Traditional African Names

"Some examples are 'Libbila (m): setting sun; [name] given to one born at sunset'; 'Kimenyi (m): the one who knows a lot'; 'Shumpa (f): a name given to a child who is troublesome'; 'Baliza (f/m): they cause to weep [or mourn, or cry].' The 6000 [name] examples [in the book] are fascinating to read, and will most certainly open up a new area in the field of nomenclature. In addition, an interesting index will lead the user to specific works found in the definitions, such as lakes, plants, gardens, and food. This is an impressive volume and should fill a void in the area of etymology. It is highly recommended." (Carol Willsey Bell in "C&RL News," May 2000, pp.428-429).


TRADITIONAL AFRICAN NAMES   July 27, 2000
Stephen Isabirye (Flagstaff, Arizona, USA)
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Until the publication of this book, it has been extremely difficult to find any primer that collects and defines the meanings of African names in English. Africa is a continent with thousands of cultures, traditions and languages. Names are part and parcel of the enriched African tradition. Unlike other parts of the world, virtually every African indigenous name has a distinct meaning or connotation. African personal names run into the thousands, if not millions. Therefore, it would be next to impossible to compile a comprehensive thesaurus of all these names, let alone their synonyms. The book compiles about 6000 names from key central, eastern and southern African countries, such as Burundi, Congo-Kinshasa, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Although the compilation of African names is not entirely a new phenomenon, what distinguishes this book from previous ones is its simplicity in name descriptions and definitions. This volume looks at the in-depth meaning of indigenous as well as adopted African names. African personal names have multitudinous functions such as the association of one's occupation, habits and personality. Many African names emanate from one's ancestry through clan, ethnic/tribal or religious affiliation. Names can also be named as the result of ancient wars and conquests. Since most of these names emanate from the "Bantuphone" region of east, central and southern Africa, it is not uncommon for many of these names to have a similar meaning albeit different pronounciations. A word such as Muntu connotes a person, but actually is derived from the ancestry of people in this region. It is therefore least surprising that the word, "ntu" is common amongst most ethnic groups in the region. For example, a word such as "Gahungu" which denotes a small or young boy, has a similar connotation amongsts the Hutu, Tutsi, as well as the Twa ethnic groups of Rwanda and Burundi. The author also includes new African words that have been adopted from Western political as well as cultural contexts. For example, the word, "Democracy" in most African contexts is pronounced as, "Demokrasi." Like other African names given to people during a certain historical phenomenon, this word has been given to some newborns born during the current democratic struggle on the continent. The alphabetical listings of these names as well as its well-prepared index will be very helpful to those that are not familiar with African appellations. This book is highly recommended for scholars and students of African anthropology, linguistics, literature, history, politics as well as those in the African/Black diaspora that are very interested in learning more about African culture.