What's in a name?
 

do the names we give our kids already set them up for discrimination by society. for instance if an employer sees the name Timothy Brown and Malik Brown on resumes all things being equal who would he call in for the interview? how about Amy Dillard vs Shequila Washington. are we giving our identities away before we ever step foot into the office. anyway just a thought, do you think parents disadvantage their kids when they give them traditonally "black" names. to go a little further if we get rid of asking what race someone is on a college applications etc. would it level the playing ground after all an A is an A in any color.

i think you should name your kid whatever you want (well maybe not Satan) but i thought it was a valid question nonetheless and possibly an issue for some.

a Name
 

You should name you child WHATEVER name you and your significant other decide. And then RAISE your child with an spirit to OWN their own company so that THEY'LL be doing the HIRING..

I totally agree...But in the same token we all must have to admit that this world is built on perception. Even as much as we would like to say that it shouldn't matter...it does. To be perfectly honest...as soon as you hear that name Shavanikia or Tequisha...you automatically assume that they are African American. Same thing with the rest of the world.
I don't believe that we should be limited to what we can name our legacy. The names that we bestow upon our children will have a significant meaning to them as well as ourselves. But we can't be blind to the fact that , that very same name may cause them added trouble down the road...
I guess that's where good ol' fashion home training, strong personal pride, work ethic, and tenacity fall in to place.
Those things that we should instill in our children no matter if they are called peggy sue or Asianikisha.

P.s. i apologize if i offend anyone if these happen to be your names..i swear...i just made them up...
:rolleyes:

I agree that you should be able to name your child what ever you wish, but there is a limit. I, PERSONALLY, can't stand names that are too "ethnic." Some names are just down right atrocious. I am not going to clown anyone's name and I am not trying to offend anyone. I just think that we need to put a lot of consideration into the names that we give our children. I have no problem with "plain Jane" names and Afrocentric names, but some names take it to far. It one chooses to give their child a name something like Chevodkaneisha Fantajaaliyah Jackson, they should be prepared, as well as the child, for any backlash that may come.

Question...

Does ANY one know where the names like Bumqueshnia and Taquarvius and the like came from? Who started it? We know back in the 60's and until a certain time WE were not "called" this.
Does anyone have any data on the history of such?

Who started this so they can catch a whippin'?

Please continue with the seriousness of this thread.

:cool:

Odd names
 

DISCLAIMER: This is just my theory.

I honestly believe that somehow it got into some of our brains after 1970 or so that the so-called "ghetto" names were somehow related to African names like Nia or Imani.

How that happened, I don't know. But I was born in 1964, and I rarely saw names such as Qyntel, Dajuan, Jahtwasia or Shananashaqeesha until much later.

it's funny
 

.... how popular names have changed over the years..

I was born in 1968 when:

German Shepards and Dobermans were the dogs of choice.

The popular names then were: Elizabeth, Jerome, James, Mary.

Then, sometime in the 80's.. Ashely became real popular...

I don't know when the "La" & "Sha"prefixes (LaDarryl) and "Qua" suffixes (Shaniqua) (Sha-na-na) came into fruition...

My personal pet peeve is the COMBINED NAME.. the Woman's name is "Lola".. the Guy's name is Roland...

Let's name the baby girl "ROLANDA"... HELL NAW..

But, once again, that's personal... That child was concieved by only one egg and one sperm and it's the total privilege of the owners of that egg and sperm who get to name their creation..

And my real point is that we, as a people, get out this "somebody won't hire us because of our name" mindset and get into a "We're gonna own our own business so our name doesn't matter" mindset. If someone doesn't want to hire you due to the hue of the pigment in your skin, they'll easily find a way too even if your name is "Chad" or "Barbara"..

Help us all
 

Now that's funny but true - - - The few months that I was a teacher I always felt a bit out of sorts when I went down the roll and came across one of our kids name that I could not pronounce much less spell. Now how can you teach reading when the childs name is so wack and I can't even spell it nor pronounce it.

My personal pet peeve is the COMBINED NAME.. the Woman's name is "Lola".. the Guy's name is Roland...

Let's name the baby girl "ROLANDA"... HELL NAW..

Re: Odd names
 

Aren't names supposed to have meanings to them? If someone wants to give their child an "ethnic" name, why don't they go and find a book of African or Islamic names and find out their meaning instead of trying to create one of their own. I was born in 1970 and my friends have names like Cheryl, Yvette, Michael, Nicole, Anthony, etc. - you get my point. When people started having children from the late 80's until the present, I don't know what the heck some of them were thinking in terms of names. Alize??? C'mon, be for real :eek: I'm just glad that when I had my daughter, I had sense enough to give her a name that was simple for her to pronounce and spell (which she was able to do at age 3) :p I do get upset sometimes when folks jack up her name - it's not difficult!!

I ask that same question and I wanted to do a research paper or thesis paper on this very topic. I thought the Black names started in the 70's I guess when the people born in the 50's and 60's were having kids. The parents were around during the full swing of the Black Pride movement (Malcolm X and Black Panthers, etc) and their children's "Black" names came as a result of that. This is just my theory though. But I see these Black names as a way of Black people rejecting the dominant culture and a desire to form something uniquely Black American. However, this does of course come with the backlash of other people, Black, White and other saying these names are ridiculous as well as discrimination.

Let me say, I hate made up names and I find that we do that A LOT!!! I am sometimes concerned when our children have names that even they can't spell or prounounce. Why would an employer even attemtp to call someone if they can't pronounce the name?

But let me say, sometimes I take offense to my own name because many, many people assume that I am white. I have had more than one potential employer have a look of surprise when I walk in (moreso if they've heard me on thephone). My name is very plain, very, very plain. Let's see if you can guess from my initials...KEJ.

Karen Elizabeth Jones

Is your first name Kimberly???? Jones is a pretty plain, common last name. I'm still stuck on the E - Ella???:)

I totally agree with you. I take offense to my name to. My first day at work everyone thought I was white until I stepped in the door. I think my name is a typical name also. All through my educational years I went to predominantly black schools and there was never anybody else who had the same name as me. I like the names that actually mean something versus the names that stereotype a person.

BTW- SeriousAKA is your name Karen ?
________
Stocks To Buy Now

Yep!! Karen is my name and skee-weeing is my game!!

Re: Re: Odd names
 

Exactly, FeeFee. There are tons of resources available so you can name your child with meaning. For instance, my girlfriend named her baby Imani Hannah. I believe Hannah was her grandma's name.
If I have a kid, I certainly won't name my child Britney :rolleyes: or some other trendy name. As for me, people slip on my name because the I is pronounced like a long E.
:p

Swamp Thang, I think that you are right that we should raise kids with the mindset to start their own businesses and not feel bad about their names for fear of discrimination. BUT, we really have to be realistic about what's going on in the world. I, PERSONALLY, don't know many professional people named Shawnteequineshia. It's not that they aren't out there. I just haven't met any. I also agree with CleopatraJones in saying that people started giving kids these "ethnic" names to further separate themselves from White society. But what is TOO far?

Another pet peeve of mine is when people try to be a little bit too "phonetic" with the spellings of names, like Haley/Hayleigh; Megan/Mayghen. Those aren't that bad, but believe that I have seen worse. I, also, think that names should have a meaning. I know that mine does.... but it's a very simple name. If someone can give me a DAMN good story behind why they named their kid Onomatopoeia LaTerikenisha Precious Williams, then HELL yeah, I'll understand. But that's not what's going on. People give their kids these jacked up names because they think they "sound pretty." WTH? :confused: Say it three times fast!

children of the 50's and 60's....
 

Were named mostly after people in the Bible..

These are the names of my cousins and aunts that you just don't see kids named anymore UNLESS they are Juniors..

Bill, Kate, Ruth, Elizabeth, Veronica, Kenneth (that's me), Kimberly, Sally, Jesse, Jerome, Eddie, Stella, James, Harold....

I doubt there's been a Black child born this year with any of these names unless they have old parents or are named after the father (Jr, III, IV).

I think that it is unfair that people today assume that "traditional" or "Western" names cannot have meaning or that you need to separate yourself from that. Almost everyone in my family was named after some else-- a parent, aunt, uncle, grandparent, etc. So our names have even more meaning because we were named for someone who was special to our parents and someone we can look up to, even though all of them are common names.

Often children with these names have no ties like that. Almost like, they have thrown out the family history with the Western name. I really don't know many kids with the ghetto names that are focused on coming up and doing something better for themselves and their families. If the purpose was to move away from a Eurocentric ideal into a more self-sufficient Black America consciousness it has not worked because there is more work to be done after the name has been given.

Everyone should be proud of his or her name-- (well except for me with my "old-people" middle name) but at times I wonder if the outrageous names are overcompensating for something.

Re: children of the 50's and 60's....
 

Or if you have young, buppie-type parents.
;)

Well, we do have Condoleezza :eek:. Then again, maybe that's just countrified. I agree with all you've said, though.

I agree that some names are over-the-top in my opinion. I also think that parents should not only be concerned with how other people view their child's name, but how the child views their own name.

Names are one of the cornerstones of self-esteem. If people cringe every time you tell them your name, believe me, that's gonna start to make wear on you.

I have a girlfriend who is otherwise very gregarious, but when she has to tell people her name for the very first time, she becomes very shy. She's 31 and has been living with this name all of her life. Yet, she hates to have to say her name to strangers. That's sad to me. I love my name. It was a very popular name in the 70s, and I don't see too many people giving their daughters my name, now, but I still love my name. I love it so much, that I gave my daughter a more contemporary version of it. That's how it should be, in my opinion. Everybody should have the chance to at least LIKE their own name.

That's just something to think about when choosing a name.

What is your name ?
________
Porntube

I will PM you with that secret information. ;) .

Re: Re: Odd names
 

You got me raising my fist in the air at my computer!!!

That's what I'm talking about!!!

...Well...except...Dang...Must the parents agree to name their child Shawnquanishia...or Alize Courvasier...I'm just saying... :D

Exactly...

Condolezza's name comes from the Italian word for "with sweetness". But I still was like :eek: :eek: when I heard her name for the first time too..

At least her name has a real meaning. I dare someone to find out the meaning of the name Shawnquanishia :p

the meaning of Shawnquanishia
 

Shawnquanishia comes from the native american language.. It means "She who uses horses tail for hair".

et al the Cherokee Unabridged Dictionary..

Re: the meaning of Shawnquanishia
 

I almost fell out my chair with this one lolol :D

i may be waaaay off here...

but i think the "unusual" names we give our children may go back further than the 60's and 70's. I'm thinking maybe slavery or Reconstuction. Maybe in turbulent times when families were unsure about staying togehter, parents gave their children unusual names as a means of being able to have that one, unique identifier in case of separation? Like when men went off to work the railroad or women went into factory towns and someone from "home" was checking up on them, i'm sure Cleophus was easier to find than John.


---------
BLU

Re: the meaning of Shawnquanishia
 

No, really? Horse's tail for hurh?

CTFU. CTFU. CTFU.

http://www.plauder-smilies.de/happy/roflmao.gif

Re: the meaning of Shawnquanishia
 

the difference
 

I know for sure that those long names sometimes make a difference in how individuals are seen. Personally I hate the long name (e.g. Shauntalliasha .....):D ..let me stop...I don't have any children but should I I'll name my child Madeleine or McKinley.

my favorite part of the "nothin" video
 

What? So y'all aren't gonna name your daughters....

TAA-TAA-LA-LICIOUS...

TAA-TAA-LA-LICIOUS...

Re: my favorite part of the "nothin" video
 

HAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA I'M DYING OVER HERE!!! :D :D:D

Naw, the best part is when that dude from "Next Friday" does that dance... :p Esp. the look on the white girl's face...

Anyway, naw, I'mma let someone else use that name for their child...Don't want to be selfish, you know...

HELLO EVERYONE!!!

SwampThang, you have me rollin' over here :). I feel that longggggg names like the ones previously stated can go too far sometimes. I guess as long as the child is happy with it when he/she grows up, then more power to them.

I dread the day...
 

Some person decided to start a trend and give their kid some off the wall name. Every older adult in my family has a perfectly beautiful and dignified name. Names like, Brenda , Sara, Audra, Jacquelyn, Irene...I think we as a people are just giving up a lot of very strong traditional names by bestowing names even the kids and parents can't pronounce on them. My brother is named Arthur, my sisters Shannon and Jordan. As for me my mother wanted to name me Brandy but my father didn't like the name so my mother bought a book and found a greek derived name that she liked. I can actually explain the meaning of my name but... even though I know my name is pretty it is hard as a kid not being able to find a key chain of my name in a department store, when my sisters and brother were in and out in five minutes.

And another thing I am disappointed at all these ladies who choose to name their baby girls after their baby daddies (or hopefully husbands).. can we say ghetto. Simonica, Cliffinique, Alvinice, Leroynda, Timeisha.
Now we know you're like the names Simon, Cliff, Alvin, Leroy, and Tim but a girl should be given a girls name not some name altered to suit your silly purpose.
And yes I know names like Roberta and Jane are derived from the male names Robert and John but I think you'll all agree that there is a big difference between those two names and Joesha.

Although I'm only 19 I'm tired of having to apologize for not being able to pronounce someone's name right.

THE MADNESS HAS GOT TO STOP!

i've been a way for a minute, but its cool to see all the comments on this topic, i've had a good long laugh, thank you. but on the real every name was "made up" by someone, i image a european name must have sounded wierd or seemed meaningless to a asian or african person. our grandparents and those before them had to take on these european names, i'm sure if they had the choice "most" of us would be named african names and we would be quite happy indeed. but that's not the case, so as it stands i guess we must learn to tolerate those young parents today who are creating their own "made up" names. i've noticed many asian and other groups naming their children "american names" but they have ethnic middle and last names of course. we're all just trying to make life a little better for our kids (some of us, lol)

Has anyone noticed that if you switch Condoleeza around you have "Leezacondo" (Lease-a-condo)? Just an observation.

BUMP -- adaptation
 

http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/met...01talisha.html

This woman, who is going to Emory University on full scholarship, has modified her given name to Leigh. She says it's easier to remember.

I suspect, however, that she may have modified her name for other reasons (PWI environment, for one).

Parents really need to think about naming their children. Research, research, research. As we've said earlier, there are books out there w/African and Islamic names. Use those, please.
;)