I have no clue about why my parents decided to name me Kenechukwu, and I don't remember ever being curious to ask. But I've come up with some theories over the last couple of years, based on the English translation of the name. For the record, Kenechukwu means 'Thank God'.
If you are familiar with Nigerians who are Igbo, you will notice that almost every native name in the tribe has 'Chukwu' attached to it. We have names like Tochukwu, Eberechukwu, Ngozichukwu and so on.
Yeah, we are very religious in this part of the world. Hehe.
One adorable thing about any name that has 'chukwu' attached to it is that the name always sends a very good message. I mean, that should be a no-brainer because 'chukwu' is the Igbo name for God. Hehe. I love mine so much and the fact that I'm using this name in all my online activity should be enough to prove that I genuinely fancy this name to a tee. Hehe.
While I'm very proud of my first name, it's important to note that we have many legal names in Nigeria. A whole lot of those. Lemme try and break them down for y'all;
Surname = Ezeme
First Name = Kenechukwu
Baptism Name = Can't say that, even if 99.9 HBD is on the line. Haha
Confirmation Name = Valentine.
Wow! Those names are the ones that are legally attached to my identity, although there is something fishy about my baptism name. Hehe.
I got the name when I was baptized as an infant and my parents gave me a name that I genuinely respect although I never loved or enjoyed bearing the name. And, what's interesting about this name is that I remember doing multiple research to find the meaning of the name, but I never got an answer... None from Google and also none from my Parents.
Nobody knew the meaning of this name and I don't ever remember seeing anyone that bears the same name. Lol. Now that I'm thinking of it, the name sounds Italian in some way. It's one of those names that end with 'tus'. Haha. That's the highest hint I'm giving.
Just before registering for my WAEC (West African Examination Council) and JAMB (Joint Admission and Matriculation Board) Exam, we got informed that the Bishop of our Diocese will visit the Parish where I worship. Normally, whenever the Bishop is coming for such an occasion, Confirmation is usually organized for those that qualified for the screening exercise. And, we get to choose a name whenever receiving the sacrament of Confirmation.
I knew that would be an opportunity to get another English name. This time around, I will be sure to choose a name that resonates with me. Haha. I went through the screening process and received the sacrament of Confirmation and that was when 'Valentine' officially became my name. It's a name I chose by myself and for myself. Well, if I don't like the name, I wouldn't have anyone to cry to. Haha.
But, no worries... I love that name. But, nothing beats Kenechukwu. That's a name I want to be known for by people all over the world.
Immediately I did my confirmation, the next thing I did was to apply for a 'change of name' validation certificate. Thankfully, all these happened before I started applying for Uni so, all my major academic documents can be identified by the name;
Kenechukwu as First Name
Valentine as Middle Name
Ezeme as Last Name.
Not that I found any use case for those certificate though. Hehe. Maybe I will be using them in my next life. C'ya.
Thanks For Not Missing Any Full-stop Or Comma.
Thumbnail Image is taken from Unsplash