Choice Review

Asante (African American Studies, Temple University) is a linguist and cultural historian. In the introduction, he explains that the book is intended to give a pan-African view; and thus he gives the geographic, but not the ethnic or language origins of the names. Names are presented for five African regions: southern, central, eastern, western, and northern. Each is covered individually, with male and female names listed separately. The entries (roughly 1,200) give each name with its English meaning, i.e., Kwaku is a male name from the western region and means ^D["born on Wednesday^D]"; Fatimah is a female name from the northern region and means ^D["daughter of the prophet.^D]" Some caveats: there are no references or bibliography; there is no mention of the language or tribal backgrounds of the names; there is no index. A name can be listed in more than one section with different meanings. Thus, Aziza (p. 25) means ^D["the child is gorgeous^D]"; and ^D["goregeous^D]" [sic] (p. 33); as well as ^D["dignity^D]" (p. 61). No explanation is given for the variations. A more useful book is Ogonna Chuks-orji's Names from Africa: Their Origin, Meaning, and Pronunciation (1972).