Were they victims of the transatlantic trade on Nigerian shores? Or are they migrants from Sierra Leone like bishop Samual Ajayi Crowther? Did they change their names during colonisation? Why?

No, it’s because River State is a conglomeration of confused souls.
How could someone be bearing an English surname/last name?
Is he/she English?

It is the non-Igbo areas mostly that bear English surnames or names and not the entire Rivers state. Apart from the english surnames they bear, they wear english hats as traditional hearts during festive periods.
I think it is an attempt to be more english than the english.
Edward Harold-Wilson, I dey salute oo!.

lol like goodluck jonathan

My granddad is a rivers man. Okrika to be exact. He tell us that the compound bearing his father last name became so large that he decided to change his last name. His fathers first name is samuel. So he change his last name to samuel.

So do you think their English surmames have nothing to do with slavery, and all to do with colonisation? I'm just curious because I've been studying Naija history and this issue just bugged me.

I'm surprised that some of us have let go of our culture so easily.

meyri:

My granddad is a rivers man. Okrika  to be exact. He tell us that the compound bearing his father last name became so large that he decided to change his last name. His fathers first  name is samuel. So he change his last name to samuel. 

If your (great) (grand) father's first name is English, you don't change your last name to it rather you change to his middle name which is supposed to be a native name, else that person isn't African. Everyone is supposed to have at least one native name.

My family recently changed our last name to my granddad’s middle name and not his first name, which is English.

Colonial mentality

@006
So now there are rules to being African. LOL! Abeg, my dear my grandfather is 100% African. That can not be disputed. Colonial mentality is found all over Naija, not just in Rivers. If you have a English-speaking name you are a victim of it. If you change/shorten/respell your native name so that English speaking people can pronounce it easily you a victim of it.

meyri:

@006
So now there are rules to being African. LOL! Abeg, my dear my grandfather is 100% African. That can not be disputed. Colonial mentality is found all over Naija, not just in Rivers. If you have a English-speaking name you are a victim of it. If you change/shorten/respell your native name so that English speaking people can pronounce it easily you a victim of it.

What Mazi 006 is only saying that instead of using an english name as surname, the father's middle name would have been used. He set his own family as example.
I think the problem is mostly with Ijaw peeple not just in Rivers state but in Bayelsa and Delta states.
Even their own version of Igbo's Uwaechue is Edwin clarke.
Very shameful.

it is not perculiar to rivers state or ijaw either.almost the entire coastal communities in africa bear european surnames.lagos state indigenes i think have thesame issue.

Abagworo:

it is not perculiar to rivers state or ijaw either.almost the entire coastal communities in africa bear european surnames.lagos state indigenes i think have thesame issue.

Most people who bear english or foreign surnames in Lagos are descendats of recaptives from Sierra Leone.

Andre Uweh:

Most people who bear english or foreign surnames in Lagos are descendats of recaptives from Sierra Leone.

Thats lagos not rivers

morpheus24:

Thats lagos not rivers

It is an outright stupidity on the part of those in Rivers state who have made themselves more english than the english. Stupid fishermen's invocation.

As usual and typical with opinionated Nigerians, rather than looking for answers, you speculate reasons and state them as fact! This is directed at the rather unintelligent posts delivered by Andre Uweh. . .

The reasons why Rivers people in the lowland areas (Ijaw parts i.e. Kalabari, Okrika, Bonny, Andoni, Opobo) have European (Not necessarily English) names is as a fallout from slave trade. Most of the ancestors of people from these parts were slave dealers and bore the names of their customers since it was easier to remember these on a return journey to pick up more slaves.

Since they have been renamed by their clients, most of them kept these names or the Anglicised versions of their names (Amachree for example) and then passed these on to their children. Any child who feels the need to go Pan-African and revert to the original African name is free to do so as it is also common for two brothers to have different surnames (Oruwari and Briggs is an example from Kalabari land).

Our nations and lands have been renamed and structured by Europeans and we still see the remnants of slave trade and colonialism all over us. Except Andre Uweh is of the opinion that his ability to write in English language or the fact that he had to be forced to study Maths and Economics in English is as a result of colonial mentality.

OW11
I must say I admire your S.T.U.P.I.D.I.T.Y here. What would you say to a generation that still bears names of their slave masters after 130 years of abolition of slave trade.
Oh!, I remember, they changed the names of their towns after the civil war, yet they did not bother changing names that reminds them of the obnoxious trade.
Since it is alright for them to bear the names of the slave masters, wear their type of hats etc. They should be singing the national anthem of Great Britain.
Lets go ''May God save the Queen''.
Continue with the lyrics.

Don't be daft! The topic asks why some Nigerians have English surnames and I gave the answers. You on the other hand are just babbling on about some Pan-African bulls**t as regards change of names and attires worn when you possibly have a European first name and wear trousers and outfits of European origin.

The reasons why a good number of Nigerians have names like Michael or Kate is also as a result of slave trade/colonialism and has become a norm due to interaction with Europeans rather than a show of inferiority complex. Culture is not static and evolves as a society mixes and interacts with a neighbour. Names like Favour, Blessing and Gift are Nigerian names of European origin and if we are to use your daft logic as per surnames, then we should all bear our local FIRST names(since surnames are actually a European thing) and tie wrappers on the streets of Lagos.

PS: If it upsets you that certain parts of PH were renamed after the civil war, you can go a hit your head on the nearest wall as that will remain so for a long time to come.

You are the one who is daft here you monkey Poo eating slut. There is no reason whatsoever that justifies continous bearing of surnames when slave trade has been abolished since 1882 or thereabout. There were other Nigerian areas what were involved in slave dealings yet they do not maintain this schizophrenic ideas of bearing slave masters name.
My lil Nigger, if the idea of changinging names crept into your leaders brains, why not change those names with woozy accordion and twangy crap.
I have made my point, you can go and screw your self, castrated maggot, OW11.

Andre Uweh:

You are the one who is daft here you monkey Poo eating slut. There is no reason whatsoever that justifies continous bearing of surnames when slave trade has been abolished since 1882 or thereabout. There were other Nigerian areas what were involved in slave dealings yet they do not maintain this schizophrenic ideas of bearing slave masters name.
My lil Nigger, if the idea of changinging names crept into your leaders brains, why not change those names with woozy accordion and twangy crap.
I have made my point, you can go and screw your self, castrated maggot, OW11.

LMBAO!!! Same reasons Lagos is still known by its European name isn't it?

The OP asked a question, You DIDN'T know the answer and instead chose the path of misinformation. I gave an answer and instead of taking corrections, you launch a volley of ill-placed and unrelated insults in your attempt to sound intelligent or at least relevant. I wouldn't begrudge you your hypocrisy and you can continue to point fingers at others and make accusations using a phantom reason which in hindsight, you are also guilty of. This is why you are a pertinacious bigot as I earlier presumed.

Andre, try calming down, because this is not that serious. Also, ow11 makes a lot of sense.

andre doesnt sound igbo to me

It's the Ijaws in Rivers, bayelsa and Delta that have English surnames.

Abagworo:

andre doesnt sound igbo to me

Andre is not my surname.

@ Original poster.

Yes the names, and like someone posted, the hats and the names of some places are a result of slavery. I'll start with the names, many of the 'New Kalabar' (Kalabari) inhabitants of those days were directly in contact with European sailors/slave traders, something not all were able to do. Many of the royal families made their ports available, and in return Europeans sometimes sent the slave traders children to Europe to study (read here), many of these people changed their names or were working under Europeans when they changed their surnames to the common surnames found in Rivers and other States.

An example of a name change of a place is Brass. Brass in Rivers State is direct from slavery, because the Ijaw here used to trade human beings for brass and other items (read here). Some of these other items included guns, gunpowder, knives, and, yes, English hats. (read here)

Many people today take their grandfathers English first name and place it as their surnames, which sounds very wrong when you hear someone called Emeka David. Some of the Kalabari and other groups probably just changed their names to European on their own, why? Because they probably felt/feel that the Europeans were superior.

ezeagu:

@ Original poster.

Yes the names, and like someone posted, the hats and the names of some places are a result of slavery. I'll start with the names, many of the 'New Kalabar' (Kalabari) inhabitants of those days were directly in contact with European sailors/slave traders, something not all were able to do. Many of the royal families made their ports available, and in return Europeans sometimes sent the slave traders children to Europe to study (read here), many of these people changed their names or were working under Europeans when they changed their surnames to the common surnames found in Rivers and other States.

An example of a name change of a place is Brass. Brass in Rivers State is direct from slavery, because the Ijaw here used to trade human beings for brass and other items (read here). Some of these other items included guns, gunpowder, knives, and, yes, English hats. (read here)

Many people today take their grandfathers English first name and place it as their surnames, which sounds very wrong when you hear someone called Emeka David. Some of the Kalabari and other groups probably just changed their names to European on their own, why? Because they probably felt/feel that the Europeans were superior.

word of a wiseman.

Why would a whole region change their surnames to their superior slave dealers if not for inferiority complex? were the binis not also trading with the Europeans? why didn't they change their names to that of their counterparts?


I feel it's mainly due to colonial mentality and due to the fact that they believed everything about them was inferior even to their names and clothes, even to their soul.

honeric01:

Why would a whole region change their surnames to their superior slave dealers if not for inferiority complex? were the binis not also trading with the Europeans? why didn't they change their names to that of their counterparts?


I feel it's mainly due to colonial mentality and due to the fact that they believed everything about them was inferior even to their names and clothes, even to their soul.

God bless you.

ezeagu:

@ Original poster.

Yes the names, and like someone posted, the hats and the names of some places are a result of slavery. I'll start with the names, many of the 'New Kalabar' (Kalabari) inhabitants of those days were directly in contact with European sailors/slave traders, something not all were able to do. Many of the royal families made their ports available, and in return Europeans sometimes sent the slave traders children to Europe to study (read here), many of these people changed their names or were working under Europeans when they changed their surnames to the common surnames found in Rivers and other States.

not sure if i'm reading you right, because the main characters in this book, were kidnapped partly as a result of intertribal warfare, and shipped to america and/or britain as slaves.

they [the two princes] were slave traders themselves, btw.

tpiah:

not sure if i'm reading you right, because the main characters in this book, were kidnapped partly as a result of intertribal warfare, and shipped to america and/or britain as slaves.

they [the two princes] were slave traders themselves, btw.

That was an example of forced education. Some slave traders sent their kids like those of Ghana

Does anyone know why this OP has chosen to remain a retard.

Wetin bring this leg now??

ezeagu:

That was an example of forced education. Some slave traders sent their kids like those of Ghana

the two princes in question already spoke some english before they were kidnapped, due to their dealings with english slave traders [and also since they were slavers themselves]

the ghana link you posted doesnt say anything about the african women being married to european slave traders. ie the kids you mention, werent specifically said to be the children of slave traders.

honeric01:

Why would a whole region change their surnames to their superior slave dealers if not for inferiority complex? were the binis not also trading with the Europeans? why didn't they change their names to that of their counterparts?

I feel it's mainly due to colonial mentality and due to the fact that they believed everything about them was inferior even to their names and clothes, even to their soul.

Gbam!
. . . and that's the reason they are extremely jealous.