with Arabic-speaking Muslim inhabitants of the Swahili Coast.[10] It has also incorporated German, Portuguese, English, Hindustani and French words into its vocabulary through contact with empire builders, traders and slavers during the past five centuries."
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE IGBO LANGUAGE
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igbo_language
"Igbo ... is the principal native language of the Igbo people, an ethnic group of southeastern Nigeria. There are approximately 24 million speakers, who live mostly in Nigeria and are primarily of Igbo descent. Igbo is written in the Latin script, which was introduced by British colonialists. There are over 20 Igbo dialects. There is apparently a degree of dialect leveling occurring."
****
SOME SWAHILI NAMES AND SOME IGBO NAMES THAT BEGIN WITH "SH" OR "CH"
Note: This lists aren't meant to be comprehensive.
The names are given in alphabetical order from each source. Each name is given only one although they may have been included in other sources given and elsewhere online or in print.
Note: These names may be pronounced differently in the United States as Americans usually emphasize the second syllable of each word, including names. I've found that many traditional African names use the same vowel sounds as in Spanish (a=ah, e=a, i=e, o=o, u=oo)
SWAHILI NAMES
Note: This list doesn't include examples based on Arabic names. Many of those names are included in the pancocojams post on Arabic names whose link is given above.]
From http://www.babynamescountry.com/origins/swahili_girl_baby_names3.html
[female names]
Shanee - a form of Shany
Shani - a form of Shany
Shanie - a form of Shany
Shanny - a form of Shany
Shany - marvelous,wonderful
-snip-
From http://www.top-100-baby-names-search.com/baby-names-kenyan.html
Female - Chagina brave one
Female - Chiku chatterer Swahili
Female - Chriki blessing Swahili
Female - Chinira God receives Swahili
Female - Shauri - counsel; advise
Female - Shauriana - counsel; advise
Male - Shomari - forceful
****
IGBO NAMES
From http://www.top-100-baby-names-search.com/nigerian-names-meaning.html
Igbo (Nigerian)
Male - Chetachukwu - remember God
Male - Chibueze - God is king
Female - Chichima - sweet and precious girl
Male - Chidubem - God lead me on
Male - Chiemeka - God has done well
Male/Female - Chigoziem - God has blessed me
Male/Female - Chikanma - God is the best
Male/Female - Chikezie - God's will is supreme
Male/Female - Chilotam - God remembered me
Male - Chimaobi - God knows the heart
Male/Female - Chimbuchim - God is my God
Male - Chimezie - let God done it
Female - Chinenyenwa - God gives child
Female - Chinechezirim - God thinks good of me
Female - Chinelo - God remembers me Igbo
Male/Female - Chinmakodim - God knows my condition
Female - Chinwe - God is the owner
Female - Chinyere - Chi is the giver
Male/Female - Chisomaga - God is always with me
Female - Chuku of God
Male/Female - Chukwudimma -God is good
Male - Chukwuemeka - God has done well
Male - Chukwuma -God knows
-snip-
The prefix "Chi" in these Igbo names is pronounced like the English word "she".
Note the elements “chi” and “chukwu” can also be used as a suffix, and are also found in the middle of names. for instance, [from that same online source quoted above] Male/Female - Sopuruchi - reverence God, Male/Female - Ogechukwukana - God time is the best, - Male - Okechuku - God's gift, and Female - Ginikachukwu - who is greater than God?
"Chinua" is another Igbo name. That name became known in the United States because of the Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe, author of Things Fall Apart and other books. Here's information about that name from http://www.babynamespedia.com/meaning/Chinua
"[ 3 syll. (c)hi-nua, ch-in-ua ] The baby boy name Chinua is pronounced as CH-IY-Nuw-aa- †. Chinua has its origins in the African-Igbo language. It is used largely in the African and Igbo languages. The meaning of the name is 'God's blessing'. It is derived from the word Chi which means 'God'. "
Also, with regard to the Yoruba language of Nigeria, note that "The other common problem areas [in pronouncing Yoruba words and using Yoruba pronunciation rules in speaking English] are the ‘ch’ and ‘sh’ sounds. Yoruba does not have the letter ‘c’ in its alphabet. But there is ‘s’ pronounced ‘si’ and then there’s ‘Ṣ’ pronounced ‘she’. Can you see where the confusion gets in? ;-)" http://www.yorubagirldancing.com/2010/11/15/the-h-factor/ [This website is no longer available.]
-snip-
An example of a Yoruba name in which the "s" is pronounced "sh" is "Folasade". The Nigerian/British vocalist "Sade" popularized the nickname for the name "Folasade" (meaning: honor bestowes a crown; "ade" is a Yoruba element that means "honor".)
****
EDITOR'S COMMENT
Although I have showcased some Igbo names as examples of traditional African names that have the "sh" or "ch" prefix, it should be noted that Igbo names aren't that common among African Americans. My guess is that this is because 1. information about and lists of Igbo names weren't easy to find in the United States before the 2008 or even later when that content was placed on the internet, 2. Many Igbo names have more than three syllables and most Americans (including Black Americans) prefer names and other words that have two or three syllables, 3. Igbo includes a number of names with the "u" (pronounced "oo") sound and most Americans, including African Americans, appear to dislike the "u" sound in words, including names, perhaps because of the words "ugly" and the word "ugh". A relatively recent exception to (what I believe) is African Americans' tendency not to begin (or end) names with the letter "u" is the name "Unique" (with several different spellings.) "Unique" is an example of African American names that demonstrate the parents' positive attitudes about their child and their hope that their child becomes a person who stands out in a crowd for positive reasons.
As to which traditional African language were the source of names that African Americans knew about, chose for themselves and others, and/or gave to their children in the late 1960s/1970s, I'd say - starting with the most commonly used names - Akan (Ghana, Ivory Coast), Yoruba (Nigeria), and Zulu (particularly the name "Shaka" ["Chaka"] which was a male name but was popularized by an African American female singer).
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Revised January 19, 2018
This post presents a partial list of traditional Swahili names and Igbo names that begin with "sh" or "ch". Information about the KiSwahili language and the Igbo language are also included in this post.
This post is part of an ongoing series on distinctive African American names and naming practices. Other posts in this series can be accessed by clicking the "distinctive African American names" tab below.
The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, and linguistic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
****
EDITOR'S COMMENTS ABOUT THIS SERIES
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 existence of pre-1960s mainstream American names and distinctive Black American names that begin with one of those sounds and 3. the mass media attention given to some people or products with those names from the 1970s on.
I was one of the African Americans in the late 1960s who was 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 largly based on Arabic.
Islam (and therefore the Arabic language) was introduced in northern Africa in the early 7th century, in East Africa by the 9th century, in West Africa in the 10th century, and into Central Africa ( 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." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Africa.
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 one reason why Arabic names became known to African Americans. 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.
This post isn't meant to imply that the majority of distinctive African American names are from the Swahili language or the Igbo languages. In fact, only a small number of distinctive names that African Americans have are from Swahili, and very very few distinctive African American names are from the Igbo language.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/05/arabic-names-that-begin-with-sh-or-ch.html to read more about African Americans and Arabic names.
*"Free names" were names that weren't from European languages or from Hebrew (i.e. common "American names". Those names that were called "slave names".
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE KISWAHILI (SWAHILI) LANGUAGE
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swahili_language
"The Swahili language, also known as Kiswahili, is a Bantu language and the first language of the Swahili people. It is a lingua franca of the African Great Lakes region and other parts of Southeast Africa, including Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[7] The closely related Comorian language, spoken in the Comoros Islands, is sometimes considered a dialect.
Although only around fifteen to fifty million people speak Swahili as their first language,[8] it is used as a lingua franca in much of Southeast Africa. Estimates of the total number of Swahili speakers vary widely, from 60 million to over 150 million.[9] Swahili serves as a national or official language of four nations: Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its dialects are used as official languages in Comoros - Shikomor and Mayotte - Shimaore. It is also one of the official languages of the African Union and East African Community.
A significant fraction of Swahili vocabulary is derived from Arabic through contact with Arabic-speaking Muslim inhabitants of the Swahili Coast.[10] It has also incorporated German, Portuguese, English, Hindustani and French words into its vocabulary through contact with empire builders, traders and slavers during the past five centuries."
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE IGBO LANGUAGE
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igbo_language
"Igbo ... is the principal native language of the Igbo people, an ethnic group of southeastern Nigeria. There are approximately 24 million speakers, who live mostly in Nigeria and are primarily of Igbo descent. Igbo is written in the Latin script, which was introduced by British colonialists. There are over 20 Igbo dialects. There is apparently a degree of dialect leveling occurring."
****
SOME SWAHILI NAMES AND SOME IGBO NAMES THAT BEGIN WITH "SH" OR "CH"
Note: This lists aren't meant to be comprehensive.
The names are given in alphabetical order from each source. Each name is given only one although they may have been included in other sources given and elsewhere online or in print.
Note: These names may be pronounced differently in the United States as Americans usually emphasize the second syllable of each word, including names. I've found that many traditional African names use the same vowel sounds as in Spanish (a=ah, e=a, i=e, o=o, u=oo)
SWAHILI NAMES
Note: This list doesn't include examples based on Arabic names. Many of those names are included in the pancocojams post on Arabic names whose link is given above.]
From http://www.babynamescountry.com/origins/swahili_girl_baby_names3.html
[female names]
Shanee - a form of Shany
Shani - a form of Shany
Shanie - a form of Shany
Shanny - a form of Shany
Shany - marvelous,wonderful
-snip-
From http://www.top-100-baby-names-search.com/baby-names-kenyan.html
Female - Chagina brave one
Female - Chiku chatterer Swahili
Female - Chriki blessing Swahili
Female - Chinira God receives Swahili
Female - Shauri - counsel; advise
Female - Shauriana - counsel; advise
Male - Shomari - forceful
****
IGBO NAMES
From http://www.top-100-baby-names-search.com/nigerian-names-meaning.html
Igbo (Nigerian)
Male - Chetachukwu - remember God
Male - Chibueze - God is king
Female - Chichima - sweet and precious girl
Male - Chidubem - God lead me on
Male - Chiemeka - God has done well
Male/Female - Chigoziem - God has blessed me
Male/Female - Chikanma - God is the best
Male/Female - Chikezie - God's will is supreme
Male/Female - Chilotam - God remembered me
Male - Chimaobi - God knows the heart
Male/Female - Chimbuchim - God is my God
Male - Chimezie - let God done it
Female - Chinenyenwa - God gives child
Female - Chinechezirim - God thinks good of me
Female - Chinelo - God remembers me Igbo
Male/Female - Chinmakodim - God knows my condition
Female - Chinwe - God is the owner
Female - Chinyere - Chi is the giver
Male/Female - Chisomaga - God is always with me
Female - Chuku of God
Male/Female - Chukwudimma -God is good
Male - Chukwuemeka - God has done well
Male - Chukwuma -God knows
-snip-
The prefix "Chi" in these Igbo names is pronounced like the English word "she".
Note the elements “chi” and “chukwu” can also be used as a suffix, and are also found in the middle of names. for instance, [from that same online source quoted above] Male/Female - Sopuruchi - reverence God, Male/Female - Ogechukwukana - God time is the best, - Male - Okechuku - God's gift, and Female - Ginikachukwu - who is greater than God?
"Chinua" is another Igbo name. That name became known in the United States because of the Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe, author of Things Fall Apart and other books. Here's information about that name from http://www.babynamespedia.com/meaning/Chinua
"[ 3 syll. (c)hi-nua, ch-in-ua ] The baby boy name Chinua is pronounced as CH-IY-Nuw-aa- †. Chinua has its origins in the African-Igbo language. It is used largely in the African and Igbo languages. The meaning of the name is 'God's blessing'. It is derived from the word Chi which means 'God'. "
Also, with regard to the Yoruba language of Nigeria, note that "The other common problem areas [in pronouncing Yoruba words and using Yoruba pronunciation rules in speaking English] are the ‘ch’ and ‘sh’ sounds. Yoruba does not have the letter ‘c’ in its alphabet. But there is ‘s’ pronounced ‘si’ and then there’s ‘Ṣ’ pronounced ‘she’. Can you see where the confusion gets in? ;-)" http://www.yorubagirldancing.com/2010/11/15/the-h-factor/ [This website is no longer available.]
-snip-
An example of a Yoruba name in which the "s" is pronounced "sh" is "Folasade". The Nigerian/British vocalist "Sade" popularized the nickname for the name "Folasade" (meaning: honor bestowes a crown; "ade" is a Yoruba element that means "honor".)
****
EDITOR'S COMMENT
Although I have showcased some Igbo names as examples of traditional African names that have the "sh" or "ch" prefix, it should be noted that Igbo names aren't that common among African Americans. My guess is that this is because 1. information about and lists of Igbo names weren't easy to find in the United States before the 2008 or even later when that content was placed on the internet, 2. Many Igbo names have more than three syllables and most Americans (including Black Americans) prefer names and other words that have two or three syllables, 3. Igbo includes a number of names with the "u" (pronounced "oo") sound and most Americans, including African Americans, appear to dislike the "u" sound in words, including names, perhaps because of the words "ugly" and the word "ugh". A relatively recent exception to (what I believe) is African Americans' tendency not to begin (or end) names with the letter "u" is the name "Unique" (with several different spellings.) "Unique" is an example of African American names that demonstrate the parents' positive attitudes about their child and their hope that their child becomes a person who stands out in a crowd for positive reasons.
As to which traditional African language were the source of names that African Americans knew about, chose for themselves and others, and/or gave to their children in the late 1960s/1970s, I'd say - starting with the most commonly used names - Akan (Ghana, Ivory Coast), Yoruba (Nigeria), and Zulu (particularly the name "Shaka" ["Chaka"] which was a male name but was popularized by an African American female singer).
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Monday, May 25, 2015
Arabic Male Names And Arabic Female Names That Begin With "Sh" or "Ch"
Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest Revision: June 4, 2021
This pancocojams post presents a partial list of Arabic names that begin with the prefix "sh" or "ch".
This post also includes other Arabic names that include the letters "sh" or the letters "ch".
[Note: June 4, 2021] I'm interested in this topic because a lot of contemporary African American names begin with "sh" or include "sh". I wondered if Arabic names had/have anything to do with this spelling/sound preference. My conclusion is that Arabic names (sometimes with adapted spellings) have influenced this African American naming custom.
The Addendum to this post provides about the history of Islam in the United States among Black people in the United States from the late 17th century until the 19th century and theafterwards, These excerpts are presented because my guess is that this long presence of Islam among Black Americans probably contributed to the development of certain African American sound preferences in personal names and nicknames.
The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural and linguistic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
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 for the pancocojams post entitled "Jamaican Names That Begin with "Ch" or "Sh".
EXAMPLES OF ARABIC FEMALE NAMES THAT BEGIN WITH "SH" OR "CH" OR INCLUDES "SH" OR "CH"
[This list includes all of the names that fit this description. It appears to me that only a few of those names are actually used in the United States since the late 1960s.]
From https://www.nriol.com/babynames/muslim-gaa.asp
It's my belief 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
Latest Revision: June 4, 2021
This pancocojams post presents a partial list of Arabic names that begin with the prefix "sh" or "ch".
This post also includes other Arabic names that include the letters "sh" or the letters "ch".
[Note: June 4, 2021] I'm interested in this topic because a lot of contemporary African American names begin with "sh" or include "sh". I wondered if Arabic names had/have anything to do with this spelling/sound preference. My conclusion is that Arabic names (sometimes with adapted spellings) have influenced this African American naming custom.
The Addendum to this post provides about the history of Islam in the United States among Black people in the United States from the late 17th century until the 19th century and theafterwards, These excerpts are presented because my guess is that this long presence of Islam among Black Americans probably contributed to the development of certain African American sound preferences in personal names and nicknames.
The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural and linguistic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
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 for the pancocojams post entitled "Jamaican Names That Begin with "Ch" or "Sh".
****
LISTS OF ARABIC NAMES THAT BEGIN WITH "SH"
From http://www.sudairy.com/arabic/masc.html [This page no longer exists.]
[Male names]
Sha'ban - Eighth month of the Muslim lunar calendar
Shadi - Singer, enchanter
Shadin - Fawn, young deer
Shafi - Mediator
Shafiq, Shafeeq - Kind, compassionate, tender
Shahid - Witness
Shahin - Hawk
Shahir - Well-known, famous
Shakib - Present, gift, reward
Shakir - Thankful
Shams al Din - Sun of the faith
Shamal - Wind that comes from the north
Shamil - All comprehensive
Shamim - Fragrant
Sharaf - Honor
Sharif, Shareef - Honest, honorable, noble, distinguished
Shawqi - Affectionate
Shihab - Flame, blaze
Shihab al Din - Star of the Faith
Shihad - Honey
Shu'aib, Shu'ayb - A Prophet's name
Shukri - Thankfulness
Shumayl - Complete
****
From http://www.sudairy.com/arabic/fem.html [This page no longer exists.]
[Female names]
Shadan - Young gazelle
Shadha, Shadhaa - Aroma
Shadhiyah - Aromatic
Shadiyah - Singer
Shafiqah - Compassionate, sympathetic
Shahd - Honey, honeycomb
Shahidah - Witness
Shahirah - Well-known, famous
Shahlah - Blush
Shahrazad - Teller of "Tales of 1,001 Nights"
Shakirah - Thankful
Shamilah - Complete, comprehensive
Shams - Sun
Sharifah, Shareefa, Sherrifah - Noble, honored
Shawq - Longing
Shayma, Shaymaa - to look out
Shifa' - Curing, healing
Shimah - Nature, habit
Shiyam - Nature, character
Shudun - Powerful, straight
Shuhrah - Fame, reputation
Shukrah - Thankfulness
Shukriyah - Of thanks
Shuruq - Rising, shining
LISTS OF ARABIC NAMES THAT BEGIN WITH "SH"
From http://www.sudairy.com/arabic/masc.html [This page no longer exists.]
[Male names]
Sha'ban - Eighth month of the Muslim lunar calendar
Shadi - Singer, enchanter
Shadin - Fawn, young deer
Shafi - Mediator
Shafiq, Shafeeq - Kind, compassionate, tender
Shahid - Witness
Shahin - Hawk
Shahir - Well-known, famous
Shakib - Present, gift, reward
Shakir - Thankful
Shams al Din - Sun of the faith
Shamal - Wind that comes from the north
Shamil - All comprehensive
Shamim - Fragrant
Sharaf - Honor
Sharif, Shareef - Honest, honorable, noble, distinguished
Shawqi - Affectionate
Shihab - Flame, blaze
Shihab al Din - Star of the Faith
Shihad - Honey
Shu'aib, Shu'ayb - A Prophet's name
Shukri - Thankfulness
Shumayl - Complete
****
From http://www.sudairy.com/arabic/fem.html [This page no longer exists.]
[Female names]
Shadan - Young gazelle
Shadha, Shadhaa - Aroma
Shadhiyah - Aromatic
Shadiyah - Singer
Shafiqah - Compassionate, sympathetic
Shahd - Honey, honeycomb
Shahidah - Witness
Shahirah - Well-known, famous
Shahlah - Blush
Shahrazad - Teller of "Tales of 1,001 Nights"
Shakirah - Thankful
Shamilah - Complete, comprehensive
Shams - Sun
Sharifah, Shareefa, Sherrifah - Noble, honored
Shawq - Longing
Shayma, Shaymaa - to look out
Shifa' - Curing, healing
Shimah - Nature, habit
Shiyam - Nature, character
Shudun - Powerful, straight
Shuhrah - Fame, reputation
Shukrah - Thankfulness
Shukriyah - Of thanks
Shuruq - Rising, shining
****
EXAMPLES OF ARABIC MALE NAMES THAT BEGIN WITH "SH" OR "CH" OR INCLUDES "SH" OR "CH"
[This list includes all of the names that fit this description. It appears to me that only a few of those names are actually used in the United States since the late 1960s.]
EXAMPLES OF ARABIC MALE NAMES THAT BEGIN WITH "SH" OR "CH" OR INCLUDES "SH" OR "CH"
[This list includes all of the names that fit this description. It appears to me that only a few of those names are actually used in the United States since the late 1960s.]
Modern Muslim Boy Names dictionary starting with
letter 'A' and their meanings in a simple and easy to navigate format. The list
comprises of Unique Islamic boy baby names from the holy Quran for [the] alphabet that are popular across the world.
Aashif - Courageous
Aatish - Purifying,
Brilliance
Arshad - Honest
Ashur - A month in the
Islamic calender
Ashfaq - Noble prince
Baashir - Bringer of good
news
Basha - Stranger
Bashar - Bringer of glad
tidiings
Basho - Banana Plant
Bishr - Joy
Bushr - Joy, Happiness
Chafik - Sympathising
Chahid - Wintness
Chahli - Merriment,
Pleasantry
Chaini - Gorgeous
Chakir - The chosen one
Chamali -The
one who serves water
Chams - Sun
Chan - Light
Changez - Solid
Changeez - Name
of King
Chaker - Thanking
Challita -Cool
Chanan - God was
Compassionate, Cloud
Chanda - God's
Compassion, Fierce, Passionate, Violent
Chantz - Good fortune
Charagh - Lamp,
Light
Chash - Sweet
Chaviv - Loved one
Chawki - Pleasant
Cheherazad - Funny
Chessy - Peaceful
Chelem - Dream
Chezian - Graceful
Chiragh - Lamp, Light
Chishti - Famous Saint
whose Dargah is at Ajmer
Chinar - A Tree
Chrishan - Awakened,
Almighty Lord
Chrim - Generous
Chokri - blessed
Daaneesh - Knowledge,
Wisdom
Gasheen - Good
Haanish - One who is
delighted
Haanish - One who is
delighted
Irshad - Wisdom
Ishan - Compassion
Ishaaq - A prophet's
name
Ishir -Another
name for agni
Ishaam - Promise
Ishmael - God listens
Janasheen - Successor
Kaashif - Discoverer
Kashan - Place of rulers
Ma'shooq - Beloved
Naashir - Helper
Naashit - Energetic,
Dynamic, Fresh
Parishad - Joyous
Raashid - Intelligent
Shaafi - Pure
Shaida - Greatly
Attached
Shahid - Honey
Shadi - Singer
Shah Jahan - King
of the world
Shaheem - Intelligent
Shahan Shah - King
of kings
Shakib - Patience
Shakib - Patience
Shakil - Handsome
Shakir - Thankful,
grateful
Shaquille - Handsome
Shakir - Thankful
Shameel - Beautiful
Sharif- Noble
Shariq -Bright
Shahalad - Joy
Shoaib -Who shows the
right path
Taanish -Good
Tabish - Brilliancy
Talish - Lord of the
earth, Mountain
Tanish - Beautiful,Ambition
Tash - King of Heart
Tavish - Ocean, Gold, Heaven, Brilliant
EXAMPLES OF ARABIC FEMALE NAMES THAT BEGIN WITH "SH" OR "CH" OR INCLUDES "SH" OR "CH"
[This list includes all of the names that fit this description. It appears to me that only a few of those names are actually used in the United States since the late 1960s.]
From https://www.nriol.com/babynames/muslim-gaa.asp
Modern Muslim Girl Baby Names dictionary starting with
letter 'A' and their meanings in a simple and easy to navigate format. The list
comprises of Unique Islamic girl baby names from the holy Quran for [the] alphabet that are popular across the world.
A'shadieeyah - Princess,
Perfect, Cute
Aaeesha - Life,
Living Prosperous
Aaisha - Prosperous
Abisha - Gift of god
Aisha - Life
Alesha - Protected by
god
Alisha - Protected by
God
Alishba - Pretty
Amisha - A princess
Aresha - Under an
umbrella
Arisha - Highness
Arshin - Pious
Aroush - Angel of
paradise
Ashalina - Sweet
Ashika - Love
Aysha - Love
Ayesha - Well-of
Beenish -Genius,
Intelligent
Binesh - Clever
Binish - Clever,Intelligent
Bisharah -A
narrator of Hadith
Bushra - Good omen
Busrah - Glad tidings,Good news
Chaesha - Bright, Beautiful
Chaaya -Shadow
Chadia - Gracious
Chafika -To Tend
Chamini - Love
like Ocean
Chaan - Beloved
Chaand - Garden
Chahra - Notoriety
Chaka - A Lark,Life,Energy Centre
Chakama - Poem
Chakori -Charming
Chaman - Garden
Chameli - Jasmine
Chamis- Sun
Champa - A
Flower
Chanchal - Active
Chanda - Bright
Chandni - Moonlight
Chandra - Moon
Charmi - Beautiful
Charu - Beautiful
Chasheen - Sweet
Cheena -Pure white
marble
Chellam - Pampered
Chafia - look after
Charugna - Moon
Chessy - At Peace
Chhavi -Reflection
Chereena - Beloved,Beautiful
Chiraz - Light
Chiti - Love
Choti - Little,Small
Chunni - Star
ChudarOli -Brilliant
Daleesha - Delight
Daisha - Alive
Darakhshaan - Shining
Delisha - Drop
Derafshan - Spread-out pearls
Desheya - Good day
Dewar-ul-Shams - Sunflower
Dilshad - Cheerful
Dursheka - Life
Elisha - Friend
Ereshva -Righteous
Esha'al - Protected by
god
Eshal - Name of a
flower in heaven
Eshna - Desire
Eshmaal - Bunch
of red roses
Faisha - A blessing of
all
Falisha - Happiness
Farisha - Light
Ghuncha - Bunch
of flowers
Grishma - Summer
season
Gulabsha - Beautiful
Gulafshan - Flower
Gulfisha -Sweet
smiling
Hishma -Modesty
Hubasheea - Eagle
Humisha - Godess
Saraswathi
Ilisha - Queen Of
The Earth
Insha - Creation
Inshirah - Relief
Isha - One who protects
Isha - Night
Prayer
Ishana - Ricch
Ishrat - Happy
Ishaml - Flower
Ishaal - Heaven's
Flower
Ishya - Spring
Ja'isha - Excellent
Kadshah - Companion
Kaamisha - A
happy soul
Kashida - Hardworking
Kashfia - To make it
Evident
Kashish - Attraction
Kashifa - Reveler Of
Secrets
Kashira - Jubilant
Kashooda -Attractive
Laisha - Prosperous,Angel
Lakhsha - Glittering
Lakeshia - Alive
Lashirah - Very
Intelligent
Lekeisha - Woman
Lekisha - Life,Woman
Lisha - Fortunate
Women
Oishi - Divine
Omysha - Smile
Osheen - Shinning,Beautiful
Oshna - Fragrance
Raashida - Wise,
Mature, Intelligent, Sober
Rasheedah - Intelligent
Rasheeqeh - Happy
Rashida - Intelligent
Rashifah - Friend
Resham -Silk
Reshaqet - Beautiful
Reshma - Golden silk
Rifsheh - Broad
Rimsha - Bunch of flowers
Roshen - Bright
Roshena - Brightened
Roshini - Light
****
ADDENDUM
A)
A)
MY EDITORIAL COMMENTS ABOUT AFRICAN AMERICANS RECEIVING OR SELECTING AN AFRICAN NAME PRIOR TO THE 1970s
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 largly based on Arabic.
I doubt that the history of Africans who were Muslims and who were enslaved in the United States consciously contributed to African Americans' preference for certain sounds for personal names and nicknames. However, I believe that long forgotten history helped develop some of those sound preferences
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.
It's my belief 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 existence of mainstream American names and distinctive Black American names that begin with or includes "sh" or "ch" prior to and after the late 1960s (when a number of African Americans began to consciously select non-European and non-Hebrew names for themselves and their children)
and
3. the presence of Arabic names with those sounds by fictitious characters and by real people prior to and after the late 1960s.
2. the existence of mainstream American names and distinctive Black American names that begin with or includes "sh" or "ch" prior to and after the late 1960s (when a number of African Americans began to consciously select non-European and non-Hebrew names for themselves and their children)
and
3. the presence of Arabic names with those sounds by fictitious characters and by real people prior to and after the late 1960s.
****
B)
ARTICLES ABOUT BLACK AMERICANS AND ISLAM PRIOR TO THE 1960s
1.
ARTICLES ABOUT BLACK AMERICANS AND ISLAM PRIOR TO THE 1960s
1.
"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.
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."...
****
2. 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."...
****
3. 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."...
-snip-
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.
****
4.
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.
****
C) 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.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE HISTORY OF ISLAM (and therefore, the Arabic language) IN AFRICA
From
"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."...
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
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."...
****
2. 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."...
****
3. 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."...
-snip-
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.
****
4.
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.
****
C) 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.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE HISTORY OF ISLAM (and therefore, the Arabic language) IN AFRICA
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."...
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Comments About Distinctive African American Names (Which I Don't Call "Ghetto Names")
Edited by Azizi Powell
This is part of an ongoing series on distinctive African American names and naming practices. Other posts in this series can be accessed by clicking the "distinctive African American names" tab below.
This post features three excerpts of online articles/blog posts with comments about African American names and naming practices, with a particular focus on distinctive, and often newly created African American names.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, linguistic, and sociological purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
****
EDITOR'S COMMENTS ABOUT THIS SERIES
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, and 2. the existence of pre-1960s mainstream American names and distinctive Black American names that begin with one of those sounds and 3. the mass media attention given to some people or products with those names from the 1970s on.
I was one of the African Americans in the late 1960s who were interested in finding lists of African names so that we could change our "slave names" (birth names from European languages or from Hebrew) 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 largly based on Arabic. 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. I owned both of those books, but unfortunately, The Book of African Names (As Told by Chief Osuntoki) has gone missing. Some names from that second book is included in the pancocojams post on traditional African names that begin or end with "sh" or "ch".
More information about the presence of the Arabic language in African is included in the upcoming pancocojams post on Arabic & African language names that begin with "Sh" or "Ch".
****
QUOTES ABOUT BLACK (AFRICAN AMERICAN) NAMES AND NAMING PRACTICES
These quotes are presented in somewhat random order. They are numbered for referencing purposes only. I also added a brief editorial comment regarding quote #1 & #2.
Quote #1:
From http://pricetheory.uchicago.edu/levitt/Papers/FryerLevitt2004.pdf
The Quarterly Journal Of Economics "The Causes and Consequences of Distinctive Black Names"
Ronld G. Fyrer, Jr. and Steven D. Levitt
Vol CXIX August 2004, Issue 3
“In the 1960s Blacks and Whites choose relatively similar first names for their children. Over a short period of time in the early 1970s, that pattern changed dramatically with most Blacks (particularly those living in racially isolated neighborhoods) adopting increasingly distinctive names, but a subset of Blacks actually moving toward more assimilating names. The patterns in this data appear most consistent with a model in which the rise of the Black power movement influenced how Blacks perceived their identities. Among Blacks born in the last two decades, names provide a strong signal of socioeconomic status, which was not previously the case. We find, however, no negative relationship between having a distinctive Black name and later life outcomes after controlling for a child’s circumstances at birth.”
-snip-
[The researchers] used data that covered every child born in California in the past four decades. “We first document the stark differences between Black and White name choices in recent years. For example, more than 40% of the Black girls born in California in recent years received a name that not one of the roughly 100,000 White girls born in California that year was given. Even among popular names, racial patterns are pronounced. Names such as DeShawn, Tyrone, Reginald, Shanice, Precious, Kiara, and Deja are quite popular among Blacks but virtually unheard of for Whites. The opposite is true for names such as Connor, Cody, Jake, Molly, Emily, Abigail, and Caitlin. Each of these names appear in at least 2,000 cases (between 1989- 2000) with less than two percent of the recipients Black. Overall, Black choices of first names differ substantially more from Whites than do the names chosen by native born Hispanics and Asians."...
****
Quote #2
From http://www.quora.com/Ethnic-and-Cultural-Differences-1/It-is-relatively-common-for-African-Americans-to-have-given-names-that-appear-to-have-been-coined-by-their-mothers-whereas-it-is-very-uncommon-for-others-What-is-the-explanation
"Question: Ethnic and Cultural Differences: It is relatively common for African-Americans to have given names that appear to have been coined by their mothers, whereas it is very uncommon for others. What is the explanation?"
Jon Pennington
"Answer: In his book A Matter of Taste: How Names, Fashion, and Culture Change, the sociologist Stanley Lieberson attributes the increase in unique African-American names during the 1960s to greater black cultural pride in the context of the U.S. civil rights and black power movements:
Lieberson gives several examples of how black pride and black culture influenced naming practices among African-Americans after the 1960s, not just for invented names. When the African-American miniseries Roots became a ratings blockbuster in 1977, the character Kizzy, played by actress Leslie Uggams, was so popular that Kizzy became the 17th most popular name for black girls in the state of Illinois almost overnight. Marcus was the 164th most popular name for black boys in 1956, but became the 13th most popular name for black boys in 1970, as a result of increasing interest in the early 20th century pan-Africanist and black separatist, Marcus Garvey. Islamic names previously popular in the Arabic-speaking world also became popular among African-Americans, due to the increasing prominence of Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam. Finally, another factor was the publication of baby name books that encouraged African-American parents to choose distinctive names for their children, such as this book on African names originally published in 1970: [picture of the cover of The Book Of African Names As Told by Chief Osuntoki]."
-snip-
While I agree that there has been a huge increase in the selection of what mainstream America views as "non-standard American" names since the 1ate 1960s/early 1970s, long before those decades African Americans had personal names that were different than the names that Anglo-Americans gave their children. Documentation of that is found in Eliza Dinwiddle-Boyd’s 1994 book: Proud Heritage: 11,001 Names For Your African American Baby (New York, Avon Books). In that book Dinwiddle-Boyd cites names from Newbell Niles Puckett's Names of American Negro Slaves (1937). Examples of some of those names -which Dinwiddle-Boyd often refers to as "unusual names" are included in an upcoming pancocojams post on distinctive African American names that begin with "Sh" or "Ch".
****
Quote #3:
From http://madamenoire.com/320750/gave-my-daughter-a-ghetto-name/
"I Gave My Daughter A Ghetto Name And i Regret It" November 8, 2013
Summary: An African American mother named Diamonte writes that she was seventeen years old when she gave her daughter what she wrote is believes is "now considered an ethnic name (I think this is a politically correct way of saying “ghetto name". The mother wrote:
"My daughter’s name is Qui Ante’ (pronounced Kee-on-tay). It means brave warrior and is also a combination of my name and her dad’s name. For my moms who are also wine aficionados, you’ll notice it is very similar to Chianti. I assure you, that part is purely coincidental.
When I gave my daughter her name, I honestly wasn’t thinking about how it would look on a resume. I was 17 and wanted something unique that had meaning and a little pizzazz. Like my name, Diamonte, which means diamond in Spanish. Needless to say, her name has that in spades. At the time, it sounded cute, so I went with it. When I got older, and the bias in the world became more apparent to me, I began to feel a sense of regret and began researching the name change process. I haven’t done anything with the information because I felt it something she should decide for herself, but I still wanted to know what options would be available to her should the time come where she needs to change it."
-snip-
There are 420 comments to date. I've selected 26 comments to re-post here that are somewhat representative of that discussion thread, although I admit that I selected more comments whose positions I agree with than comments I don't agree with. I believe that readers can probably guess which positions those are.
All but one of these comments are from 2013. These comments may not be in sequential order.
a. Candeice Llovely
"Allow her to be proud of her name, who cares what others think or say....she'll grow up with what you call a ethic name while pursuing her Master's degree and reaching for the stars : )) God bless"
**
b. DontAskStillTell
"You shouldn't put a social boundary on your child that she would have to fill out some resume. I have a unique name myself and I've had no problems finding great paying jobs. However, why not raise your child to be self-employed, innovative, fashion designer or more. There's a world outside of the 9-5 where a person doesn't have to change their name, ethnic root or personality to fit in. They make their own way. Let it go and let Qui Qui be.:
**
c. LouLouB
"I think a lot of people a missing the point. Being ashamed of a ghetto name doesn't mean you're ashamed of being black. There's a difference between the two.
To me names like Issac and Earl are black sounding names but they're not ghetto. La'Quisha etc sounds ghetto. A similar thing (to a lesser extent) can happen to white people. With a name like Kyleigh or Kaihden some people will assume they were born to teenage parents or are uneducated etc.
A name says a lot to many, whether we like it or not."
**
d. Betts
"My mother named my daughter Aneesha (Agnus of God) Charmon(charming), she closed her eyes & said yes this is beautiful to hear on the playground, or to call her from outside. Now, if she was teased or not about her name or her skin color, I still gave her the confidence she needed. She is 21 & constantly tells me I prepared her for the world & life."
**
e. Jessica-Lynn Sage
"sounds like another black woman focused on others' opinions. so you named your child an eccentric name.... it's not ghetto, it's different. and your child is an individual, unlike any other.
it seems when most people name their children they focus too much on "if they'll be able to get a job". why is that the primary concern?? whatever happened to naming your child based on the bond you've created w/ the fetus and what you intuitively feel suits them. Qui Ante may end up being a brilliant, game-changing entrepreneur not even remotely interested in getting a 'nine to five'. Qui Ante could be a trailblazer for women who have unique names and learn to step into their divinity rather than shrink and try to conform.
i say Mama did a great job naming her daughter and Qui Ante has big shoes too fill (based on the meaning of her name), but as long as her mother regrets her name then it could certainly make it difficult for Qui Ante to come into her own."
**
f. REALNESS
"There's nothing wrong with an ethnic sounding name but that is different from a ghetto name. I have an ethnic name and although the name was often mispelled and to this day still people have mispronounced it, i love it.
BUT there are names that have nothing to do with ethnicity just plain silliness like being named after luxury items or just trying a lil too hard to be original like Sha_naynay, Nyquila, Obamaneisha and even Taquila....why would we want our kids to stand out like that /??? I have given my kids strong names that are original and with meaning but that will not give anyone pause on if this child is 'hood'. This is of course my personal choice as it is another mom's choice to name her child Nyquila ...i just beleive that every choice i make for my child should not be to be to be cute or different but to matter and to help them int he course of their lives."
**
g. cantaloupe w you
"My name is La'Shanta Knowles and yes I have a ghetto name. I'm not going to change my name because some idiot assume that I'm a stereotype. So if an employer sees that I have 6 years experience in Graphic Design, has a 4 year degree, but fails to call me for an interview because of my name then I consider that a blessing in disguise because that company might not be a good fit for me.
I love me. I respect me and I respect the name my mom gave me. Perhaps I have too much pride, but I'm not going to change for corporate America."
**
Reply
h. Val > I cantaloupe w you
"I agree with everything you said except your name being ghetto. It's not ghetto, it's just an African American name."
**
i. StansArePsychotic
"My name is Omolara and I can easily shorten it to Lara and it will be no problem. All of my friends with ghetto names hate it and they use their non-ghetto names (Michelle, Linda, Lisa, Melissa etc) instead. Stop naming your children ghetto names that they late grow up to loathe. Almost all of my friends with ghetto names shorten them or use their middle name (if it's not ghetto)."
**
j. ogunsiron > StansArePsychotic [2014]
Your name may be foreign but at least it's a real name (yoruba, right?).
Those are way more respected than hood names that mean nothing except "my parents are stupid".
**
k. ohthatswhatyouthought
"Pizzazz"? I will never understand why people give their children ghetto names to make them feel special. You don't think your child is special enough already?
**
l. Japera
"It is a very unfortunate reality that those of us with less racially ambiguous names have some sort of built in inferiority complex. Here's the real: If many of our ancestors in America had not been stripped of their identities, many of our parents and grandparents would not have to try so hard to "create" names that signify some desire for individuality and some sort of identity. My name is Japera... no one knows what the hell that means nor whether I am a male or female... most butcher the name when attempting to pronounce it.. and you know what.... I love it! Every time I get the opportunity to tell someone how to correctly pronounce my name, I give them this story: "My name is Jah-per-ay. I was named in a naming ceremony several days after my birth. In some West-African cultures people wait a few days to name children and name them according to birth order, personality, family history etc. In west african cultures it would be pronounced as phonically written, but my parents wanted to add a little flare. I was named Japera because I am the last of four children; my name means 'we are finished.' Although my parents are not clear from which West-African culture my name originates, they are sure one on thing... no more children after me!" I love my name! I love my story and if I had some multi-syllabic name that was a mixture of my relatives or my mom's favorite beverage I'd LOVE that too! All of our names have a story! Maybe ask your parents the story and embrace it! If WE are uncomfortable with who we are, we give THEM permission to be uncomfortable and discriminatory too!"
**
m. mimi
"Hmmm what sounds better a nice, respectable job with great pay? Or stuck at minimum wage place struggling to make ends meet working with La'Quisha and Anfernee? Sometimes you have to bite your tongue and swallow your pride, it's called growing up! Yes, it sucks to be profiled and sometimes being profiled over as something as little as a name. But I rather much take the job that's gonna look great on my resume and help me get by in life.
**
n. Truly S. > mimi [2014]
"OK then--don't ever name your daughter something like Condoleeza. She'll be behind a fast-food counter all her life. :-)"
-snip-
This facetious comment refers to Condeleeza Rice, an African American female with a distinctive first name who was the United States Secretary of State under President George W. Bush.
**
o. ogunsiron
"Akintundes and Olabumni's don't have the bad reputation of deVandre and LaCoochia. There's a difference between being black and being a low class hoodrat. People discriminate against names that scream "hood" and that's very rational.
There are more classic names that are used almost only by black people like Karl or Clarence or Percy and I don't think those blacks have it hard because those names scream "middle class or upper middle class black" and, what do you want, that's probably a better origin than "projects".
If you dont want to hurt your kid don't name them "I'm from the projects and my mom was a single mom and we were 5 all with different daddies".
-snip-
This commenter-whose name (or at least the first part of his name) is Yoruba (Nigerian) gives two other Yoruba names and argues that names from other languages aren't what he calls "hoodrat". His comments reveals the stereotypes that he holds for lower income Black people.
**
p. Guest > Val
[This was written in response to Val's comment which I'm summarizing as 'All names are made up and all names are ethnic; White names are also ethnic names although people don't refer to them as ethnic names.'.
"I get your point. Just as people have the right to raise their own kids as they choose, they should have the right to name them as they choose. But, I believe the thing a parent has to keep in mind when naming their children is: do I plan for my child to be with just me the rest of their life, or go out into a tough world and be around other people? People can do as they please; there are just consequences to everything we do. This is often what guides a parent's decisions in how they raise their children, or name them. Most people would probably make a different choice, if they could look into the future and see the grief their child would suffer because of their name.
It's not just "ghetto" names. Kids named, Apple, Moxie Crimefighter, and North West, are likely going to be pretty ticked off at their parents one day, for naming them like science experiments. There was a time when people thought it was cute - mostly in the south - to give girls boy names...my mother included. Tommy, Billy, Jimmie, Frankie, etc. My sister's given name, is one of those names, and she never thought it was cute when her mail arrived addressed to Mr. ______. She was named in the traditon of women in my mother's family. But, my sister has always considered having to explain that she is a woman with a male name, a bane to her existence.
I try to imagine how the names preceded by Le, La, and De evolved into what are now considered ghetto names, I suppose that people originally thought those prefixes made the names sound French or Spanish. LeRoy is not a name you hear much these days, but at least it's a derivative of 'Le Roi', which is French for 'The King'. But, names can become fodder for ridicule, when someone begins putting prefixes that mean 'the' or 'of' in front of sounds that have no documented meanings. The...wait, what? Some of the names that other people have provided as examples of unusual ones, such as Condoleezza and Barack, actually mean something in other languages. A made up name, that's all flare with no content, musical without notes, initially comes across as pretentious. However, I do believe that people can validate their names. When my daughters were teenagers, I selected their gynecologist based solely on her name. It's a 15 letter name with all the bells and whistles...complete with the phony prefix and a 'Q' in it. I KNEW she was black. But, the woman is a doctor, and I felt that was an important lesson for my daughters. So, when some aspect of a person doesn't get taken seriously, such as a name, maybe it just means that person has to work a little harder to overcome the perceptions That may seem unfair to them, but that's the way life has always been."
**
q. Val > Guest
"I understand your point but my point was that this is more about perception. The perception being that if it's derived from Black folks (and White folks haven't figured a way to profit from it) then it's bad.
Let's look at an example you put forth, "Condoleezza". Most people think of success when they think of that name. But, the truth is, if that were not a former Secretary of State's name but the name of a teenaged Black girl from the South Side of Chicago people would dissect the name and call it ghetto.
If we really look at the name we'll see that it has no meaning. It's derived for the music term, "con dolzezza" which in Italian means 'with sweetness'. So, just like so many other Black women, Condoleezza Rice's mother took a word and made it into a name for her child. It's only that we perceive the name differently than other so-called Black names.
I just hate it that some of us are so willing to see others of us in such a negative way, while at the same time defending and endorsing White cultural norms."
**
r. mosambie > Val
"Val, "white" is not an ethnic group. It is a general term to describe people from many ethnic groups.
s. Reply
Val > mosambie
"I think you missed my point, maybe I should have been more clear but it was only a passing point.
Here's what I meant; Whites refer to all non-Whites as being ethnic. For instance White people refer to Chinese or Mexican food and cultures as ethnic cultures, right? But, in both cases, Chinese culture and food and Mexican culture and food, there are many different groups of people and types of foods that make up the whole.
So, my point was that it's not just people of color that are ethnic, Whites are ethnic too. But, we are taught to view this from a White point of view therefore many of us see ourselves as ethnic while Whites are seen as non-ethnic."
**
t. mac > Val
[This is written in response to Val's comment that if a number of Black people started giving their children the names "Tom" and "Becky" White people would stop giving those names to their children since those names would be considered "ghetto".
"Tom and Becky will become ghetto?
Lol you were making sense until that reach of a statement."
**
u. KamJos > mac
"Let Black mothers in the ghetto start naming their kids Tom and Becky"
**
v. Me
"Perhaps the young lady could go by a first initial and her middle name (hopefully mom didn't go all creative with that too)."
**
w. Blkbterf1y > Guest
"What's sad is, while you've evolved into a person who has been on fortune 500 hiring panels in the past, you've witness this form of discrimination and racism and apparently condone it by warning of these "exotic" or names with " a bunch of accents" like there is something wrong with these names. If the name Barak was made up would it be taboo? Of course, these "exotic or accented" names can cause a negative outcome for a prospective position. Yet, we should all understand that these only says that race and discrimination is still an issue; we are not 100% excepted for who we are (nor by our own). Simply put, the battle is not over."
**
x. guest > Val
"Look, folks can name their children whatever they want, from Becky and Tom to Marqueeshiante and Qu'Davionte. Just know that names come with connotations. Like it or not, they do. It's just a fact. And unfortunately, names like the latter are associated with every negative stereotype of Black folks one can think of. So if you're going to give your child a name with 26 letters and 17 syllables that she herself is still struggling to spell in 4th grade (yes, it happens), then do the work as a parent to help your child:
1. CONSTRUCTIVELY handle the teasing that is bound to come his/her way.
2. Build an academic/educational background that is so strong that someone will be inclined to overlook the name and give them a fair shot at an interview.
3. Teach them what the name means (if there actually happens to be a cultural meaning to the name) so they have a sense of pride rather than shame about it.
Just something to think about."
**
y. Val > guest
"You don't understand, it's not the names, it's Black people that are associated with everything negative by some. Including some people commenting here. So, name your kid Becky and it's not going to matter. As they say, wherever you go, there you are.
The people who are going to discriminate against a person with a Black sounding name are not going to start loving you because your name is Becky.
But, if you want to coddle racists and allow them to even choose for you what you name your child then that's on you."
**
z. Val > Guest
"Sure, some push the limits. But for instance that girl that hated the name Keisha, that's not an outrageous name. It's only problematic for her because it's considered a Black name. That's what bothers me, that many of us hate or make fun of names simply because they're Black associated names."
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This is part of an ongoing series on distinctive African American names and naming practices. Other posts in this series can be accessed by clicking the "distinctive African American names" tab below.
This post features three excerpts of online articles/blog posts with comments about African American names and naming practices, with a particular focus on distinctive, and often newly created African American names.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, linguistic, and sociological purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
****
EDITOR'S COMMENTS ABOUT THIS SERIES
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, and 2. the existence of pre-1960s mainstream American names and distinctive Black American names that begin with one of those sounds and 3. the mass media attention given to some people or products with those names from the 1970s on.
I was one of the African Americans in the late 1960s who were interested in finding lists of African names so that we could change our "slave names" (birth names from European languages or from Hebrew) 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 largly based on Arabic. 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. I owned both of those books, but unfortunately, The Book of African Names (As Told by Chief Osuntoki) has gone missing. Some names from that second book is included in the pancocojams post on traditional African names that begin or end with "sh" or "ch".
More information about the presence of the Arabic language in African is included in the upcoming pancocojams post on Arabic & African language names that begin with "Sh" or "Ch".
****
QUOTES ABOUT BLACK (AFRICAN AMERICAN) NAMES AND NAMING PRACTICES
These quotes are presented in somewhat random order. They are numbered for referencing purposes only. I also added a brief editorial comment regarding quote #1 & #2.
Quote #1:
From http://pricetheory.uchicago.edu/levitt/Papers/FryerLevitt2004.pdf
The Quarterly Journal Of Economics "The Causes and Consequences of Distinctive Black Names"
Ronld G. Fyrer, Jr. and Steven D. Levitt
Vol CXIX August 2004, Issue 3
“In the 1960s Blacks and Whites choose relatively similar first names for their children. Over a short period of time in the early 1970s, that pattern changed dramatically with most Blacks (particularly those living in racially isolated neighborhoods) adopting increasingly distinctive names, but a subset of Blacks actually moving toward more assimilating names. The patterns in this data appear most consistent with a model in which the rise of the Black power movement influenced how Blacks perceived their identities. Among Blacks born in the last two decades, names provide a strong signal of socioeconomic status, which was not previously the case. We find, however, no negative relationship between having a distinctive Black name and later life outcomes after controlling for a child’s circumstances at birth.”
-snip-
[The researchers] used data that covered every child born in California in the past four decades. “We first document the stark differences between Black and White name choices in recent years. For example, more than 40% of the Black girls born in California in recent years received a name that not one of the roughly 100,000 White girls born in California that year was given. Even among popular names, racial patterns are pronounced. Names such as DeShawn, Tyrone, Reginald, Shanice, Precious, Kiara, and Deja are quite popular among Blacks but virtually unheard of for Whites. The opposite is true for names such as Connor, Cody, Jake, Molly, Emily, Abigail, and Caitlin. Each of these names appear in at least 2,000 cases (between 1989- 2000) with less than two percent of the recipients Black. Overall, Black choices of first names differ substantially more from Whites than do the names chosen by native born Hispanics and Asians."...
****
Quote #2
From http://www.quora.com/Ethnic-and-Cultural-Differences-1/It-is-relatively-common-for-African-Americans-to-have-given-names-that-appear-to-have-been-coined-by-their-mothers-whereas-it-is-very-uncommon-for-others-What-is-the-explanation
"Question: Ethnic and Cultural Differences: It is relatively common for African-Americans to have given names that appear to have been coined by their mothers, whereas it is very uncommon for others. What is the explanation?"
Jon Pennington
"Answer: In his book A Matter of Taste: How Names, Fashion, and Culture Change, the sociologist Stanley Lieberson attributes the increase in unique African-American names during the 1960s to greater black cultural pride in the context of the U.S. civil rights and black power movements:
Throughout the twentieth century, black parents were somewhat more disposed than white parents to give their children names they had invented. The gaps, however, were modest. Beginning in the 1960s, there is an unprecedented rise in invented names for African-American children (daughters more than sons). Among African Americans in 1989, for example, 29 percent of girls and 16 percent of boys born in Illinois were given unique names (fig. 3.2; source: Lieberson and Mikelson 1995, 930). By contrast, 5 percent of white girls and 3 percent of white boys have such names.
This change in Illinois is not caused by the migration of blacks from south to north. And there is evidence to show that this taste for invented names is not a historic one—at least to this extent. In fact, as we shall see, the timing of this development suggests an influence stemming from the broad and intense social and political changes beginning in the 1960s, a period marked by intensified social protest, a renewed emphasis on a distinctive and valued African-American culture, and black separatism (Lieberson and Mikelson 1995).
Lieberson gives several examples of how black pride and black culture influenced naming practices among African-Americans after the 1960s, not just for invented names. When the African-American miniseries Roots became a ratings blockbuster in 1977, the character Kizzy, played by actress Leslie Uggams, was so popular that Kizzy became the 17th most popular name for black girls in the state of Illinois almost overnight. Marcus was the 164th most popular name for black boys in 1956, but became the 13th most popular name for black boys in 1970, as a result of increasing interest in the early 20th century pan-Africanist and black separatist, Marcus Garvey. Islamic names previously popular in the Arabic-speaking world also became popular among African-Americans, due to the increasing prominence of Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam. Finally, another factor was the publication of baby name books that encouraged African-American parents to choose distinctive names for their children, such as this book on African names originally published in 1970: [picture of the cover of The Book Of African Names As Told by Chief Osuntoki]."
-snip-
While I agree that there has been a huge increase in the selection of what mainstream America views as "non-standard American" names since the 1ate 1960s/early 1970s, long before those decades African Americans had personal names that were different than the names that Anglo-Americans gave their children. Documentation of that is found in Eliza Dinwiddle-Boyd’s 1994 book: Proud Heritage: 11,001 Names For Your African American Baby (New York, Avon Books). In that book Dinwiddle-Boyd cites names from Newbell Niles Puckett's Names of American Negro Slaves (1937). Examples of some of those names -which Dinwiddle-Boyd often refers to as "unusual names" are included in an upcoming pancocojams post on distinctive African American names that begin with "Sh" or "Ch".
****
Quote #3:
From http://madamenoire.com/320750/gave-my-daughter-a-ghetto-name/
"I Gave My Daughter A Ghetto Name And i Regret It" November 8, 2013
Summary: An African American mother named Diamonte writes that she was seventeen years old when she gave her daughter what she wrote is believes is "now considered an ethnic name (I think this is a politically correct way of saying “ghetto name". The mother wrote:
"My daughter’s name is Qui Ante’ (pronounced Kee-on-tay). It means brave warrior and is also a combination of my name and her dad’s name. For my moms who are also wine aficionados, you’ll notice it is very similar to Chianti. I assure you, that part is purely coincidental.
When I gave my daughter her name, I honestly wasn’t thinking about how it would look on a resume. I was 17 and wanted something unique that had meaning and a little pizzazz. Like my name, Diamonte, which means diamond in Spanish. Needless to say, her name has that in spades. At the time, it sounded cute, so I went with it. When I got older, and the bias in the world became more apparent to me, I began to feel a sense of regret and began researching the name change process. I haven’t done anything with the information because I felt it something she should decide for herself, but I still wanted to know what options would be available to her should the time come where she needs to change it."
-snip-
There are 420 comments to date. I've selected 26 comments to re-post here that are somewhat representative of that discussion thread, although I admit that I selected more comments whose positions I agree with than comments I don't agree with. I believe that readers can probably guess which positions those are.
All but one of these comments are from 2013. These comments may not be in sequential order.
a. Candeice Llovely
"Allow her to be proud of her name, who cares what others think or say....she'll grow up with what you call a ethic name while pursuing her Master's degree and reaching for the stars : )) God bless"
**
b. DontAskStillTell
"You shouldn't put a social boundary on your child that she would have to fill out some resume. I have a unique name myself and I've had no problems finding great paying jobs. However, why not raise your child to be self-employed, innovative, fashion designer or more. There's a world outside of the 9-5 where a person doesn't have to change their name, ethnic root or personality to fit in. They make their own way. Let it go and let Qui Qui be.:
**
c. LouLouB
"I think a lot of people a missing the point. Being ashamed of a ghetto name doesn't mean you're ashamed of being black. There's a difference between the two.
To me names like Issac and Earl are black sounding names but they're not ghetto. La'Quisha etc sounds ghetto. A similar thing (to a lesser extent) can happen to white people. With a name like Kyleigh or Kaihden some people will assume they were born to teenage parents or are uneducated etc.
A name says a lot to many, whether we like it or not."
**
d. Betts
"My mother named my daughter Aneesha (Agnus of God) Charmon(charming), she closed her eyes & said yes this is beautiful to hear on the playground, or to call her from outside. Now, if she was teased or not about her name or her skin color, I still gave her the confidence she needed. She is 21 & constantly tells me I prepared her for the world & life."
**
e. Jessica-Lynn Sage
"sounds like another black woman focused on others' opinions. so you named your child an eccentric name.... it's not ghetto, it's different. and your child is an individual, unlike any other.
it seems when most people name their children they focus too much on "if they'll be able to get a job". why is that the primary concern?? whatever happened to naming your child based on the bond you've created w/ the fetus and what you intuitively feel suits them. Qui Ante may end up being a brilliant, game-changing entrepreneur not even remotely interested in getting a 'nine to five'. Qui Ante could be a trailblazer for women who have unique names and learn to step into their divinity rather than shrink and try to conform.
i say Mama did a great job naming her daughter and Qui Ante has big shoes too fill (based on the meaning of her name), but as long as her mother regrets her name then it could certainly make it difficult for Qui Ante to come into her own."
**
f. REALNESS
"There's nothing wrong with an ethnic sounding name but that is different from a ghetto name. I have an ethnic name and although the name was often mispelled and to this day still people have mispronounced it, i love it.
BUT there are names that have nothing to do with ethnicity just plain silliness like being named after luxury items or just trying a lil too hard to be original like Sha_naynay, Nyquila, Obamaneisha and even Taquila....why would we want our kids to stand out like that /??? I have given my kids strong names that are original and with meaning but that will not give anyone pause on if this child is 'hood'. This is of course my personal choice as it is another mom's choice to name her child Nyquila ...i just beleive that every choice i make for my child should not be to be to be cute or different but to matter and to help them int he course of their lives."
**
g. cantaloupe w you
"My name is La'Shanta Knowles and yes I have a ghetto name. I'm not going to change my name because some idiot assume that I'm a stereotype. So if an employer sees that I have 6 years experience in Graphic Design, has a 4 year degree, but fails to call me for an interview because of my name then I consider that a blessing in disguise because that company might not be a good fit for me.
I love me. I respect me and I respect the name my mom gave me. Perhaps I have too much pride, but I'm not going to change for corporate America."
**
Reply
h. Val > I cantaloupe w you
"I agree with everything you said except your name being ghetto. It's not ghetto, it's just an African American name."
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i. StansArePsychotic
"My name is Omolara and I can easily shorten it to Lara and it will be no problem. All of my friends with ghetto names hate it and they use their non-ghetto names (Michelle, Linda, Lisa, Melissa etc) instead. Stop naming your children ghetto names that they late grow up to loathe. Almost all of my friends with ghetto names shorten them or use their middle name (if it's not ghetto)."
**
j. ogunsiron > StansArePsychotic [2014]
Your name may be foreign but at least it's a real name (yoruba, right?).
Those are way more respected than hood names that mean nothing except "my parents are stupid".
**
k. ohthatswhatyouthought
"Pizzazz"? I will never understand why people give their children ghetto names to make them feel special. You don't think your child is special enough already?
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l. Japera
"It is a very unfortunate reality that those of us with less racially ambiguous names have some sort of built in inferiority complex. Here's the real: If many of our ancestors in America had not been stripped of their identities, many of our parents and grandparents would not have to try so hard to "create" names that signify some desire for individuality and some sort of identity. My name is Japera... no one knows what the hell that means nor whether I am a male or female... most butcher the name when attempting to pronounce it.. and you know what.... I love it! Every time I get the opportunity to tell someone how to correctly pronounce my name, I give them this story: "My name is Jah-per-ay. I was named in a naming ceremony several days after my birth. In some West-African cultures people wait a few days to name children and name them according to birth order, personality, family history etc. In west african cultures it would be pronounced as phonically written, but my parents wanted to add a little flare. I was named Japera because I am the last of four children; my name means 'we are finished.' Although my parents are not clear from which West-African culture my name originates, they are sure one on thing... no more children after me!" I love my name! I love my story and if I had some multi-syllabic name that was a mixture of my relatives or my mom's favorite beverage I'd LOVE that too! All of our names have a story! Maybe ask your parents the story and embrace it! If WE are uncomfortable with who we are, we give THEM permission to be uncomfortable and discriminatory too!"
**
m. mimi
"Hmmm what sounds better a nice, respectable job with great pay? Or stuck at minimum wage place struggling to make ends meet working with La'Quisha and Anfernee? Sometimes you have to bite your tongue and swallow your pride, it's called growing up! Yes, it sucks to be profiled and sometimes being profiled over as something as little as a name. But I rather much take the job that's gonna look great on my resume and help me get by in life.
**
n. Truly S. > mimi [2014]
"OK then--don't ever name your daughter something like Condoleeza. She'll be behind a fast-food counter all her life. :-)"
-snip-
This facetious comment refers to Condeleeza Rice, an African American female with a distinctive first name who was the United States Secretary of State under President George W. Bush.
**
o. ogunsiron
"Akintundes and Olabumni's don't have the bad reputation of deVandre and LaCoochia. There's a difference between being black and being a low class hoodrat. People discriminate against names that scream "hood" and that's very rational.
There are more classic names that are used almost only by black people like Karl or Clarence or Percy and I don't think those blacks have it hard because those names scream "middle class or upper middle class black" and, what do you want, that's probably a better origin than "projects".
If you dont want to hurt your kid don't name them "I'm from the projects and my mom was a single mom and we were 5 all with different daddies".
-snip-
This commenter-whose name (or at least the first part of his name) is Yoruba (Nigerian) gives two other Yoruba names and argues that names from other languages aren't what he calls "hoodrat". His comments reveals the stereotypes that he holds for lower income Black people.
**
p. Guest > Val
[This was written in response to Val's comment which I'm summarizing as 'All names are made up and all names are ethnic; White names are also ethnic names although people don't refer to them as ethnic names.'.
"I get your point. Just as people have the right to raise their own kids as they choose, they should have the right to name them as they choose. But, I believe the thing a parent has to keep in mind when naming their children is: do I plan for my child to be with just me the rest of their life, or go out into a tough world and be around other people? People can do as they please; there are just consequences to everything we do. This is often what guides a parent's decisions in how they raise their children, or name them. Most people would probably make a different choice, if they could look into the future and see the grief their child would suffer because of their name.
It's not just "ghetto" names. Kids named, Apple, Moxie Crimefighter, and North West, are likely going to be pretty ticked off at their parents one day, for naming them like science experiments. There was a time when people thought it was cute - mostly in the south - to give girls boy names...my mother included. Tommy, Billy, Jimmie, Frankie, etc. My sister's given name, is one of those names, and she never thought it was cute when her mail arrived addressed to Mr. ______. She was named in the traditon of women in my mother's family. But, my sister has always considered having to explain that she is a woman with a male name, a bane to her existence.
I try to imagine how the names preceded by Le, La, and De evolved into what are now considered ghetto names, I suppose that people originally thought those prefixes made the names sound French or Spanish. LeRoy is not a name you hear much these days, but at least it's a derivative of 'Le Roi', which is French for 'The King'. But, names can become fodder for ridicule, when someone begins putting prefixes that mean 'the' or 'of' in front of sounds that have no documented meanings. The...wait, what? Some of the names that other people have provided as examples of unusual ones, such as Condoleezza and Barack, actually mean something in other languages. A made up name, that's all flare with no content, musical without notes, initially comes across as pretentious. However, I do believe that people can validate their names. When my daughters were teenagers, I selected their gynecologist based solely on her name. It's a 15 letter name with all the bells and whistles...complete with the phony prefix and a 'Q' in it. I KNEW she was black. But, the woman is a doctor, and I felt that was an important lesson for my daughters. So, when some aspect of a person doesn't get taken seriously, such as a name, maybe it just means that person has to work a little harder to overcome the perceptions That may seem unfair to them, but that's the way life has always been."
**
q. Val > Guest
"I understand your point but my point was that this is more about perception. The perception being that if it's derived from Black folks (and White folks haven't figured a way to profit from it) then it's bad.
Let's look at an example you put forth, "Condoleezza". Most people think of success when they think of that name. But, the truth is, if that were not a former Secretary of State's name but the name of a teenaged Black girl from the South Side of Chicago people would dissect the name and call it ghetto.
If we really look at the name we'll see that it has no meaning. It's derived for the music term, "con dolzezza" which in Italian means 'with sweetness'. So, just like so many other Black women, Condoleezza Rice's mother took a word and made it into a name for her child. It's only that we perceive the name differently than other so-called Black names.
I just hate it that some of us are so willing to see others of us in such a negative way, while at the same time defending and endorsing White cultural norms."
**
r. mosambie > Val
"Val, "white" is not an ethnic group. It is a general term to describe people from many ethnic groups.
s. Reply
Val > mosambie
"I think you missed my point, maybe I should have been more clear but it was only a passing point.
Here's what I meant; Whites refer to all non-Whites as being ethnic. For instance White people refer to Chinese or Mexican food and cultures as ethnic cultures, right? But, in both cases, Chinese culture and food and Mexican culture and food, there are many different groups of people and types of foods that make up the whole.
So, my point was that it's not just people of color that are ethnic, Whites are ethnic too. But, we are taught to view this from a White point of view therefore many of us see ourselves as ethnic while Whites are seen as non-ethnic."
**
t. mac > Val
[This is written in response to Val's comment that if a number of Black people started giving their children the names "Tom" and "Becky" White people would stop giving those names to their children since those names would be considered "ghetto".
"Tom and Becky will become ghetto?
Lol you were making sense until that reach of a statement."
**
u. KamJos > mac
"Let Black mothers in the ghetto start naming their kids Tom and Becky"
**
v. Me
"Perhaps the young lady could go by a first initial and her middle name (hopefully mom didn't go all creative with that too)."
**
w. Blkbterf1y > Guest
"What's sad is, while you've evolved into a person who has been on fortune 500 hiring panels in the past, you've witness this form of discrimination and racism and apparently condone it by warning of these "exotic" or names with " a bunch of accents" like there is something wrong with these names. If the name Barak was made up would it be taboo? Of course, these "exotic or accented" names can cause a negative outcome for a prospective position. Yet, we should all understand that these only says that race and discrimination is still an issue; we are not 100% excepted for who we are (nor by our own). Simply put, the battle is not over."
**
x. guest > Val
"Look, folks can name their children whatever they want, from Becky and Tom to Marqueeshiante and Qu'Davionte. Just know that names come with connotations. Like it or not, they do. It's just a fact. And unfortunately, names like the latter are associated with every negative stereotype of Black folks one can think of. So if you're going to give your child a name with 26 letters and 17 syllables that she herself is still struggling to spell in 4th grade (yes, it happens), then do the work as a parent to help your child:
1. CONSTRUCTIVELY handle the teasing that is bound to come his/her way.
2. Build an academic/educational background that is so strong that someone will be inclined to overlook the name and give them a fair shot at an interview.
3. Teach them what the name means (if there actually happens to be a cultural meaning to the name) so they have a sense of pride rather than shame about it.
Just something to think about."
**
y. Val > guest
"You don't understand, it's not the names, it's Black people that are associated with everything negative by some. Including some people commenting here. So, name your kid Becky and it's not going to matter. As they say, wherever you go, there you are.
The people who are going to discriminate against a person with a Black sounding name are not going to start loving you because your name is Becky.
But, if you want to coddle racists and allow them to even choose for you what you name your child then that's on you."
**
z. Val > Guest
"Sure, some push the limits. But for instance that girl that hated the name Keisha, that's not an outrageous name. It's only problematic for her because it's considered a Black name. That's what bothers me, that many of us hate or make fun of names simply because they're Black associated names."
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