Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post presents some information from the Wikipedia page of United States Congressional Representative Hakeem Jeffries.
This post also presents the meanings of the first and middle names of United States Rep. Hakeem Sekou Jeffries and his younger brother university professor Hasan Kwame Jeffries. These African American men are Christians who received their Arabic first names and their traditional African language middle names at birth from their parents.
These men serve as examples of non-Muslim African Americans who have Arabic names which were given at birth or otherwise. These men also serve as examples of African Americans who have names from traditional African languages which were given at birth or otherwise.
The content of this post is presented for onomastic and cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
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This pancocojams post is part of an ongoing series on distinctive African American names and naming practices.
Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/01/possible-origins-meanings-of-names-from.html for a pancocojams post entitled "Traditional African Languages, Arabic Languages, & Other Sources For Names In The 2018 Black Panther Movie".
And click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/09/how-i-got-my-african-name.html for the pancocojams post that I wrote entitled "How I Got My African Name"
Other posts in this series can be accessed by clicking the "distinctive African American names" tab below.
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SOME GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT HAKEEM JEFFRIES AND HIS BROTHER HASAN JEFFRIES
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakeem_Jeffries
“Hakeem Sekou Jeffries … born August 4, 1970)[1] is an American politician and attorney who has been House Minority Leader and leader of the House Democratic Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2023. Jeffries has represented New York's 8th congressional district, anchored in southern and eastern Brooklyn, since 2013.
Early life and career
Jeffries was born in New York City, at Brooklyn Hospital
Center to Laneda Jeffries, a social worker, and Marland Jeffries, a state
substance-abuse counselor.[8][9] He grew up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
Personal life
Jeffries is a Baptist.[124]
Jeffries's younger brother, Hasan Kwame Jeffries, is an associate professor of history at Ohio State University[125] and the author of Bloody Lowndes: Civil Rights and Black Power in Alabama's Black Belt.[126] Hakeem and Hasan are the nephews of Leonard Jeffries, a former professor at City College of New York.[52]”…
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THE ORIGIN AND MEANING OF THE NAME "HAKEEM"
Excerpt #1
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakeem
"Hakeem is an Arabic-language given name, a romanization variant of Hakim. It can also be used as a surname.
**
Excerpt #2
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakim
"Hakim may refer to:
Hakim (name), an Arabic masculine name, including a list of
people bearing this name.
Hakim (title), an Arabic name and title, used in both
Arabic-speaking and Muslim countries."
Excerpt #3
From
"Meaning: wise, learned
Hakeem is a boy's name, Arabic in origin and invigorated
with intellectual might. Springing from the Arabic word hakim, Hakeem retains
its meaning as "wise" and "learned," asserting its bearer
as a fountain of deep knowledge. Far more than an academic, the noun hakim
represents a Muslim leader in a highly respected field, most notably a judge,
governor, or physician."...
Excerpt #4
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akeem#:~:text=Akeem%20is%20a%20name%20of,and%20among%20the%20African%20diaspora.
THE ORIGIN AND MEANING OF THE NAME "SEKOU"
Excerpt #1
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sekou
"
**
Excerpt #2
From https://nameberry.com/babyname/sekou
"The name Sekou is boy's name meaning
"sheikh".
Sekou, also written as Sékou, is a given name as well as a
title synonymous with the Arabic Sheikh. It comes from the Fula language of
West Africa, and is widely used among the Fula people."
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Here's some information about the Fula language:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fula_language
"Fula /ˈfuːlə/,[2] also known as Fulani /fʊˈlɑːniː/[2] or
Fulah[1][3][4] (Fulfulde, Pulaar, Pular; Adlam: 𞤊𞤵𞤤𞤬𞤵𞤤𞤣𞤫,
𞤆𞤵𞤤𞤢𞥄𞤪,
𞤆𞤵𞤤𞤢𞤪),
is a Senegambian language spoken by around 25 million[citation needed] people
as a set of various dialects in a continuum that stretches across some 18
countries in West and Central Africa. Along with other related languages such
as Serer and Wolof, it belongs to the Atlantic geographic group within Niger–Congo,
and more specifically to the Senegambian branch. Unlike most Niger-Congo
languages, Fula does not have tones.
It is spoken as a first language by the Fula people
("Fulani", Fula: Fulɓe) from the Senegambia region and Guinea to
Cameroon, Nigeria, and Sudan and by related groups such as the Toucouleur
people in the Senegal River Valley. It is also spoken as a second language by
various peoples in the region, such as the Kirdi of northern Cameroon and
northeastern Nigeria."...
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Here's the meaning of the Arabic word "sheikh"
From https://www.britannica.com/topic/sheikh
"sheikh, also spelled sheik, shaikh, or shaykh, Arabic
shaykh, Arabic title of respect dating from pre-Islamic antiquity; it strictly
means a venerable man of more than 50 years of age. The title sheikh is
especially borne by heads of religious orders, heads of colleges, such as
Al-Azhar University in Cairo, chiefs of tribes, and headmen of villages and of
separate quarters of towns. It is also applied to learned men, especially
members of the class of ʿulamāʾ (theologians), and has been applied to anyone
who has memorized the whole Qur’ān, however young he might be."
THE ORIGIN AND MEANING OF THE NAME "HASAN"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hassan_(given_name)#:~:text=The%20name%20Hassan%20in%20Arabic,in%20Arabic%20script%20spelled%20differently.
"Hassan or Hasan (Arabic: حسن Ḥasan) is an Arabic masculine given name in the Muslim world.
As a surname, Hassan may be Arabic, Irish, Scottish, or Jewish (Sephardic and Mizrahic) (see Hassan (surname)).[1][2]
Etymology and spelling
The name Hassan in Arabic means 'handsome' or 'good', or 'benefactor'.
There are two different Arabic names that are both romanized with the spelling "Hassan". However, they are pronounced differently, and in Arabic script spelled differently.
The more common name حَسَن Ḥasan (as in the name of the Islamic prophet Muhammad's grandson Hasan ibn Ali),[3] coming from the Arabic language triconsonantal root Ḥ-S-N, has two short vowels and a single /s/. Its meaning is 'the good' or 'the handsome'. Its usual form in Classical Arabic is الحسن al-Ḥasan, incorporating the definite article al-, which may be omitted in modern Arabic names.
The name حَسَّان Ḥassān, which comes from the same Arabic root, has a long vowel and a doubled /sː/. Its meaning is 'doer of good' or 'benefactor'. It is not used with the definite article in Classical Arabic."...
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THE ORIGIN AND MEANING OF THE NAME KWAME
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwame
"Kwame is an Akan masculine given name among the Akan people
(such as the Ashanti and Fante) in Ghana which is given to a boy born on
Saturday. Traditionally in Ghana, a child would receive their Akan day name
during their Outdooring, eight days after birth.[1][2]
According to Akan tradition, people born on particular days exhibit certain characteristics or attributes.[1][2] Kwame has the appellation "Atoapoma" or "Oteanankannuro" meaning "combat ready."[1][2]
[...]
Female version of Kwame
In the Akan culture and other local cultures in Ghana, day
names come in pairs for males and females.[1] The variant of the name used for
a female child born on Saturday is Ama.[1][2]"...
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Visitor comments are welcome.
Neither "Hakeem" or "Hasan" are widely used Arabic given name among African Americans or other Americans in the United States. (in contrast to the Arabic male names "Malik", "Jamal" and "Omar").
ReplyDeleteThe only famous man in the United States who I am aware of with the given name "Hakeem" is professional basketball player Hakeem Olajuwon, who emigrated from Nigeria, West Africa to the United States in 1980. Olajuwon became a United States citizen in 1993.
Hakeem Olajuwon is Muslim. At some point after he emigrated to the United States, Olajuwon changed his first name from "Akeem" to "Hakeem" because he considered "Hakeem" to be the authentic Arabic form of that name. Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakeem_Olajuwon for more information about Hakeem Olajuwon.
The only example of a fictional use of the name "Hakeem" that is given in that name's Wikipedia page is that of "Hakeem Lyons".
DeleteHakeem Lyons is a character in the American television series Empire. That series is about a fictional African American family who are building a Hip Hop recording music empire. That series ran on the nationwide Fox television channel from January 7, 2015 to April 21, 2020.
Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_(2015_TV_series). for more information about that television series.
Arabic is NOT a native African language. It is a Semitic, Middle Eastern language. It was acquired by Africans when Arabs entered Africa to get slaves and do trade.
ReplyDeleteThanks Anonymous. I agree with what you wrote that "Arabic is NOT a native African language.
DeleteIn the similar sense, English isn't a native language in the North America. Yet, for its entire history, English is one of the main languages spoken in that continent.
Also, "Arabs entering Africa to get slaves and to do trade" weren't the only reasons why Arabs interacted with Africans, but I'm aware that you didn't write that.