Nigeria and this part of the world where I'm from usually have a story behind all the names they bear and give to their children. Although modern parents tend to give their kids fancy names, you'll still find a name related to their culture and language. Just like everyone else, each of my names has a meaning and a story behind them, and I'll love to share it with you.
To start with, I'm Igbomina by tribe, a subsection of the Yoruba people's race, and when you get to know the Yoruba people, you'll realize they really place high significance on names. In fact, there is an adage that says "Ile la nwo kato somo lorunko", meaning one must look into a family or household before naming a child. That simply shows my people are very skeptical about family tradition, reputation, and several others before naming a child.
My names are Afolayan Victor Tunmise Adedeji, and each one of these has a significant meaning and story behind how it came into existence and why I was named that. In this article, I'll be sharing the story behind each one and their meaning, and I'll also talk about what I loved about it and which one I dislike and don't really love being called by.
My surname is Afolayan, and it simply means someone who walks majestically to showcase their wealth; it could also be said to be someone who exhibits an opulence aura. What that's saying in essence is that I'm from a wealth background, or better yet, a family that was once so rich to warrant such a name, and I do agree with us having that name because I get to know that my family was the first to have a story building in my entire hometown.
My third name, Adedeji, shows I'm from a royal linage. The name Adedeji means the crown has become two, which in a real sense might seem meaningless, but when someone is named Adedeji, it shows he's the second son, which simply means we can say Adedeji means the heir to the throne has become two. I'm the second child of my parents, and I guess that warrants me getting the name Since I'm the second son of a royal family.
My uncle, who's the brother of my father, is the current king of my hometown, and that simply explains why I'm getting a royal name just like every one of my family members. It's a name I love and would have liked to be addressed as, but unfortunately, my parents didn't register it alongside my major names during my registration in school, which means I wouldn't be known as that official unless I decided to do an affidavit change of name to affirm it.
My other traditional name, Tunmise, Or Oluwatunmise, is one I'm not really a fan of; it means God has remade or redefined me. My mom actually gave me this name because, unlike my dad, she was expecting a girl child, so she named me that more like a plea to God to please give her a girl child next. The name is one that's mostly attached to girls, so it's kind of annoying that I am called by the name of a girl.
When I was younger, I felt the name showed my vulnerability and imperfections, as well as the fact that I'll never be perfect but will always be in search of something to make me perfect or whole. If it were possible, I would have just changed all the credentials where the name Tunmise appears to my other name, Adedeji, which I love and deem perfect.
My first name, which is also my English and baptismal name, is Victor, and the story behind it can't be far-fetched. One is because I was born during a period when there was civil unrest around the place where my parents reside, and I guess they named me that because I came out victorious despite the unrest at that time. Another reason I'm given the name Victor is because my mom once told me she has always wished to name one of her children the same name as herself, Victoria, but when no girl child showed up, she decided to name me Victor, which still correlates.
That's all on my names, their meaning, and the stories behind each one, and it was inspired by the Hive Learner Community Features prompt.
Thanks for your time and support, stay bless.