What criteria are used for unique names among urban blacks?
September 6, 2015 4:45 AM Subscribe
I've been teaching in an environment where the students each have unique names. They come from lower-income black urban families, and the names are in the style of those satirized by Key and Peele in the "East-West Bowl" sketches. It feels too sensitive to ask them directly, but I wonder how these names are developed. Is the cultural value to give each child an entirely unique name? Or is it more to use elements of traditional African names in a way that's simply become fashionable?
A quick internet search immediately gave me this Slate article which said:
The story of distinctive black names in the U.S. is far richer, more varied and interesting than the celebrity’s mere pathological dread of appearing normal. From the beginning, many black Americans had distinctive names. The weirdly classical Caesar was a particularly common slave name, bestowed, it would seem, by slaveholders with a profoundly unfunny sense of irony. And sometimes distinctive slave names were carried out of Africa and preserved: Some African societies name children after the day of the week they were born, and “there is a preponderance of day names among the leaders of the very early slave revolts,” writes Joey Lee Dillard in “Black Names.” From early on, then, some distinctive black names were tied to black resistance against white oppression.
posted by kinetic at 4:51 AM on September 6, 2015 [6 favorites]
The story of distinctive black names in the U.S. is far richer, more varied and interesting than the celebrity’s mere pathological dread of appearing normal. From the beginning, many black Americans had distinctive names. The weirdly classical Caesar was a particularly common slave name, bestowed, it would seem, by slaveholders with a profoundly unfunny sense of irony. And sometimes distinctive slave names were carried out of Africa and preserved: Some African societies name children after the day of the week they were born, and “there is a preponderance of day names among the leaders of the very early slave revolts,” writes Joey Lee Dillard in “Black Names.” From early on, then, some distinctive black names were tied to black resistance against white oppression.
posted by kinetic at 4:51 AM on September 6, 2015 [6 favorites]
A lot of the names are from Muslim religion/culture, even for people who may not practice Islam (i.e. Malik, Latifah, etc). So those are not made up.
posted by bearette at 6:12 AM on September 6, 2015 [7 favorites]
posted by bearette at 6:12 AM on September 6, 2015 [7 favorites]
Wikipedia, African-American Names
Our Evolving Black American Naming Traditions
I'm glad you're researching this. I've found that a lot of white people don't have much understanding of this phenomenon and that leads to mockery and oppressive discourse. The more white people who can bring an informed perspective to naming traditions, the better, because they'll be much more able to counter the shallow narratives about black naming that pop up so frequently. See also Are Black Names 'Weird,' or Are You Just Racist?
Consider that to you as a teacher this shouldn't matter.
Naming traditions are a part of culture, and it's a form of privilege to only notice naming traditions that are different from the dominant culture. Part of anti-racist practice is in fact to surface your own assumptions about what names are normal and why. Teaching with sensitivity to culture is generally a good thing, but it's true that no culture is without naming traditions and it's interesting to broaden the inquiry, even if what is specifically interesting at a given moment is understanding how naming works in African-American cultures. Here is a past thread on the topic and my comment there on how we can turn the lens of curiosity onto white American, WASP, historical, and other naming traditions as well.
posted by Miko at 6:47 AM on September 6, 2015 [58 favorites]
Our Evolving Black American Naming Traditions
I'm glad you're researching this. I've found that a lot of white people don't have much understanding of this phenomenon and that leads to mockery and oppressive discourse. The more white people who can bring an informed perspective to naming traditions, the better, because they'll be much more able to counter the shallow narratives about black naming that pop up so frequently. See also Are Black Names 'Weird,' or Are You Just Racist?
Consider that to you as a teacher this shouldn't matter.
Naming traditions are a part of culture, and it's a form of privilege to only notice naming traditions that are different from the dominant culture. Part of anti-racist practice is in fact to surface your own assumptions about what names are normal and why. Teaching with sensitivity to culture is generally a good thing, but it's true that no culture is without naming traditions and it's interesting to broaden the inquiry, even if what is specifically interesting at a given moment is understanding how naming works in African-American cultures. Here is a past thread on the topic and my comment there on how we can turn the lens of curiosity onto white American, WASP, historical, and other naming traditions as well.
posted by Miko at 6:47 AM on September 6, 2015 [58 favorites]
Is the cultural value to give each child an entirely unique name?
Minor nitpick but I would encourage you to view this as "a" cultural value and not "the" cultural value.
posted by fuse theorem at 7:21 AM on September 6, 2015 [5 favorites]
Minor nitpick but I would encourage you to view this as "a" cultural value and not "the" cultural value.
posted by fuse theorem at 7:21 AM on September 6, 2015 [5 favorites]
I teach at a diverse school where students have all different sorts of names. I also have unique names that are hard to pronounce, and people ask me about them a lot. If people are asking out of genuine curiosity (most are), I'm glad to share because it's part of the uniqueness that helps make me who I am. If someone seems too nosy or weird, I can give them a shorter answer.
That said, I'll often ask students about their names, especially at the beginning of the school year. Having an unusual name myself, it's just something I'm extra interested in. Most people like their names and grow to identify with them strongly, and enjoy talking about this part of their personal history. Of course, there are plenty of people who don't and prefer nicknames or something completely different; if so, this would also be a good chance to find out if and when that's the case so you can call students what they prefer.
I'm not sure what you teach but perhaps you could do a lesson or a show and tell where students talk about their names? It'd be a nice chance for them to talk to families if they aren't sure; if they can't do this, they could create their own stories about their names. I'd try to ask everyone because, like Miko said, all the Bellas and Jacobs of the world have stories behind their names, too. If you are positive, respectful, and inclusive -- and don't push anyone who would prefer to be more private -- then are you set!
posted by smorgasbord at 7:57 AM on September 6, 2015 [4 favorites]
That said, I'll often ask students about their names, especially at the beginning of the school year. Having an unusual name myself, it's just something I'm extra interested in. Most people like their names and grow to identify with them strongly, and enjoy talking about this part of their personal history. Of course, there are plenty of people who don't and prefer nicknames or something completely different; if so, this would also be a good chance to find out if and when that's the case so you can call students what they prefer.
I'm not sure what you teach but perhaps you could do a lesson or a show and tell where students talk about their names? It'd be a nice chance for them to talk to families if they aren't sure; if they can't do this, they could create their own stories about their names. I'd try to ask everyone because, like Miko said, all the Bellas and Jacobs of the world have stories behind their names, too. If you are positive, respectful, and inclusive -- and don't push anyone who would prefer to be more private -- then are you set!
posted by smorgasbord at 7:57 AM on September 6, 2015 [4 favorites]
I've read where some apparently unique names are deliberate misspellings and riffs on names and words. For example, D'Brickasahaw Ferguson, who appears in one of the Key/Peele sketches, is a deliberate misspelling/mispronunciation of a book character.
Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson, Edwin and Rhunette, with an R-H, are a perfectly middle class couple from Long Island. And they didn't just make up their son's name; it comes from the character of the priest in the novel, The Thornbirds: Father Ralph de Bricassart.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:27 AM on September 6, 2015
Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson, Edwin and Rhunette, with an R-H, are a perfectly middle class couple from Long Island. And they didn't just make up their son's name; it comes from the character of the priest in the novel, The Thornbirds: Father Ralph de Bricassart.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:27 AM on September 6, 2015
You will find this video from Freakonomics interesting.
To my knowledge lot of the names that are popular in African American communities actually don't have African origins. So I think most times it's simply a case of making a ubiquitous name more fashionable or just wanting a unique name.
I'm black African (but not African American) and I have a name that is popular in the African American community, and I never got any flack for my name until I moved at 15 to England. I vividly remember the first time someone joked about my name: "You won't have to change your name if you decide to become a stripper". We were just two teenage friends riffing, but it reeked of gross ignorance. People need to realize these names are NORMAL to us and the "interest" and "research" surrounding them often reads as racism and superiority more than than a genuine interest.
I believe if you genuinely care about finding out how these names are developed, your sincerity will likely translate if you asked one of your students. You could ask something like this: "You're the first [insert name] I've met. It's a cool name, I like it. How did your parents come about that name?" When people describe my name as "unique" or "interesting" I HATE it because it's often euphemism for "black, bad, weird". I'm assuming they're young, so if you tell them you think their name is cool, they'll probably be more inclined to tell you about the origins of the name.
posted by newthirdworld at 9:38 AM on September 6, 2015 [12 favorites]
To my knowledge lot of the names that are popular in African American communities actually don't have African origins. So I think most times it's simply a case of making a ubiquitous name more fashionable or just wanting a unique name.
I'm black African (but not African American) and I have a name that is popular in the African American community, and I never got any flack for my name until I moved at 15 to England. I vividly remember the first time someone joked about my name: "You won't have to change your name if you decide to become a stripper". We were just two teenage friends riffing, but it reeked of gross ignorance. People need to realize these names are NORMAL to us and the "interest" and "research" surrounding them often reads as racism and superiority more than than a genuine interest.
I believe if you genuinely care about finding out how these names are developed, your sincerity will likely translate if you asked one of your students. You could ask something like this: "You're the first [insert name] I've met. It's a cool name, I like it. How did your parents come about that name?" When people describe my name as "unique" or "interesting" I HATE it because it's often euphemism for "black, bad, weird". I'm assuming they're young, so if you tell them you think their name is cool, they'll probably be more inclined to tell you about the origins of the name.
posted by newthirdworld at 9:38 AM on September 6, 2015 [12 favorites]
It would seem to me that your lack of knowledge in this area is an excellent opportunity for the students to teach you about the history of their name(s) with in their own family and the larger culture. This is obviously easier with older students but researching their names is not beyond the scope of many children if they access to the internet. I personally do not see this as a particularly sensitive issue unless you are uncomfortable with it (the names) yourself. Good Luck and thanks for caring
posted by rmhsinc at 11:22 AM on September 6, 2015
posted by rmhsinc at 11:22 AM on September 6, 2015
Reading the comments in this Metafilter post might help you determine how to approach this with your students. It's interesting in that, for the post part, the comments in that thread might lead you to think you shouldn't even ask about it....
posted by HuronBob at 11:32 AM on September 6, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by HuronBob at 11:32 AM on September 6, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Funny enough, this blog on a very similar subject (written today!) just got retweeted into my twitter timeline.
posted by corvine at 11:44 AM on September 6, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by corvine at 11:44 AM on September 6, 2015 [3 favorites]
But I think the metafilter post was about singling out people with "weird" names and asking them to explain it. I don't think something along the lines of "names are something we all have - tell us something about yours" is alienating. I'd just be careful to write the assignment so it doesn't put any kid who is estranged from their birth family on the spot. Give that kid a way to answer the question without having to say "I don't know where my parents got my name from because I don't know them."
posted by telepanda at 1:36 PM on September 6, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by telepanda at 1:36 PM on September 6, 2015 [4 favorites]
Mod note: A few comments deleted. OP, this was a bit of a borderline post for deletion, but we felt it could be answered respectfully and helpfully, so allowed it, but asking about something that has significant factors relating to racism involved and arguing with answerers who mention that these are considerations that would be good to take into account is not workable here.
posted by taz (staff) at 5:08 AM on September 7, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by taz (staff) at 5:08 AM on September 7, 2015 [3 favorites]
You might also want to read Mencken on American given names.
http://www.abebooks.com/Notes-American-Given-Names-Bookmens-Holiday-Mencken/8048358153/bd
posted by Ideefixe at 5:42 PM on September 17, 2015
http://www.abebooks.com/Notes-American-Given-Names-Bookmens-Holiday-Mencken/8048358153/bd
posted by Ideefixe at 5:42 PM on September 17, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by correcaminos at 4:50 AM on September 6, 2015 [4 favorites]