Who named slaves and their children? Names and naming practices among enslaved Africans brought to the Americas and their descendants with focus on Brazil

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to discuss names and naming practices among Africans and their descendants in slave societies in the Americas and to present a brief overview of naming systems among these groups in colonial as well as modern Brazil. Data from previous research on names and naming practices in a number of slave societies in the Americas constitute the point of departure for discussing who named enslaved Africans and their sons and daughters, in order to provide an overview of the different types of names that have been registered for such groups, and to comment on how these names may have been chosen and used, as well as how they reflect power relations and express resistance. The paper shows that owners were not always the name-givers of slaves and that, although African names are rare in historical records, modern naming practices may still include components of African origins and evoke memories of collective experiences.

Migrant Black African Youths’ Experiences of Racial Microaggressions in the Workplace

“…López (2015) explains that names make it possible to identify people and their position in society, and names explain how people prefer to be seen and how others see them. Ebu is a 30-year-old male participant from Nigeria.…”

“…This is demonstrated in how Samuel's White colleagues deliberately position him as someone who 'illegally' emigrated to Australia, even after Samuel corrects them by informing them that he migrated to Australia as an international student. López (2015) explains that names make it possible to identify people and their position in society, and names explain how people prefer to be seen and how others see them. Ebu is a 30-year-old male participant from Nigeria.…”

Transformasi Nama Diri Masyarakat Aceh

“…Nama diri sering dianggap sebagai suatu penanda sederhana dalam bentuk kata-kata yang memberikan informasi diri seperti etnis, hubungan keluarga, asal dan bahkan agama tertentu. (Thornton,1993;Álvarez, 2015;Cheang, 2018;). Agyekum (2006: 208) juga menambahkan bahwa sebuah nama memiliki suatu hubungan timbal balik dengan kebudayaan yang dimiliki oleh penutur bahasa sehingga penamaan nama diri juga merupakan bagian dari perwujudan keberadaan dari budaya yang mereka miliki.…”

From Enslavement to Emancipation: Naming Practices in the Danish West Indies

“…There exists already a considerable body of studies on the names given to enslaved individuals and documented in colonial records. Some scholars have focused on the onomastics and etymologies of the names used to designate the enslaved in historical records, searching for names that functioned as markers of origin, kinship, or ethnicity (Thornton 1993; Álvarez López 2015). Others have analyzed slave names as vectors for social relationships, contemplating, for instance, the dynamics of power between enslaved individuals and the authorities charged with (re)naming them (Hébrard 2003; Cottias 2003); how naming patterns can indicate processes of acculturation, creolization, and racialization—or, conversely, efforts at cultural resistance and self-determination (Inscoe 1983; Zeuske 2002); and what the switching or maintenance of names in transitions from slavery to emancipation reveals about the stakes of attempting to name oneself (Durand and Logossah 2002; Benson 2006).…”