Linguistik online 59, 2/13

New Trends in Yorb Personal Names among Yorb Christians

Reuben Oluwafe

mi Iko

tun (Ado-Ekiti)


Abstract
In this paper, we examine new trends in Yorb personal names that are first names among
Yorb Christians. The data used include data drawn from previous studies on Yorb
personal names, the lists of names of the candidates of the Joint Admissions and
Matriculation Board of Nigeria the lists of staff of three Nigerian universities, some
attendance registers of pupils in nursery, primary and secondary schools as well as participant
observation. We show that the European or established Churches and the newly founded
autochthonous Nigerian Churches have different influences on Yorb naming system and
tradition-based Yorb personal or first names. We also indicate that, at present, there is a
complete cultural shift from the use of tradition-based Yorb personal names as first names
to the use of biblical or Christian names and that this new dimension is as a result of the
influence of western culture or civilization and the newly founded churches in Nigeria. We
further show that the activities that are shrouded in fanaticism, flavours, modernisation and
especially names that endear the Nigerian believers to one another are meant to prove that the
newly founded autochthonous Nigerian churches understand the Bible teachings better than
the European churches and that name modification or name change is inevitable when there is
acculturation.




1 Introduction
The introduction and acceptance of Christianity in Yorb-dominated areas of Nigeria can be
traced to the desires and efforts made by the Yorb slaves that were granted freedom from
England and America after the abolition of slave trade in 1772 (cf. Ayndele 1966; Peel 1968;
Odyo ye 1969; Oshite

lu 2002; Je

ge

de

2008). It will be recalled that in 1772, the Lord Chief

Justice of England, Lord Mansfield, gave legal teeth to the abolition of slave trade and as a
result of the historical judgment, Freetown and Liberia were founded. The two cities served as
training grounds for many of the freed slaves who had come into contact with Christianity
during their period of captivity. However, many of the recaptives managed to make their ways
inland and to Abe

okuta; the present capital of Ogn State between 1838 and 1842 (cf.
Ayndele 1966: 412). The spiritual isolation of the recaptives made them to ask for
missionaries, first, to administer to them, and, more importantly, to minister to their heathen
brethren who sold them into slavery. In fact, the quest for the establishment of mission
stations in many towns and villages in Yorb land led to a phenomenal rise in the number of
Missionaries of various Denominations coming from Europe and America into some Yorb
major towns (cf. Odyo ye 1969: 122). The result of this was that Lagos, Badagry, O yo

,
Ibadan, Ije

bu-ode, S aki, Iles a, Ife

, Ondo and Ekiti land became the strongholds of Christianity

by the first decade of the 20
th
century.
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However, the Foreign Missionaries closed their stations and left for their home countries
because of the outbreak of epidemic or plague, and the world economic recession as well as
the First World War. Christians in Yorb land responded to the challenge by establishing
prayer groups in order to cater for their spiritual needs. The most popular of such prayer
groups was the 'E gbe

Okuta Olowoiyebiye' (The Precious Stone Society). The group

metamorphosed into the Faith Tabernacle. The Faith Tabernacle later became The Apostolic
Faith and the Christ Apostolic Church (cf. Peel, 1968). The crises also resulted in the
emergence of an avalanche of 'Aldura' Churches such as the Cherubim and Seraphim
Society (C&S) in 1925, the Church of the Lord (Aldu

ura) (C.L.A) in 1930 and Celestial

Church of Christ (CCC) in 1947. The Aldura Churches are mostly products of the various
charismatic movements in Yorb land, and the movements started in the second decade of
the 20
th
century (cf. Je

ge

de

, 2008).They emerged gradually out of the visionary and prophetic

experiences of a considerable number of individuals. Prominent among them were Saint
Moses Orimo lde, Primate Josiah Oshite

lu, Apostle Joseph Ayo

Babalo l and Pastor SBJ

Oschoffa, among others.
The 1960s, and 1970s also witnessed the emergence of a new brand of Christianity in Yorb
land. The era saw the emergence of some Pentecostal and Neo-Pentecostal Churches,
prominent among which are the Deeper Life Bible Church, the Redeemed Christian Church of
God and Foursquare Gospel Church. This Phenomenon has led to the proliferation of several
hundreds of Neo-Pentecostal Churches in Yorb-dominated areas of Nigeria. In this paper,
we will show that the European or established Churches and the newly founded
autochthonous Nigerian Churches have different influences on Yorb naming system and
tradition-based Yorb personal or first names.

2 Naming in Yoruba-Dominated Areas of Nigeria
One conclusion that can be drawn from previous studies on naming among the Yorb people
is that naming is an important issue in Yorb culture and it is done with fanfare (cf.
Dramo

l/Jeje 1967: 62; Okediji et al. 1971: 68f.; Adeoye 1972: 5, 1979: 256; E kundayo

1977: 56f.; Akinnaso 1980: 277f.). Although, there are similarities in the findings of the
previous researchers, the researchers do not completely present the same stories about naming
among the Yorb people. For example, Dramo

l and Jeje (1967: 62), and Okediji et al.

(1971: 68f.) claim that "a male child is named on the 9
th
day, a female child is named on the
7
th
day and twins are named on the 8
th
day". On the other hand, Adeoye (1972: 5; 1979: 256),
E kundayo

(1977: 56f.), Akinnaso (1980: 277f.), and Owolabi et al. (2009: 221) report that
many Yorb people name their children on the 8
th
day as a result of Christian and Islamic
influences. But, information from two If priests and with what is happening at present on
naming among the Yorb people show that none of the previous findings can be deemed as
completely correct. For example, Iko

tun (2011: 24) reports that "in Yorb culture, If is

regarded as a repository of the people's culture, history, tradition and values". So, whatever
the If priests say is usually regarded as correct and final. The If priests say that naming is
done on the sixth day and that is why the Yorb people say Ifalo mo (Every child is a sixth
day) although the word 'Ifalo mo ' may also mean 'unexpected favour'.
Similarly, some Yorb people wrongly pronounce Ifalo mo as Ifalo mo or Falo mo ('A child is
If' the Yorb god of wisdom). In fact, there are some Yorb people who adopt Falo mo
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as their names. But, because the Yorb Christians do not want to have anything to do with
Ifa ('the Yorb god of wisdom'), according to them, it is paganism. They change Ifalo mo
(Every child is a sixth day) or Ifalo mo (A child is If-the Yorb god of wisdom) to
E bunlo mo (Children are gifts). Therefore, at present, there are five different naming days in
the Yorb-speaking areas of Nigeria. The Yorb traditionalists name their children on the
sixth day with fanfare. Members of the European Churches and some Pentecostal Churches
name their children on the eighth day with fanfare. Jehovah's Witnesses and members of the
Deeper Life Bible Church adopt the day children are born for naming without fanfare and
formal religious ceremony. Some Yorb Muslims endorse the seventh day while others
adopt the eighth day.
Furthermore, Yorb Christians who adopt the eighth day cite Luke 2:21 in support of their
position. The verse reads:
Now when eight days came to the full for circumcising him, his name was also called Jesus, the
name called by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
But, Jehovah's witnesses argue that the Bible emphasizes the eighth day for circumcision and
not naming. Citing Genesis 17:1214, 21:4; Luke 2:21; John 7:22 and Acts 7:8, they argue
further that it is circumcision the Bible discusses and that it is Jewish and not Christian and
that there is no verse in the Bible that says Christians should name their children on a
particular day. On the other hand, the difference between the Muslim days is traceable to the
difference between the Islamic calendar and the Gregorian calendar. The Islamic calendar,
like the Jewish calendar, endorses sunset to sunset as a day whereas the Gregorian calendar
claims that a day is 12 midnight to 12 midnight. Those who adopt the Islamic calendar
endorse the seventh day for naming while those who use the Gregorian calendar name their
children on the eighth day.

3 The Socio-Cultural Bases of Yoruba Personal Names Before The Advent of
Christianity
Akinnaso

(1980: 279283) reports that Yorb personal names are drawn from the home
context (HC) principle that is based on the Yorb proverb: Ile ni a n wo ki a to so o mo ni
oruko ('The condition of the home determines a child's name').
Akinnaso

(1980: 283) also submits that:

Any personal name which invokes unpleasant or negatively valued connotations is obligatorily
avoided because the Yorb believe (i) that a child's name play some part in its development
and future career and consequently (ii) that a child may react to a name having negative social
implications.
According to him, the practice of eliminating socially unacceptable information from personal
names is based on another Yorb proverb: Oruko ni n ro ni ('A person's name directs his
actions and behavior'). The negatively sanctioned home contexts are witchcraft, poverty,
disability and criminality. So, only socially valued information in personal names is
encouraged and used. Therefore, before the advent of Christianity two rules that guided the
choice or construction of Yorb personal names as advanced by Akinnaso

(1980: 279283)
are reproduced below:
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Rule 1: A personal name is derived from one or more domestic events that satisfy the
home context requirement.
Rule 2: All negatively valued home contexts are raised to positively valued status for
the purpose of personal name construction
Rule 1 has the following sub-bases:
1a. the special circumstances that strictly pertain to the birth of the child or its
appearance at birth- how was the baby born? E.g. Did it present its legs first rather
than the head?
1b. the social, economic, political and other conditions affecting the family or lineage
into which the baby was born- was there famine, war, or economic boom?
1c. the (traditional) occupation or profession of the parents or the family line- Are
they hunters, drummers, or warriors?
1d. the religious affiliation or deity loyalty of the family- which God or deity is
worshipped and what is His/her contribution to the welfare of the family?
However, in this paper we are interested in name change vis--vis first names. We will show
that rules 1a, 1b and 1c do not serve as bases for constructing personal names among
Christians especially members of the newly founded churches any more. This is because, as
we shall show later, tradition-based Yorb personal/first names are now being replaced by
new derivations or names that have Greek scriptural connotations. The deity in rule 1d must
also be replaced with the Bible "Lord" if it will serve as a basis for personal name
construction among members of the newly founded churches. In addition, the second rule
which says "all negatively valued home contexts are raised to positively valued status for the
purpose of personal name construction" still holds for members of both established and newly
founded churches though this position is at variance with a common Mediterranean principle.
According to Akinnaso

(1980: 283), the common Mediterranean principle avoids "the evil eye
and envy by not naming a baby positively in a way to attract envy". Therefore, rule 2 is not a
worldwide phenomenon that is applicable to every ethnic group.

4 Yoruba Personal/First Names before the Advent of Christianity in Yoruba-
Dominated Areas of Nigeria
In this paper, we are interested in personal or first names. A first name is defined as a name
that is given to one when one is born and it must come before one's family name (cf. Turnbull
2010: 560). Sownde and Ajanaku (1969), Adeoye (1972), Ekundayo (1977), Akinnso
(1980), Babalol and Alab (2003) who discuss Yorb personal names indicate that
tradition-based Yorb personal names can be divided into at least eight different categories.
The first category shows that there are some Yorb names that are called 'amuto runw'
(names that are brought from heaven). Some of the names in this category are g (a child
who presents the legs first, rather than the head, at birth), ke (a child born with an unbroken
membrane), n (literally, n means 'today' but culturally, it is a traditional name given to a
child who is very small in stature at birth and who ceaselessly cries day and night), la
(literally, la means 'tomorrow' but culturally, it is a name given to a child that is born after
n) and tnla (literally, tunla means 'the day after tomorrow' but culturally, tunla is the
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younger sibling to la). The second category comprises names that show the people's belief
in the deities like gn ('The god of iron'), Oya ('The river goddess'), Sango (The diety of
thunder), su
1
(The law enforcer) and If (The god of wisdom). For example, there are names
such as gunyemi ('The god of iron fits me'), Oyawale ('The river goddess came home') and
suriyike ('The law enforcer got this one to treasure').
The third category consists of names that are called oruko oy ('chieftaincy names'), oruko
ogun ('war names'
2
) and nagije ('nicknames'). Some of such names are; Apn ('cult's title'),
Balgun ('A generalissimo') and Ajisefinni ('A person who will always want to appear neat').
The fourth category includes names that are called oruko abiku ('names that are given to those
that die and are perceived to have been born again or have staged a comeback'). Examples
are: Ksmaw ('Let us continue to watch him') and Kuko yi ('Death rejected this one').
Names like Odunayo ('Festival of happiness') and Odunola ('Festival of riches') are names
that belong to the fifth category and the names are some of the names which show individual
social values and expectations. The sixth category shows names that deal with ise dile
('family professions') like Ode wale ('A hunter came home'), and gb de ('A goldsmith'). The
seventh category comprises names that show the people's belief in as ynwaye
('reincarnation'). Some examples are; Babjd ('The father reincarnated'), Iyabo ('The mother
came back') and Ode jide ('The hunter reincarnated'). The eighth category comprises names
that are drawn from oriki ('eulogy') which are called praise names. A few of the names are:
bike

('Praise name'/'Born to cherish') and kanji ('Praise name').

But, we are of the opinion that chieftaincy names, nicknames and war names were either titles
or appellations which transformed into real names. For example, before the British or
Missionary incursions into the southwestern part of Nigeria, each Yorb sub-ethnic group
had its army. Like nagije (nicknames or aliases), an individual who performed well in the
war front could either adopt or be named Jagun ('war fighter') or Dgundr ('war stopper'),
to mention a few. As a result of the frequent use of such war names, the names gained
popularity over the addressees' real names. Importantly, therefore, such names as these that
were mainly titles or appellations, before the advent of Christianity and formal education in
Africa, were adopted as fathers' real names by children when the need arose for them to
register (e.g. in schools) with their fathers' names. The use of chieftaincy names, nicknames
and war names was due to the ignorance of such children who erroneously believed their
fathers' appellations and chieftaincy names to be their fathers' real names. In this paper, we

1
s ('The law enforcer') in Yorb traditional religion is different from su ('satan') in Christianity and Islam.
su ('The law enforcer'), according to Je miriye (1998: 48) (a professor of traditional religion), is one of the
Yorb gods that has its followers or worshippers. This is the reason why some of its worshippers adopt names
like subiyi ('The law enforcer gave birth to this one'), suriyike ('The law enforcer got this one to treasure').
2
There are four categories of war names among the Yorb people. The first category comprises names that
have the word ogun ('war'). Some examples are: A bi de ogun Abidogun ('Born before a war time'), Ba ogun
de Bogunde ('Born during a war time'). The addressees were named as such because they were born during
war times. The second category also has ogun ('war'). They are: Da ogun duro Dagunduro ('A war stopper'),
A ri ogun yo

Arogunyo

('A person who is happy at seeing wars'). The third category has the word ja ('fight'),
.e.g jakaye ('A person that fights round the world'). Names in the second and third categories are nagije
('nicknames'). The fourth category includes names that do not have ogun ('war') but, in the past, the users of the
names were war lords and they were very popular. Such names include: gunmo

la of the Ibadan army,

gdngbe of the Ije

sa army and, later, of the Ekiti Parapo

army and Fabunmi of the Ekiti Parapo

army. Names
in the fourth category, like the first category, are real names given at birth.
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will show that new names have been formed by the Yorb Christians to replace the tradition-
based Yorb personal names as first names.

5 The Typology of Yoruba Personal Names
It has been shown that many Yorb personal names are sentential names that are the
combinations of noun phrases (NPs henceforth) and verb phrases (VPs henceforth) (cf
Ekundayo 1977; Akinnaso 1980). For example, Ekundayo (1977), and Akinnaso (1980),
discuss Yorb Noun Phrases that can be Yorb personal names, e.g.
Ekun di ayo

Ekundayo

= Sentence = S









Weeping become joy
(Weeping became joy)
However, in this section, we show that a Yorb sentential name can also be a Serial Verb
Construction, a Verb Phrase (VP), a Prepositional Phrase (PP), a Focus Construction and a
Specifier or a Complementizer, for example Ode rnwale ('A hunter walked home'). The
name is a serial verb construction and can be shown in a tree diagram thus:

A VP example is: Wl ('Come home')
VP
N
NP
N
ayo

V
di
NP
Ekun
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A PP example also is: Nihninlolawa ('Riches are here').

Ni hin ni ola wa = Nihninlolawa ('Riches are here'). This is a sentence derived by a
movement from Ola wa ni hin ('Riches are here').
There are also examples of specifiers. There are some that are drawn from complimentizers
and some from inflectional phrases. Some examples are shown below.
The name 'Ab ni ikn n d' (Termites are only proposing) is the first segment of the sentence
ba ni ikan n da ikan kan o l je okuta ('Termites are only proposing, no termite can eat
stone').
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The base is Ikan n da aba ('Termites are proposing'). Ikan kan ko le je okuta ('No termite can
eat stone'). We focus the object of the first sentence. ba ikan n da- Ikan kan ko l je okuta
('Termites are only proposing-No termite can eat stone'). We then insert ni: ba ni ikan n da-
Ikan ko l je okuta. So, aba ni ikan n da, ikan kan ko l je okuta are two sentences. Movement
takes place only in the first.
An example of a Yorb Personal name which is a focus construction is A wo lu ma te

('A
person who enters a town and is not mocked').
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This name is a focus construction derived from O mo iwo

n ara re

('He knows his boundary')

by the focusing of the NP object. An example of a Yorb Personal name which is a Specifier
is also shown below: Tanimo

nwo? ('Who knows how to take care of?').

But, as this discussion progresses we will show that specifiers are no longer adopted as first
names because they are alliances or nicknames that were erroneously adopted as
parents'names when the need arose to register in schools established by the Missionaries.

6 Data Collection
Studies conducted on Yorb personal names as well as Yorb people and published by
previous researchers formed part of the data that were used in this work. The researchers are
Sownde and Ajanaku (1969), Odyoye (1972), Adeoye (1972), Ekundayo (1977), Akinnaso
(1980) and Ajby (2009). Other books that were consulted on religions are Oldmar God
in Yorb belief by dw (1962), Understanding African Traditional Religion by Kyo de
(1984), The Yorb God and gods by Je miriye (1998), The Holy Bible: Revised Standard
Version,Christianity in West Africa by Kalu (1978), New Dimensions in African Christianity
by Gifford (1993) and New Christian Movements in West Africa by Beyer (1998). In addition,


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Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board's (JAMB) lists of applicants seeking admissions
into the Universities of Ado-Ekiti, Ife and Ibadan were used. In the lists that were sent by the
Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), first and surnames or generational names
and states of origin of the candidates considered for admission and their dates of birth are
clearly shown. The attendance registers of pupils or students of Good Tindings International
Schools, Osogbo were also considered. Two of the registers are for the Nursery section, three
for the Primary section, four for the Junior Secondary and four for the Senior Secondary. The
registers equally indicate their bio-data. The lists of staff of the Universities of Ado-Ekiti, Ife
and bdn which contain their bio-data were similarly considered. It is believed that the
number of students and staff of the three universities is sufficiently representative of all the
Yorb Christians.

7 Data Presentation
In this section we present names that were drawn from our present study. The names are
divided into three groups. The first group consists of names that are formed inYorb and are
used as first names. They are shown below.

A: First Names
Oluwanif e simi or Nif e simi or Nif e ('The Lord has love for me')
Tolwani or Tolwa or Tol ('This is the Lord's own')
Ayo mikun or Ayo mi or Ayo ('My joy is full')
Tmilolwa or Tmilol or Tmi ('The Lord is mine')
Tijsnim or Tijs or Nim ('I am for Jesus')
Jstfnmi or Tfnmi ('Jesus is enough for me')
Ife oluwa or Ife olu or Ife ('The Lord's love')
Ooreo fe or Oore ('The grace')
Mofyisayo or Fyisayo or Sayo ('I use this one for joy')
Tmidayo or Tmi or Dayo ('My own has become joy')
Oluwapamile rninayo or Pamile rnin ('The Lord has made me to laugh')
Ise oluwa ('The Lord's work')
yanuolwa ('The Lord's miracle')
Moyo sore ('I rejoice at gifts')
Moyo soluwa ('I rejoice on to the Lord')
Oluwap lumi ('The Lord is with me')
Oluwatunmise ('The Lord has remade me')
Rerelolwa ('The Lord is good')
rpad ('Ransom')
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tn ('Comfort')
tura ('Comfort')
yn ('Praise')
Iyolwa ('The Lord's admiration')
Jesufe ranmi ('Jesus loves me')
Jsgbm ('Jesus has accepted me')
Jesunbo ('Jesus is coming')
Jstfnmi ('Jesus is enough for me')
Kkdaope ('All thanks')
Modolwa ('I have come oh Lord')
Moroluwayo ('I see the Lord and rejoice')
Moyinolwa ('I praise the Lord')
goolwa ('The Lord's glory')
Olwdrasmi ('The Lord is good to me')
Olwdnmnn ('The Lord has made me to be happy')
Fydr ('Use this to perform wonders')
Fimdr ('Use me to perform wonders')
Oluwaniifise ('The Lord wants to use this')
Oluwasemiloore ('The Lord has favoured me')
Oluwasemiye ('The Lord has made me to be fit')
Oluwaseunbabara ('The Lord has done something exceedingly great')
Olwsnmibre ('The Lord has made me to see blessings')
Ooreolwa ('The Lord's grace')
Oore-o fe ('Grace')
Orir ('Fortune')
Oyinolwa ('The Lord's honey')
Oreolwa ('The Lord's gift')
Simillwa ('Rest on the Lord')
Tantlwa ('Who is like the Lord')
Ggalolwa ('The Lord is high')

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B: Baptismal Names/ First Names
The second category includes Anglicized biblical names used as baptismal names or first
names. They are: Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Solomon, Mathew, Samuel, Reuben,
Abraham, Sarah, Priscilla, John
3
.

C: European and English Names used as first names
The third group consists of European and English words with Christian connotations. They
are as follows: Lewis, Pearse, Margaret, Anthony, Anthonia, Charles, Roseline, Martins
Gladys, Vincent, Clare, Praise, Miracle, Salvation, Success, Favour, Goodness, Love, Joy,
Hope, Happiness, Wonderful, Faith, Faithful, Rejoice, Marvelous, Godslove, Thank God, It-
is-well, Godswill.

8 Discussion
As already shown in the introductory section of this paper, we are interested in name change
vis--vis first names. We have also shown that British or Christian culture is in contact with
Yorb culture. We want to discuss the negative effect of the British or Christian culture on
Yorb culture with reference to Yorb personal/first names among Yorb Christians. Our
results will be discussed under two sections namely: Yorb personal names and European
churches and Yorb personal names and newly founded autochthonous Nigerian Churches.

8.1 Yoruba Personal Names and European Churches
As shown in a previous section of this paper,the Noun Phrases of some Yorb personal
names, before Christianity was introduced into the Yorb-speaking areas of Nigeria in the
1840s, used to be any of the Yorb deities or gods. Some examples are again shown below.
gunje miry
'God of Iron make me see salvation'
(The god of iron made me to see salvation)
suriyike
'Law enforcer see this treasure'
(The law enforcer sees this one to treasure)
Ifby
'God of divination give birth this'
(The god of divination gave birth to this)
But, when Christianity was embraced, the NP of some Yorb sentential names which was
that of any of the gods was changed to Olwa ('Lord') or Olo run ('God').
Some examples are also as follows:
Oluwaje miriy

3 John is an English name which stems from the Hebrew name Johanan (Jo.hanan).
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'Lord make me see salvation'
(The Lord made me to see salvation)
Oluwariyike
'Lord see this treasure'
(The Lord sees this one to treasure)
Olwby
'Lord give birth this'
(The Lord gave birth to this)
Furthermore, in addition to the changing of the NPs that has been witnessed in some Yorb
traditional names, some Yorb people, especially those who belong to the age group of forty
and above, adopted some Hebrew names with Anglicized forms or spellings that are recorded
in the Bible as baptismal names and in some cases as first names. Some examples are:
Hebrew (Anglicized forms): Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Solomon, Mathew, Samuel, Reuben,
Abraham, Sarah, Priscilla
4
.
Some also adopted European names which include:
Johnson, Lewis, Pearse, Margaret, Anthony, Anthonia, Charles, Roseline, Martins, Gladys,
Vincent and Clare.
The European names were wrongly embraced as Christian names.

8.2 Yoruba Personal Names and the Newly Founded Nigerian Churches
As already shown in the previous sections of this paper, there are tradition-based Yorb
personal/first names. The tradition-based names include oruko amuto runwa ('names that are
brought from heaven') like o ke ('child born inside an unbroken membrane'), oruko abiku
('names for those that die and are perceived to have been born again'), like Kokumo ('He/She
will not die again'), names that show people's belief in as ynwaye ('reincarnation') such as
Babjd ('Father has reincarnated') and profession-based names like ynwl ('A drummer
came home'). It must be observed also that in the past, the tradition-based names were first
names and later, when school system was introduced either first names or parents' names or
both. However, in recent years, especially between 1980s and now, the tradition-based
Yorb personal names no longer exist as first names. The non-use of the tradition-based
Yorb personal names as first names is due to some reasons that are discussed below.
First, in the past, pregnant women used to give birth to children in most cases at home and, in
some cases, on the way to the farm. The people that used to serve as agb bi ('mid-wives') or
those that assisted the expectant mothers were the parents or grand-parents who knew about
the culture of the Yorb people. It was those people, after delivery that would announce the
child's name because of the circumstances that surrounded the birth of the child. However,
between 1980s and now, two major opportunities, namely, improved western medical

4
Priscilla was a Jew and her husband was Aquila. Both helped Apostle Paul in his missionary work at Corinth.
Aquila, Priscilla and Paul were tent-makers (see Acts 18: 13).

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facilities and church maternity system, are available or within the reach of everybody. So,
what pregnant women do is to go to hospitals to be delivered of their babies and the doctors,
nurses and midwives who work in the hospitals are the people who do not know the Yorb
culture or they are trained in the western way. It is also difficult to know babies who are g
(child who presents the legs first rather than the head at birth) or ke (child born inside an
unbroken membrane), to mention a few, because some of the babies are born through
caesarian operation. The people that work in the church maternity homes are interested in
what Jesus has done, is doing and will do and not what the Yorb culture says. Therefore,
between 1980s and now, it is difficult to see any Yorb person being addressed with any of
the oruko amuto runwa (names that are brought from heaven) as a first name.
Similarly, profession-based names like ynwl ('The drummer came home') have almost
ceased to exist as first names among the Yorb people. This is because the Yorb people
have abandoned their family-based professions and embraced the opportunities created by
Western culture or system. The professions that are now common among the Yorb people
are professions that are European or Western and they include orthodox medicine, teaching,
lecturing, engineering, British-based military service, and piloting. These professions are not
native to the Yorb people and therefore cannot be NPs of Yorb personal names. For
example, we do not have Tisawumi ('I like Teaching'), and Dokitasyi ('The Doctor made this
one') just as we have ynwl ('The drummer came home'). This is because there are
traditional names for these types of professions i.e. Ifa is ako

nilo

ranbiykaneni ('The born

Teacher') while O sanyn is believed to be the medicine man.All things that relate to wars are
also designated with gun. The factor of exposure or civilization which is made possible by
Western education is also responsible for the non-use of the European professions as NPs of
Yorb personal/sentential names. The awareness is such that no parents could have adopted
title names, nicknames and war names as personal names for children at birth. The Yorb
personal names called oruko bk (names for those that die and are perceived to have been
born again or have staged a comeback) have almost ceased to be used as first names because,
with improved medical facilities that are available, infant mortality has been seriously
checked. The messages that are recorded in Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6 and John 5:28, 29 are also
responsible for the non-use of oruko abiku (names for those that die and are perceived to have
been born again or have staged a comeback) and names like Babjd ('The father has
reincarnated') which show people's belief in as ynwaye ('reincarnation') as first names. The
verses read:
For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing
at all, neither do they anymore have wages, because the remembrance of them has been
forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred and their envy, is now perished; neither have they
any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun (Preachers 9:5, 6)
Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial thumbs
will hear his voice and shall come forth, they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life;
and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation (John 5:28, 29)
Therefore, since 1980s, when the new Christian movements began, members of the European
churches have been influenced by members of the new Christian movements that anybody
who dies can only live again or come back to life during resurrection time as recorded in the
book of John 5:28, 29. This, therefore, means that Babajd ('The father reincarnated') and
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Yjd ('The mother reincarnated') are nothing but lies according to the Bible, since the time
of resurrection has not come.
In addition, praise names like kanji, ynde, duke

, and dunni to mention a few are also

not adopted as names for children who are below the age 10. There are reasons for the non-
use of the praise names. One of the reasons is that mothers and grand-mothers who are below
the age 60 do not know the Yorb eulogies where the praise names are derived. The few
great-grand-parents who know are usually cautioned when they start to recite any of the
eulogies such as: dunni, omo ekun, omo erin ('Adnni, the daughter of a leopard, the
daughter of an elephant')
5
. The reaction from parents would be: Omo

mi o ki se omo ekun,
omo erin, omo Jesu ni ('My daughter is not the daughter of a leopard or an elephant, she is
Jesus' daughter').
Furthermore, when Nigerians or Yorb people became church founders in the 1980s, new
dimensions were introduced into the Yorb naming system. The names that have been
generated between the 80s and now are in two categories. Any of the people or children who
belong to the age group of 11 years and thirty years are addressed with any of the names listed
or some others that follow the pattern below:
Oluwanif e simi or Nif e simi or Nif e ('The Lord has love for me')
Tolwani or Tolwa or Tol ('This is the Lord's own')
Ayo mikun or Ayo mi or Ay ('My joy is full')
Tmilolwa or Tmilol or Lolwa or Tmi ('The Lord is mine')
Tijsnim or Tijs or Nim ('I am for Jesus')
Jstfnmi or Tfnmi ('Jesus is enough for me')
Ife oluwa or Ife olu or Ife ('The Lord's love')
Ooreo fe or Oore or fe ('The grace')
Mofyisayo or Fyisayo or Sayo ('I use this one for joy')
Tmidayo or Tmi or Dayo ('My own has become joy')
Oluwapamile rninayo or Pamile rnin ('The Lord has made me to laugh')
Ise oluwa ('The Lord's work')
yanuolwa ('The Lord's miracle')
Moyo sore ('I rejoice at the Lord's gift')
Moyo soluwa ('I rejoice on to the Lord')
Oluwap lumi ('The Lord is with me')
Oluwatunmise ('The Lord has remade me')

5
That a child is called the child of a leopard or an elephant does not make the child to be a child of a beast,
rather, the child is only being described as being very powerful and strong because the two animals are very
strong and powerful.

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Similarly, there are instances of some Yorb people who belong to the age group of 10 years
and below and any of these children is addressed with any of the names listed below.
However, the names that are shown below are in two categories. While the first category
shows names that are formed in Yorb, the second category comprises English words that
are adopted as names. The English words have Christian connotations and they are drawn
from Greek scriptures which some Christians call New Testament. The names are:
Rerelolwa ('The Lord is good')
rpad ('Ransom')
tn ('Comfort')
tura ('Comfort')
yn ('Praise')
Iyolwa ('The Lord's admiration')
Jesufe ranmi ('Jesus loves me')
Jsgbm ('Jesus has accepted me')
Jesunbo ('Jesus is coming')
Jstfnmi ('Jesus is enough for me')
Kkdaope ('All thanks')
Modolwa ('I have come oh Lord')
Moroluwayo ('I have seen the Lord to rejoice')
Moyinolwa ('I praise the Lord')
goolwa ('The Lord's glory')
Olwdrasmi ('The Lord is good to me')
Olwdnmnn ('The Lord has made me to be happy')
Fydr ('Use this to perform wonders')
Fimdr ('Use me to perform wonders')
Oluwaniifise ('The Lord wants to use this')
Oluwasemiloore ('The Lord has favoured me')
Oluwasemiye ('The Lord has made me to be fit')
Oluwaseunbabara ('The Lord has performed exceedingly great')
Olwsnmibre ('The Lord has made me to see blessings')
Ooreolwa ('The Lord's grace')
Oore-o fe ('Grace')
Orire ('Fortune')
Oyinolwa ('The Lord's honey')
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Ooreolwa ('The Lord's gift')
Simillwa ('Rest on the Lord')
Tantlwa ('Who is like the Lord')
Ggalolwa ('The Lord is high')
As earlier mentioned, some also adopt English words with Christian connotations, and, in
some cases, sentences, as names for their children. The English words are: Praise, Miracle,
Salvation, Success, Godslove, Godswill, Love, Joy, Hope, Happiness, Wonderful, Faith,
Faithful, Rejoice, Favour, Goodness, Marvelous.
The English sentences are 'Thank God', and 'It-is-well' (It is well). However, to show that the
newly established Nigerian churches understand the Bible teachings better than the European
churches, members had to introduce what they called emotion-packed-salvation activities that
would show a drastic departure from the past especially the method established by the
European churches. The activities are therefore shrouded in fanaticism, flavours,
modernisation and especially names that endear the Nigerian believers to one another.

9 Conclusion
In this paper, we examined Yorb personal/first names before and during the advent of
Christianity in Yorb-speaking areas of Nigeria. We showed that before the advent of
Christianity previous studies on Yorb personal names indicated that the names were drawn
from home context (HC). The home context included special circumstances surrounding the
births of children, the social, economic, political and other conditions of parents or families,
the occupation or profession of the parents and the religious affiliation or deity loyalty of the
family.
However, in our present study, we showed that when the European-led Christianity was
embraced by a number of Yorb people, new dimensions were introduced into the Yorb
naming systems. The new dimensions included the modifications of Yorb personal names
whereby the NPs, which showed belief in Yorb gods, were replaced, in most cases, with the
word Oluwa ('Lord') or, in some cases, O lo

run ('God'). The new dimensions also included the

introduction of Hebrew and European names into the Yorb naming system and such names
were called baptismal names.
We also argued that when Nigerian-led Christian movements or churches came on board
between 1960s and 1980s, some other dimensions were again introduced into the Yorb
naming systems. The other dimensions include non-use of tradition-based Yorb personal
names as first names and the formation or derivations of new names in Yorb and English
and the new names have Christian connotations and they are drawn from Greek scriptures
which some Christians call the New Testament. We further argued that the newly founded
Nigerian churches introduce activities that are shrouded in fanaticism, flavours and names
that endear the members to one another to show that they understand the bible teachings
better than the European churches and that the findings of this study show that name
modification or name change is inevitable when there is acculturation.

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