'Day born names’ in Dagbani, Ewe and Fante

What’s in a name? A name is more than what one is called or what one responds to. In many cultures, a name tells a story, it gives you an identity, represents where you come from, what is expected of you and a lot more.

Most times you can hazard a good guess regarding which part of the country a person comes from by the mention of their name. This is why the naming ceremony is symbolic in many Ghanaian cultures.

In the Ghanaian tradition, newborns are given special names depending on the day they are born and their sex.

The Akan’s have the most recognizable names in terms of which day a person is born. The late Kofi Annan and Kwame Nkrumah are names that are easily recognizable in the geo-politics of the world but if you know the history of Ghana well, then you will know that they were born on a Friday and Saturday respectively.

But the age-old practice is not the preserve of only the Akans. Across the country, various ethnic groups give names to ‘new arrivals. The names are determined by the day of their birth and of course their sex.

2019 marks exactly 400 years since slavery occurred and the government has embarked on a laudable initiative to encourage Africans in the diaspora to return back to their original place of birth.

www.ghanaweb.com believes some of them may originate from parts of Ghana and will love to know their special names due to their ancestral affiliation.

Check out the list of special names given to these people from this land on days that they are born in the photos below:





Variations

According to theculturetrip.com, aside the main day names, there are variants and flexibly diverse adjustments. Examples include: Sunday – Akwasi, Kwasi, Kwesi, Akwesi, Sisi, Kacely, Kosi; Monday – Kojo, Kwadwo, Jojo, Joojo, Kujoe; Tuesday – Kwabena, Kobe, Kobi, Ebo, Kabelah, Komla, Kwabela; Wednesday – Kwaku, Abeiku, Kuuku, Kweku; Thursday – Yaw, Ekow; Friday – Kofi, Fifi, Fiifi, Yoofi; and Saturday – Kwame, Kwamena, Kwamina. The extensions and variants result from differences in ethnicities or bending of monikers to make them sound a certain way