On 20 Jul 2014 23:34, "David Shaw" <dj.shaw@btconnect.com> wrote:
> Nothing to do with surnames, but it was (and may well still be) the tradition in parts of Scotland for the first born male to be given his mother's maiden name as his middle name.
>
> David Shaw

My wife is Kikuyu. In her tribe a first son will take his paternal grandfather's name, a second son his maternal grandfather's name. Subsequent sons will carry uncles' names, in a specific order. It's the same for girls - first the paternal grandmother, then the maternal grandmother, then aunties. Complex cases sometimes require consulting the old women for advice.

Because the tribe has a legendary founding family (Kikuyu married Mumbi, and his nine sons married her nine daughters ), the same names keep cropping up, particularly for women. There are many male names, so it's likely the naming convention is a relatively late development for male children.

Infant mortality is high, and girls who are not expected to live, or who have had a number of deceased older than sisters will often be named Njeri. We don't know of a similar use-name for men, though my wife has an uncle Kanugu (monkey) who wasn't expected to live.

Children named after a relative are though to have some 'vital force' of that relative, particularly if that relative is deceased, so a woman might refer to her daughter as 'my mother' if the girl is named after her maternal grandmother.

Because of these conventions, large families will have multiple members with the same name, so nicknames are common (my nephew is known as Juju, short for Junior, to distinguish him from my stepson).

Honorifics are also widely used, a common one being Baba X or Mama Y (father or mother of X or Y). The specific name depends on who the person knows you through (I am Baba Kagera to some people in Mombasa who know my stepson; I am Baba George to some in Dubai who know my youngest son). It's rude to address someone by their given name if you haven't been introduced to them by their given name. Another common term of address is Mzee (elder, used as a term of respect).

Some outsiders may be given Kikuyu names or nicknames, which they may never learn, as Kikuyu may find it difficult to pronounce their real names; the nicknames are often barbed. I am Wanjohi (one of Kikuyu's sons, but can also mean The Drinker; much Tusker was poured when I first met my wife's family and friends).

When in Mombasa or Nairobi, I have to be ready to answer to multiple names: Adiru (the Kikuyu pronunciation of my name), Baba Kagera, Baba George, Wanjohi,  or to Mzee or Bwana (sir).