Igbo Names

It seems like everybody around here is named Chi (pronounced Chee) something or Chukwu something or like that. Chukwuka. Wachukwu. Chinidum. Chinyere. Chukwudemekwu. Chinekeokwu. That's because Chi, short for Chineke, or Chukwu both mean God and the cultural God-consciousness here is very great. There is awareness in many of the names of the relation one has to God. I can relate to this. I named our son Timothy because in the moment he was removed from his mother's womb via C-Section all I could think of was my thankfulness to God and the name Timothy means to honor God. But it's not quite the same, is it?

Other Igbo names include Obinna, Ikenna, Ngozi. These from the family that sells me bread and eggs. Nna means father. So the sons are named heart-of-the-father and power-of-the-father. Their sister, Ngozi's name, means blessing. I should mention that Igbo (pronounced Ee’-bo) is the predominant language spoken where we are living here in Enugu. There are about ten or dozen major languages here, besides the hundreds of dialects and regional variations. At the school alone, the major languages of Yoruba, Hausa, Efik, Tiv are represented alongside Igbo.

Ndubuisi is a common name here. It means “life is supreme.” Don’t ask me, I’m just reporting the facts. There is obviously an additional layer of cultural meaning here that escapes me at present. There are two main spellings of the name, but I won’t go into that either!

Emeka. Another common name. It means “well done.” Also short for Emekachukwu, meaning well done, God (i.e. God’s work is well done). Not to be confused with how you want your steak cooked here. There is no steak. The beef is extremely tough and must be cooked for a minimum of ten or twelve hours to be palatable. Unless it’s ground beef. And everything is cooked well done.

Kingsley and Samuel are common names as well. I don’t know about the name Kingsley, but Samuel often carries a connotation of devoted to the Lord (just like the Bible story in the book of 1 Samuel). I have heard two beautiful stories associated with the name Samuel in relation to their circumstance.

One day I was consulted as to an argument as to which was greater, Igwe or Ezeh. Igwe carries the meaning of cloud but also has a greater cultural connotation of some other traditional worship practice while Ezeh refers to a king. It wasn’t until well after the argument that I realized the nature of the question. The two individuals in question were arguing about which of their namesakes was greater.

Some people are named after days of the week: Friday, Sunday, Monday. Yet some others are given English names that relate something special about their birth: Promise, Blessing, Faith, Peace, Charity.

I counted it an honor recently when I was given an African name. It was associated with the fact that I had decided to purchase a couple of outfits like the ones that folks here usually wear. I asked the principal of the school to come up with an appropriate name and he could “christen” me at the next following church service as I was scheduled to preach anyway. In the introduction to the name it was mentioned this would be my last time preaching there (we are heading home in just under two weeks). But since only God knows at this point whether we shall return here to Nigeria, the name I was given corresponds with that phrase, God knows.

I was reminded of the prophet Ezekiel’s response to God’s question, “Can these bones live?” Ezekiel responded, “Thou knowest.” A fitting response when confronted with a direct question to which you don’t really know the answer and is really, in the end, in God’s hands anyway. And so, my Igbo name is “Chima.”