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blessingfromgod · (#60 (**permalink**))

Ijeoma wrote:

Quote:

My mother's father and uncles where Baptised as children and got these old-fashioned white names like Cyprian, Sabinus etc.

Their parents could not even pronounce their own childrens names. So after some time of fruitless efforts they africanized their names....Cyprian for example becam Chike...

My name is Ijeoma 'western name' 'nigerian surname'. Yet for some reason my parents call me by my second western name. Two of my brothers are called by their igbo names even though they have western names as well. My little sister only has igbo names.
I like my Nigerian name much better, my western name means nothing. Now when I meet new people I introce myself as Ijeoma.

I tell my old friends my actual name is Ijeoma, though I don't mind if they still accidentally call me 'western name' cause i often forget to correct them.

I soshamefully admit when I was a lot younger I hated my Yoruba name, nobody could pronounce it and instead chose to take the mic.. at the first opp I got I decided to usemy westernised name -this way nobody could mis-pronounce it. As I got older, I regret the decision I made because I so wanted to fit in with everybody else.Looking back I wished so much my parents would have helped me to embrace my Africannamewith pride. On the positive, my children will all bear Yourubanamewhich they will be proud of.