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Why do Beninese people have several names?
A Beninese person rarely has only one first name. Between the day name, the circumstance name, the family name and the baptismal name, there is a whole system that tells an identity. Here is why.
The day-of-birth name
In Fon and Ewe tradition, each child receives a name according to the day they were born. This system, shared with the Ashanti of Ghana, assigns a male and a female name to each day of the week.
The circumstance name
A second name often marks the conditions of the birth: Dossou / Dossi (after twins), Hougbanzo (after the twins), Akpédjé (warmly welcomed), Houenou (born in hard times)…
Western and religious names
With Christianization (Catholic and Protestant) and Islam, a Western or religious name is added: Marie, Jean, Pierre, Mohammed, Ibrahim. It is often the official name in civil records.
The result: a Beninese person might be called “Jean Yaovi Dossou Kponou”. Each part tells a piece of their story.
The family name
The family name (nyikɔ hɛnnu tɔn) is generally patrilineal. It identifies the ancestral clan and often carries a meaning — “Kponou” means “at home”, for example.
Names that tell a story
The many names Beninese people carry are not an administrative oddity: each part tells of a moment, a circumstance, a belonging. It is a rich heritage of identity, to be understood rather than simplified.
Behind every first name, there is a whole language.
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