Here is my next list... Drum Roll Please!
Baby Names with an African (Ugandan) Flair
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| Oh my... I know! Count the rolls. Her mama feeds her well! It was also funny because she'd cry every time she saw me. |
One of my greater discoveries when I went to Uganda was the interesting and surprising things people were called... Only African's would name a girl Kevin and call it good (I don't think they've seen the movie "Up.") I had a driver once whose name was Wilberforce, a cook named Harriette and a friend named Stella. It soon became my hobby finding out people's names!
Ugandan's like nick names, typically they are not shortened like Westerners would and when known I have included the appropriate nickname in parenthesis. Often the pet name would be to add an "ee" sound on the end of a name; Allan would be called Allany or Allanee. On the other hand, names like Fred that we would naturally think are a nickname are given to a child as a full name. Junior is used as a complete name of its own and doesn't denote that the child is a true "Jr.". And don't miss that many names have an "s" added on the end that we typically wouldn't use an "s" on... for example "William" might be named "Williams" in Uganda. This phenomenon is most often used with boys names only. Ugandans also really like virtue or attribute names... Precious, Wisdom, Royal are all very typical names.
I love how Ugandan's have a unique way of giving commonly discarded name in the West a new life and feel! Names I would never give a second thought to are now some of my favorites! Additionally, most names I've encountered in my beloved Uganda have a deep meaning.
Girls
Adella - "Nobel
Agnes - (Aggie)"Pure or holy"
Alice - "Nobel"
Beatrice - (Bea)"Bringer of joy"
Betty - "God is my oath"
Clara - "Illustrious"
Desire - um... "Desire"
Doreen - "Beautiful"
Esther - (Essie)"Star"
Favour - "God's favor"
Florence - "Prosperous"
Flavia - "Yellow colored"
Gift - "This child is a gift to me"
Gloria - "Glory"
Iryn or Eron - Erin "Irish"
Jane - "God's grace"
Josephine - (Josie) "God will increase"
Jovia - "Joy, Jovial"
Judith - "From Judaea"
Juliette - "Young"
Justine - "Justice"
Lillian - "Lily"
Madrine - possibly "Godmother"
Margaret - (Maga) "Pearl"
Maureen - "a form of Mary"
Mercy - "Mercy"
Norah - Unknown meaning
Patience - "Patient"
Pauline - "Small"
Pearl - "Pearl"
Phiona - "Fair"
Praise - "Giving God worship"
Precious - "This child has value"
Priscilla - "Long standing"
Proscovia - (Prossy or Scovia) Possibly the name of an ancient Egyptian queen.
Queen - "Queen"
Ritah - "Pearl"
Rose - "Rose" (many forms of Rose are used: Primrose, Rosaline, Rosaleen)
Stella - "Star"
Sylvia - "Wood"
Viola - "Flower"
Winnie - "Blessed"
Boys
Ambrose - (Ambie) "Immortal"
Benjamin - (Benja) "Son of my right hand"
Bernard - "Brave or hardy"
Derrick - "Ruler or King"
Dixon - A Scottish surname
Edward - "Guardian"
Edgar - "Prosperity"
Efraim/Ephraim - "Fruitful"
Emmanuel - (Emma) "God is with us"
Enoch or Enock - "Dedicated"
Frank - "Honest" or "French"
Felix - "Lucky"
Fred - "Peaceful"
Frances - "French"
George - "Farmer, or worker of the earth"
Gilbert - "Bright pledge"
Gift - "This child is a gift to me"
Godwin - "God's Friend"
Innocent - (Inno) "With out fault"
Ivan - "Gift from God"
Jethro - "More than enough"
Jordan - Like the river.
Jude - "Praise God"
Julius or Julian - "Youthful"
Junior - "Like ones father, or named after him"
King - "The highest"
Matthias - (Matti) "Gift of God"
Monday - Like the day.
Moses - "Drawn out of the waters"
Nicolas - (Nico) "Victory of the people"
Rogers - Don't miss the "s"
Ronald - "Mightly Counselor"
Royal - "Nobel birth"
Simon - "He has heard"
Solomon - (Solo) "Peace"
Timothy - (Timo) "Honoring God"
Trevor - "Wise"
Trust - "I trust God."
Williams - Don't miss the "s"
Wilson - "Son of William"
Wisdom - "Wise"
Wycliff - "White cliff" or "Reformer/Theologian"
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