Nigeria Naming Customs

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Naming Customs

Understanding customs used in surnames and given names can help you identify your ancestors in records. Learn to recognize name variations and see clues in names.

Online Tools[edit | edit source]

Personal Names by Ethnic Group[edit | edit source]

Nigeria has hundreds of different ethnic groups, with many unique naming practices. Three of the most prominent of these groups are Yoruba, Igbo/Ibo and Hausa.

YORUBA – South Western regions[edit | edit source]

The common order of names in Yoruba:

personal name(s) + family name

e.g. Oluwole RANSOME-KUTI

Yoruba personal names are chosen for their meaning and may give more information

about their holders (see 1.7).

Many Yoruba names are compound words, with the following elements frequently

occurring in some part of the name: ade, ayo, fe, ife, ire, oba, omo, ola, olu, oluwa, e.g. Olatunde.

Women typically take their husband’s family name upon marriage.
Children traditionally take their father’s family name.
In Yoruba culture, personal names often reflect the circumstances under which a

child was born:

a. Sunday: some children are named after the day of the week on which they

were born (in English), particularly used for children born on a Sunday;

b. Taiwo: ‘pre-tasted the world’, given to the first of a set of twins;

c. Kehinde: ‘the one who lagged behind’, given to the second of a set of twins;

d. Idowu: this is given to the child born after a set of twins;

e. Alaba: this is given to the child born after Idowu;

f. Tokunbo: this is given to a child born outside of Nigeria.

Unique Characteristics[edit | edit source]

The following naming practices should also be noted:

a. long Yoruba names are often abbreviated: e.g. ‘Wole for Oluwole, ‘Tai for Taiwo;

b. some Yoruba names are not gender specific, e.g. Kehinde;

c. individuals may also have a Western nickname or an additional Western personal name. These are quite often biblical names, e.g. Joseph, Samson, Moses, but can be other Western names, e.g. Austin:

e.g. Austin Babatunde OLALEGBIN.

d. some Yoruba individuals add a Muslim title to their name.

IGBO (IBO) – South Eastern regions[edit | edit source]

The common order of names in Igbo:

personal name(s) + family name

e.g. Chinua ACHEBE

Many Igbo names are compound words, frequently using the following elements: amaka, mma, nma, chi, chukwu, nna, nne, nwa, new, ek, olisa, e.g. Chukwuemeka.

Unique characteristics[edit | edit source]

The following naming practices should also be noted:

a. long Igbo names are often abbreviated. However, as names are often built from common elements, the same abbreviation may be used for several full names:

e.g. ‘Emeka could be short for Nnaemeka, Chiemeka, Chukwuemeka, Olisaemeka, etc;

b. many Igbo names are not gender-specific, e.g. Chibueze;

c. individuals may also have a Western nickname or an additional Western personal name. These are quite often biblical names, e.g. Joseph, Samson, Moses, but can be other Western names, e.g. George: e.g. Chukwuma Moses CHINEDU.

HAUSA – Northern regions[edit | edit source]

The common order of names in Hausa:

personal name + family name

e.g. Ahmad TAHIR

e.g. Abubakar KANO

Hausa names are heavily influenced by Islam, e.g. the personal name Ahmad, and many compound personal names begin with Abdul (‘servant of’) followed by one of the attributes of Allah, e.g. AbdulRahman, Abdulsalam, Abdulmalik, Abdulaziz.
Family names can be compound, e.g. BABBA-INNA.
Some family names come from names of local communities, e.g. KANO, SOKOTO, to show clan affiliation.
Hausa names can include the title Al-Hajj(i) / Hajj(i) to indicate that the person has undergone the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca.

References[edit | edit source]

A GUIDE TO NAMES AND NAMING PRACTICES, UK Names Guide