The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #84356   Message #1559123
Posted By: Azizi
08-Sep-05 - 12:19 PM
Thread Name: BS: US personal names
Subject: RE: BS: US personal names
Here are the names of 7 & 8 year old African American children who are in one Pittsburgh, PA 2nd grade class that my daughter teaches:

I'll include pronunciation for the "non-standard" names

Room A:
Dajanai {pronounced "day-JAH-nay"} Female

DeAzia {Dee Asia} F

Rashawn {Ray Shawn} Male

Keiare {key AIR} M

Marcel M

Kiarra {key AIR rah} F

Maneha {mah NAY ah} F

Gionni {Gee AUN-nee} F

Deontay {Dee AUN-tay} M

Satoria {sah TOR-ree-ah} F

Matthew M

Dan'ual {Daniel} M

Tier {TEE air} F

Sharif {shah REEF} M

Raaziq {rah-ZEK} M

Shawntre {shawn-tray} M

Ladajza {lah-DAY-shah} F

Qu'raun {COR-RAUN; the name oflike the Islamic holy book} M

****

These examples of personal names reflect the large number of
so-called "different" first names given to African Americans. Given the fact that most of their peers have these names, I would expect that if asked, these children would say that their names are "regular". It seems to me that these children have a wider range of "regular" or "standard" names.

When I was growing up in the 1950s, the only one if these names that I would have considered "standard" {or "regular"} is "Matthew".

This list includes European names such as "Marcel"; Arabic names such as "Sharif" and "Aaliyah", African American Arabic names such as "Dealbalik" and "Raaziq", and African American "made up" names that are based on European or Hebrew personal names, or are of traditional African languages, or were created "from scratch".