psychology Meaning
Compound Fon names
Many Beninese names are compounds (e.g. Dossou-Houenou, Mensahvi-Kossi). Understanding their structure reveals the child’s whole family story.
The 3 typical parts
A compound Fon name often contains:
The day of birth as the foundation
The day of the week always gives an automatic name. This name is added to another one that tells of a circumstance.
Telling a story
The second name evokes the circumstances of the birth, a wish, a prayer:
Complete example
Kossi Agbégnon = “Joy of a Sunday”. A child whose birth was celebrated as a great happiness, on a Sunday.
A name = a life story
Compound Fon names are real miniature sentences. Knowing their structure lets you guess a Beninese person’s story from their name alone.
Behind every first name, there is a whole language.
A Fon name is a sentence. To truly hear it, you need the language: 79 video lessons with a native speaker — greet people, introduce yourself, talk about your family, understand your grandmother on the phone.
One free trial lesson when you sign up.
- The Fon video course: see the program — 79 lessons with a native speaker from Cotonou, taught in French
- What is your Fon level? — the free 15-question test