Central African Names and African-American Naming Patterns

Thornton, John

doi:10.2307/2947473

Cited by 50 publications

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“…For example, while three different African Day Names were found amongst the NF personal names (Cuff, Quaco, Quash), no such names were identified for the MFs. Similar results have also been obtained in other investigations of slave names (Jeffreys 1948;Cohen 1952;Inscoe 1983;Thornton 1993;Laversuch 2005Laversuch /2006. This intra-racial group difference powerfully mirrors the differing cultural orientations broadly attested between these two segments of the slave population.…”

Section: Intra-racial Findingssupporting

confidence: 90%

In the Name of Freedom

Nick¹

2022

names

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The ubiquitous image of the sprawling 19th century Southern plantation has meant that much of the research on US slave names has focused on regions below the mid-Atlantic (Desrochers 2002). The resulting lack of attention that has been given to other times and spaces has necessarily limited our collective understanding of slave naming patterns. The purpose of the current investigation is to help address this geo-temporal oversight. With that goal in mind, the present empirical study explores the naming patterns of fugitive slaves as advertised in newspapers published in New York and New Jersey between 1730 and 1790. Using the techniques of corpus linguistics, this investigation analyzed 147 runaway slave advertisements featuring 150 slave names. These onomastic exemplars comprised four name-types: first names, surnames, nicknames, and aliases. Onomastic patterns were identified using descriptive statistics as well chi-squared and Fisher’s exact tests. Special attention was paid to exploring the relationship between the runaways’ names and their reported age, gender, and racial classification. After a brief introduction to slavery in the New England colonies, this study presents the empirical results and compares them with previous findings on US slave names. The paper concludes with a discussion of the limitations and argues for more corpus-based research into slave names.

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Section: Intra-racial Findingssupporting

confidence: 90%

In the Name of Freedom

Nick¹

2022

names

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“…In this affiliative outcomes vein, while some propose that distinctively African‐American personal names (such as Shanice or DeShawn) or ‘low status’ names lead teachers to have less expectations of children's attainment, and thus to lower educational outcomes (Figlio, 2005), others find no such association between ‘Black’ names and life outcomes, concluding that it is the socio‐economic circumstances in which children are born and raised that are primary, and that Black names may have localised benefits in denoting racial solidarity (Fryer and Levitt, 2003; see also Thornton, 1993 on African‐Americans highlighting African heritage through naming of children). Whether or not racialised minority groups such as African‐Americans can influence others’ expectations of, and their actual potential by what personal name they carry is also contested by Mary Waters’ (1990) broader concerns with ethnic affiliation in the United States.…”

Section: Naming Practices – Outcomes and Trendsmentioning

confidence: 99%

What's in a Name? An Exploration of the Significance of Personal Naming of ‘Mixed’ Children for Parents from Different Racial, Ethnic and Faith Backgrounds

Edwards

Caballero

2008

The Sociological Review

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This article is concerned with how and why parent couples from different racial, ethnic and faith backgrounds choose their children's personal names? The limited literature on the topic of names often focuses on outcomes, using birth name registration data sets, rather than process. In particular, we consider the extent to which the personal names that 'mixed' couples give their children represent an individualised taste, or reflect a form of collective affiliation to family, race, ethnicity or faith. We place this discussion in the context of debates about the racial and faith affiliation of 'mixed' people, positing various forms of 'pro' or 'post' collective identity. We draw on in-depth interview data to show that, in the case of 'mixed' couple parents, while most wanted names for their children that they liked, they also wanted names that symbolised their children's heritages. This could involve parents in complicated practices concerning who was involved in naming the children and what those names were. We conclude that, for a full understanding of naming practices and the extent to which these are individualised or affiliative it is important to address process, and that the processes we have identified for 'mixed' parents reveal the persistence of collective identity associated with race, ethnicity and faith alongside elements of individualised taste and transcendence, as well as some gendered features.

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“…3. It has long been assumed that Africans brought to the New World were stripped of their names and rechristened with Western names, though more recent research contradicts this assumption (Thornton, 1993). Nevertheless, the idea that African Americans had lost their names was prevalent even among African Americans at the time of Roots' broadcast.…”

Section: Hyperrealist and Travestied Aesthetics 2000-presentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Black Television Travels

Havens¹

2020

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Several television professionals have graciously shared with me their time, ideas, and access to industry materials and gatherings. Without their assistance, this book could never have come together. Bruce Johansen and Pam Smithard of NATPE served as my initial industry informants and introduced me to most of the television professionals I interviewed for the book. Gary Marenzi patiently explained to me how the business of trade works over the course of several conversations. Peggy Refford of Reed-Midem and Patrick Jucaud of NATPE-DISCOP kindly permitted me to attend their trade markets when I had no official business there. Finally, dozens of television merchants, programmers, and producers have been willing to speak frankly with me about subject matter that is oftentimes controversial. I am grateful for their candor. I would also like to acknowledge the assistance of the curators of the David Wolper Archives at the

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Central African Names and African-American Naming Patterns

Cited by 50 publications

References 0 publications

In the Name of Freedom

In the Name of Freedom

What's in a Name? An Exploration of the Significance of Personal Naming of ‘Mixed’ Children for Parents from Different Racial, Ethnic and Faith Backgrounds

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