Most African parents often name their children based on the circumstances surrounding their birth. It's just very common here, and I am not an exceptional parent in this regard. I did the same for my first son, considering all I went through during his pregnancy and delivery.
According to my Dad, he lost many children with his first wife. None of the children the woman birthed lived; they all died! Then he decided to marry a second wife, which is my mom. My Dad said that his parents had not had many children; he had just a few siblings, and he was craving to have many children for himself. This is why he didn't hesitate to take a second wife with the approval of his first wife.
My mom gave birth to three children for him within the space of nine years. My Dad was happy that his children lived, and then came my birth, which yielded twin babies: my twin brother and I.
The story had it that it was one of the Greatest days of my dad's life. He didn't wait for the eight-day naming ceremony according to African culture before giving my twin brother and me our names. He went ahead to kill a giant goat 🐐, bought cartons of drinks, and told the village town crier to invite anyone available to come and merry with the family for such great news.
Imagine waiting for children for years and then welcoming twin babies after three other children? His heart couldn't contain his joy, and thus my name, Nkemakonam, and my twin brother, Chinenyenwa,
For the record, I bear the same native name as @bruno-kema in this community;, if you haven't read his entry, kindly go find out yourself; Just a clue..lolz
Alright, let's move on to my names and their meanings...
My first name is Nkemakonam. Nkemakonam is a typical Igbo name that is not too common like other names. The people that bear this name are very rare and, of course, unique😉. I will break the name into two for a clearer meaning you. Nkem means mine, and, Akonam means I will not lack.In other words, Nkemakonam means I will not lack what is mine. My own, my possessions, whatever belongs to me, will surely get to me! It does not matter how long it has delayed;, what is mine, will not pass me by .
Now do you see the deep meaning of my name? To me, it's a well-thought-out name with so much prophecy. I have keyed into this name in so many situations in my life, reminding God of it, making positive declarations, and claiming God's promises around the meaning of my name, and the result has been evident!
Now I see why my Dad Named me Nkemakonam and went ahead to name my twin brother Chinenyenwa, meaning God gives children. Now he had those children he craved for, and they lived for him!.
My surname is Ugwuanyi, which means our mountain. Honestly speaking, I don't know how on earth this surname is relevant in anyway,but I guess it was coined due to family history, although I never understood all it was about when I asked .
My baptismal name? That's my English name? Hmmm, I am sorry, but I can't disclose it. My Dad did not even bother to check the meaning of the names before giving them to my twin brother and me. I guess he just heard of names that sounded alike and assumed that they would be perfect for twin babies, and thus the name. My twin brother and I grew up searching everywhere on Google for the meaning of the name, but it's almost meaningless.
Is there anything about my name that I should change?
Of course I love my native name so dearly, especially when you call me Nkem in short form, but do you see my English name? I am not proud to voice it out. I never used it anywhere aside in my official documents, and the same was true of my twin brother. We both unofficially changed the name but didn't do so officially because, at the time we began to ponder the name, we were already at the university and we didn't want anything to affect our credentials. However, in all my social media handles, you will only see Nkemakonam precious; precious isn't the name; it's the one I gave myself because I dislike the one given to me by my parents.
Now that I am a parent, I have always been intentional when naming my children, names they will be proud of when they grow older, names with good meaning because names are powerful and represent our identity.
This post was in response to the #hivelearners community contest on the topic titled What is Your name
Please note: Thumbnail image is mine designed using canva and all Gifs are from peakd
