Samoa Naming Customs: Difference between revisions
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'''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.''' | '''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.''' | ||
Revision as of 15:43, 2 July 2025
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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 Resources[edit | edit source]
- The 100 Samoan Last Names With Meanings And History
- Samoan Baby Names
- Most Common Last Names In Samoa
- Samoan Last Names
- Best Samoan Last Names and Meanings
- Surname experience at FamilySearch - search by surname to learn its meaning and origin
Given Names[edit | edit source]
The meaning of a given name is important when naming a child in the Samoan community:
- personal traits: Malosi (strong), Umi (tall), Vave (fast), Faiaivale (foolish)
- religious: Toefuata’igaoletalalelei (restoration of the Gospel)
- events: Dodiana (this name was created to commemorate Dodi Fayed and Princess Diana's death)
- objects: Tala (dollar)
- animals: Maile (dog)
- descriptive: Leilani (heavenly flower)
- traditional: Pua’a’elo (this was the name of a Samoan high chief)[1]
Naming Customs[edit | edit source]
Samoan names are often part of the Matai title system. Here are several resources:
- Nobility - This is a FamilySearch Wiki article on nobility and how that factors into people's Matai names
- Naming Conventions in Samoa -- Wikipedia section of Fa'amatai (the chiefly system of Samoa)
- Trying to Understand Matai Titles/Surnames -- a message board article at Ancestry.com
- Names of villages in American Samoa -- some of these village names may be used in the Matai titles
- An account of Samoan History up to 1918 -- contains a lot of matai title name history
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "Samoan culture", in Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samoan_culture#Names, accessed 8 March 2021.