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IGBO Name For My Daughter - Culture (4) - Nairaland

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Re: IGBO Name For My Daughter by Ihuomadinihu: 6:16pm On May 20, 2015
We are not talking about which naming pattern is better than the other. However,i prefer the unisex pattern cos names are tied to situations surronding conception and birth and not necessarily sex or gender.
Nevertheless,inspite of the dominace of unisex names,certain conventions/names about feminine quaility and male strenght is still observed in the south.
Re: IGBO Name For My Daughter by PreciousBro: 6:23pm On May 20, 2015
Is Chinkata" Strictly Female ?
Re: IGBO Name For My Daughter by iamodenigbo1(m): 6:24pm On May 20, 2015
Chiwude:
Akwaugo.
Ekeoma.
Ezinma.
Ijeoma.
Ihuoma.
Ijeaku.
Akunne.
Akurulo.
Obiageri.
Olanna.
Olaedo.
Oriaku.
Udoka.

Nwanneka.
Adaora.
Adaeze.
Adanma.
Nwakaego.
Ozioma.
Obioma.
Ozoemena.

Check out these beautiful Igbo female names. Although the first is my mums name.
Wao thank you sir
Re: IGBO Name For My Daughter by iamodenigbo1(m): 6:29pm On May 20, 2015
PreciousBro:
Is Chinkata" Strictly Female ?
bro which one be chinkata?

1 Like

Re: IGBO Name For My Daughter by PreciousBro: 6:30pm On May 20, 2015
Ihuomadinihu:
We are not talking about which naming pattern is better than the other. However,i prefer the unisex pattern cos names are tied to situations surronding conception and birth and not necessarily sex or gender.
Nevertheless,inspite of the dominace of unisex names,certain conventions/names about feminine quaility and male strenght is still observed in the south.

Hmm True.

But It Still Doesn't Take Away The Gender Conventions and Rhythm . How Else Do We Explain Names That are Strictly Male Dominated Or Female.

Or The Unisex Ones That are Borne By Both Genders, carrying Same Meaning ,Doesn't Necessarily Have To Be The same Circumstances Of Birth.
Re: IGBO Name For My Daughter by iamodenigbo1(m): 6:31pm On May 20, 2015
Ihuomadinihu:
We are not talking about which naming pattern is better than the other. However,i prefer the unisex pattern cos names are tied to situations surronding conception and birth and not necessarily sex or gender.
Nevertheless,inspite of the dominace of unisex names,certain conventions/names about feminine quaility and male strenght is still observed in the south.
exactly
Re: IGBO Name For My Daughter by PreciousBro: 6:31pm On May 20, 2015
iamodenigbo1:
bro which one be chinkata?

grin grin Seriously, That's a Name I Came Across On TV. A Lady , I Had To Ask My Dad and He Said ,Its an Abian Name . I Was Surprise Too, Never Heard Such Before.

I'm Not From Abia Though. smiley
Re: IGBO Name For My Daughter by iamodenigbo1(m): 6:36pm On May 20, 2015
bigfrancis21:


@bold...personally I am yet to see one myself. You would have to show me an example of an Ebere-bearing male from Northern Igboland, especially Anambra, Enugu and Anioma areas.

When you mention Igboland, you need to be specific where, because not everything applies exactly in all areas. In the sense of unisex Igbo names, the phenomenon is more common in the south than north, and it would be incorrect to refer to all of Igboland when commenting on the phenomenon when it is actually more common in the south than north. Take Nsibidi, for example. It has often been referred to as 'Igbo writing', however when we speak in specific terms, it is southern Igboland that is historically known to write in Nsibidi, not Northern Igboland (to the best of my knowledge).

Growing up, I had female cousins and aunts on both sides of my family who bear 'Ebele', and its feminine pattern of naming was strictly so to me until our owerri neighbour had a son and named him 'Ebere'. Even my mom, who spent most of her life in Enugu, Old Anambra state, was very surprised, how much more me. This is because 'Ebere' as a male name is quite rare in Northern Igboland. Other strictly female names as observed in Northern Igboland borne by males in the south are Amarachi, Ngozi etc. Hardly would you see Anambra males bearing 'Ebere', 'Ngozi' etc.

In northern Igboland, Ozoemena would be a masculine name. Also, 'Gozie'/'Chigozie'/'Chukwugozie' would be the masculine version of 'Ngozichukwu' borne by males while 'Ngozi' remains the female version borne by females. Gender naming pattern is strictly kept.

However, a few names in Igboland are unisex in both north and south regions.

This is just my observation. North seems to stick to gender-based naming norms, while in the south gender-naming conventions tend to be fluid. It is all part of the diversity of Igboland. Only that an Igbo, who spent most of his life in Northern Igboland and grew up accustomed to gender-based names, who moves down south and encounters males bearing otherwise female names and females bearing otherwise male names will find it strange.
Enugu answers Eberechukwu
Re: IGBO Name For My Daughter by iamodenigbo1(m): 6:37pm On May 20, 2015
PreciousBro:


grin grin Seriously, That's a Name I Came Across On TV. A Lady , I Had To Ask My Dad and He Said ,Its an Abian Name . I Was Surprise Too, Never Heard Such Before.

I'm Not From Abia Though. smiley
I am from ABIA, but the name is strange to me
Re: IGBO Name For My Daughter by PreciousBro: 6:45pm On May 20, 2015
iamodenigbo1:
I am from ABIA, but the name is strange to me

It Seemed Strange To Me Too grin But I Think The Name Is Mostly Given To People From Ngwa.

As The Fashion Consultant Stated While Being Interviewed.

My Dad Also Confirmed It Before She Opened Up That She's From Ngwa and We All Were Amazed. smiley

So Someone From Ngwa Should Come and Educate Us On That Name.
Re: IGBO Name For My Daughter by iamodenigbo1(m): 12:52pm On May 21, 2015
PreciousBro:


It Seemed Strange To Me Too grin But I Think The Name Is Mostly Given To People From Ngwa.

As The Fashion Consultant Stated While Being Interviewed.

My Dad Also Confirmed It Before She Opened Up That She's From Ngwa and We All Were Amazed. smiley

So Someone From Ngwa Should Come and Educate Us On That Name.
waiting for the experts to Come and trow more lights

1 Like

Re: IGBO Name For My Daughter by ChinenyeN(m): 2:21pm On May 21, 2015
Chinkata - it is Chi that will decide. Unisex.
Re: IGBO Name For My Daughter by PreciousBro: 2:54pm On May 21, 2015
iamodenigbo1:
waiting for the experts to Come and trow more lights

Ok, I have to admit, I did a google search and its her surname.

I think we from the southern igboland have names that are quite similar to neighbouring ethnic groups around the bight of bonny because I'm aware only abians and perhaps some villages in the Ekoi,Efik and maybe Ibibio ethnic groups that could bear such names grin

I'm quite familiar that people from imo bear similar names like the rest of igboland both Northern and Southern axis.

Never heard of such strange names from imo though.
Re: IGBO Name For My Daughter by PreciousBro: 2:57pm On May 21, 2015
ChinenyeN:
Chinkata - it is Chi that will decide. Unisex.

Yes I agree, however I believe no one will bear that as a first name or middle,more like a surname .
Re: IGBO Name For My Daughter by Nobody: 3:48pm On May 21, 2015
bigfrancis21:


@bold...personally I am yet to see one myself. You would have to show me an example of an Ebere-bearing male from Northern Igboland, especially Anambra, Enugu and Anioma areas.

When you mention Igboland, you need to be specific where, because not everything applies exactly in all areas. In the sense of unisex Igbo names, the phenomenon is more common in the south than north, and it would be incorrect to refer to all of Igboland when commenting on the phenomenon when it is actually more common in the south than north. Take Nsibidi, for example. It has often been referred to as 'Igbo writing', however when we speak in specific terms, it is southern Igboland that is historically known to write in Nsibidi, not Northern Igboland (to the best of my knowledge).

Growing up, I had female cousins and aunts on both sides of my family who bear 'Ebele'/'Ebere', and its feminine pattern of naming was strictly so to me until our owerri neighbour had a son and named him 'Ebere'. Even my mom, who spent most of her life in Enugu, Old Anambra state, was very surprised, how much more me. This is because 'Ebere' as a male name is quite rare in Northern Igboland. Other strictly female names as observed in Northern Igboland borne by males in the south are Amarachi, Ngozi etc. Hardly would you see Anambra males bearing 'Ebere', 'Ngozi' etc.

In northern Igboland, Ozoemena would be a masculine name. Also, 'Gozie'/'Chigozie'/'Chukwugozie' would be the masculine version of 'Ngozichukwu' borne by males while 'Ngozi' remains the female version borne by females. Gender naming pattern is strictly kept.

However, a few names in Igboland are unisex in both north and south regions.

This is just my observation. North seems to stick to gender-based naming norms, while in the south gender-naming conventions tend to be fluid. It is all part of the diversity of Igboland. Only that an Igbo, who spent most of his life in Northern Igboland and grew up accustomed to gender-based names, who moves down south and encounters males bearing otherwise female names and females bearing otherwise male names will find it strange.
Wow! You mean you've never heard of any male within the Anambra/Enugu axis bearing Ebere/Ebele as a name. Now, let me shock you. The immediate elder brother to Chelsea's John Obi Mikel goes by the name Ebele Obi. The dude I think once played for Enugu Rangers as a goalkeeper. There are so many famous Anambrarians with unisex names that abound the internet. Google is your friend.
Re: IGBO Name For My Daughter by ChinenyeN(m): 3:50pm On May 21, 2015
PreciousBro:
Yes I agree, however I believe no one will bear that as a first name or middle,more like a surname .

You'd be wrong in that belief.
Re: IGBO Name For My Daughter by Nobody: 4:03pm On May 21, 2015
bigfrancis21:


All the names in bold aren't strictly feminine. I would say Unisex. The rest are strictly feminine. My high school classmate (I went to an all-boys secondary school) is Akwaugo by name. Another childhood friend of mine's name was Ekeoma, a male. All from Imo state too. Meanwhile, you thought these names are equally feminine as well. It just goes a long way to show that naming conventions are more fluid/flexible in the southern area than north.
Maybe, I have a vague idea about the bolded names as it relates to other parts of Imo state. But in my own section of Isu/Njaba/Nwangele and nearby Orlu, those names are reserved only for females. An example is my mum who goes by the name Akwaugo.
My people in those days (even in other Igbo communities) view such names as domestic and unbefitting of a man. Male names carry with it a certain kind of force. for example, Ogbuagu, Nwanyanwu, Orji, Okorie, Iwuji etc.
Re: IGBO Name For My Daughter by PreciousBro: 4:06pm On May 21, 2015
ChinenyeN:


You'd be wrong in that belief.

Ok, maybe, its just that I have never heard someone, just one person bear that name ever smiley except this very said girl I'm talking about and its her surname.

Are you conversant with the name being an Ngwa lady ?
Re: IGBO Name For My Daughter by Nobody: 4:11pm On May 21, 2015
I just have to say that Akwaugo sounds (to me) like one of the weirdest names you can give a boy. grin
Re: IGBO Name For My Daughter by teiluj(f): 4:13pm On May 21, 2015
write2obi:
Ngbaeke, ngbaorie , ekemma , erimma If she is fat call her ujunwa If she is tin call her alikanwa
what if her stature changes wen she grows up
Re: IGBO Name For My Daughter by Nobody: 4:19pm On May 21, 2015
Radoillo:
I just have to say that Akwaugo sounds (to me) like one of the weirdest names you can give a boy. grin
I had the same thought too.
Re: IGBO Name For My Daughter by Nobody: 4:22pm On May 21, 2015
ChinenyeN, I have a little question.

I recently saw the name 'Gogo' in an article dealing with Ngwa people. Is it an Ngwa name - and if it is, what does it mean?

And giving the historical connections between the Ngwa and the Ibani, is there a chance the name is related to 'Jaja' (known to some of us in the hinterland as 'Jojo')?
Re: IGBO Name For My Daughter by Nobody: 4:28pm On May 21, 2015
iamodenigbo1:
Wao thank you sir
Re: IGBO Name For My Daughter by Nobody: 4:28pm On May 21, 2015
iamodenigbo1:
Wao thank you sir
You're welcome. Mana nwannem biko akpozilam Sir eshi odo. Muna gi wiri iki wu ebiri.
Re: IGBO Name For My Daughter by write2obi(m): 4:33pm On May 21, 2015
teiluj:
what if her stature changes wen she grows up
Then she can change her name grin. Girls stop bearing the name her parents give them at 17.
I remember how furious my dad was the day he came back from his visit to my big sisters loudge in school, he got their and told them he was looking for "uzoamaka" . My old man said he was look at like some "lost old guy", ..."sir their is no uzoamaka in this loudge, we only have Amy" was the responds he kept getting, Gsm was a luxury at that time, so my sister had non.
When my dad got tired of waiting and asked them to go and call "Amy" out of curiosity lo and behold she turned out to be his precious daughter cheesy . If looks could kill lipsrsealed

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Re: IGBO Name For My Daughter by teiluj(f): 4:37pm On May 21, 2015
write2obi:

Then she can change her name grin. Girls stop bearing the name her parents give them at 17.
I remember how furious my dad was the day he came back from his visit to my big sisters loudge in school, he got their and told them he was looking for "uzoamaka" . My old man said he was look at like some "lost old guy", ..."sir their is no uzoamaka in this loudge, we only have Amy" was the responds he kept getting, Gsm was a luxury at that time immediately , so my sister had non.
When my dad got tired of waiting and asked them to go and call "Amy" out of curiosity lo and behold she turned out to be his precious daughter cheesy . If looks could kill lipsrsealed
lol very funny. But what's wrong with uzoamaka, I jx wished I have a native name, I do get angry my see my friends with lovely native name change to some annoying English name
Re: IGBO Name For My Daughter by iamodenigbo1(m): 4:39pm On May 21, 2015
Chiwude:
You're welcome. Mana nwannem biko akpozilam Sir eshi odo. Muna gi wiri iki wu ebiri.
obi gi day juuu,iwe ewela gi nwa Nne,dalukwa

1 Like

Re: IGBO Name For My Daughter by iamodenigbo1(m): 4:40pm On May 21, 2015
write2obi:

Then she can change her name grin. Girls stop bearing the name her parents give them at 17.
I remember how furious my dad was the day he came back from his visit to my big sisters loudge in school, he got their and told them he was looking for "uzoamaka" . My old man said he was look at like some "lost old guy", ..."sir their is no uzoamaka in this loudge, we only have Amy" was the responds he kept getting, Gsm was a luxury at that time, so my sister had non.
When my dad got tired of waiting and asked them to go and call "Amy" out of curiosity lo and behold she turned out to be his precious daughter cheesy . If looks could kill lipsrsealed
hilarious

2 Likes

Re: IGBO Name For My Daughter by write2obi(m): 4:49pm On May 21, 2015
teiluj:
lol very funny. But what's wrong with uzoamaka, I jx wished I have a native name, I do get angry my see my friends with lovely native name change to some annoying English name
U know kids/teenagers little things get to them , her name is Uzoamaka/Ruth, when we were growing up, kids in the neighborhood use to call her (i was also guilty of this crime)
Uzo(door) or Root(ngbologwu).
Guess she changed it the first opportunity she got
Re: IGBO Name For My Daughter by teiluj(f): 4:56pm On May 21, 2015
write2obi:

U know kids/teenagers little things get to them , her name is Uzoamaka/Ruth, when we were growing up, kids in the neighborhood use to call her (i was also guilty of this crime)
Uzo(door) or Root(ngbologwu).
Guess she changed it the first opportunity she got
lol
Re: IGBO Name For My Daughter by Ihuomadinihu: 10:42pm On May 21, 2015
PreciousBro:


Ok, I have to admit, I did a google search and its her surname.

I think we from the southern igboland have names that are quite similar to neighbouring ethnic groups around the bight of bonny because I'm aware only abians and perhaps some villages in the Ekoi,Efik and maybe Ibibio ethnic groups that could bear such names grin

I'm quite familiar that people from imo bear similar names like the rest of igboland both Northern and Southern axis.

Never heard of such strange names from imo though.
What kind of strange names?
Re: IGBO Name For My Daughter by PreciousBro: 10:50pm On May 21, 2015
I was alluding to the name "Chinkata". ,it is past now, Chinenye already cleared me on it. Thanks

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