Jamaica Naming Customs

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Jamaica

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

• Genealogy Lesson on Last Names when Researching at Genealogía Nuestra
• Names and Surnames in Jamaica
• Most Common Last Names In Jamaica
• Surname experience at FamilySearch - search by surname to learn its meaning and origin

For Further Reading

• The Ultimate Guide to Jamaican Names
• My name is Joe, but you can call me Al: About Jamaican Names

FamilySearch Library

Additional sources are listed in the FamilySearch Catalog:

• Jamaica - Names, Geographical

Given Names

Jamaican last names are primarily British as mentioned earlier, and you can still see this today. As far as first names, many Modern Jamaicans choose ones that have relation to their family while traditional Jamaicans name their children after days of the week.

It is a common Jamaican tradition for children to have double middle names. The middle names that are chosen are the most personal since the parents choose that name based on family ties, their preferences, and traditions.

Another popular tradition that you will find in Jamaica is the use of nicknames. They are referred to as "yard names," and it is normal for that name to be used more often in place of the person's given name. Pretty cool, right?

It is also normal for Jamaicans to use identifiers for people in place of their name. This applies to strangers AND people they know. Here is a fascinating blog entry about a couple who spent time in Jamaica during their time in the Peace Corps, where they discuss the time they spent in Jamaica, as well as examples of some of the nicknames and identifiers they heard there. Jamaican culture is definitely unique.

Surnames

Surnames Historical Development

• Before record keeping began, most people had only one name, such as John.
• As the population increased, it became necessary to distinguish between individuals with the same name. The problem was usually solved by adding descriptive information. John became John the smith, John the son of Matthew, John the short, or John from Heidelberg.
• At first surnames applied only to one person, not to the whole family. After a few generations, these names became hereditary and were passed on from generation to generation.
• Surnames developed from several sources. For example:
  • Occupational (based on a person’s trade, such as Carter or Smith)
  • Geographical (based on a person’s residence, such as Drayton or Debenham)
  • Patronymic (based on a person’s father’s name, such as Jones, son of John)
  • Descriptive or nickname (such as Joy or Child)
• The nobility and wealthy land owners were the first to begin using surnames.
• Merchants and townspeople then adopted the custom, as did the rural population. This process took two or three centuries.

Surname Changes of Immigrants in the United States

As Immigrants moved into English-speaking countries, their surnames were impacted in a variety of ways.

• Most of the time the surname spelling changed to accommodate the different phonetic spelling in the English language. In other words, the recorder tried to write the name the way he heard it.
• Surnames may also have been translated outright into English, sometimes with a slight twist.
• Within the community, such as the local parish, immigrants may continue to use the original name, while at the same time using English-language equivalents when dealing with local government, census takers, and other English speakers.
• Different branches of the same family may adopt various surname spellings.
• Prior to 1900, formal surname changes documented in local court records are relatively rare.
• During the early 20th Century, especially the World War I era, surname changes are recorded more frequently, as immigrants or, more often, their children, tried to adopt more neutral surnames.

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