Names as Index of Social History: The Efik Example

Abstract

Names, like language, mirror the society in which they are borne and they equally respond to social change. The naming system, it is believed is affected by the socio-cultural, political and religious ethos of the society in which the names are borne. In naming, a people’s worldview is expressed. This paper investigates the impact of the Efik socio-cultural, political and religious structures on the naming system. Our investigation is restricted to Efik personal names. The names which form our data were purposively sampled from some schools’ and churches’ registers in the seven Efik-speaking towns – Creek Town (Obio oko), Henshaw Town (Nsidun), Duke Town (Atakpa), Ikoneto (Mbiabo), Essien Town (Obutong), Eniong and Adiabo. The study reveals that a name gives the person bearing it an identity, whereas the naming ceremony indexes the socio-cultural, political and historical significance of an individual. It also shows that Efik social history impacts on the Efik naming system.

Keywords: Names, identity, worldview, social change, language, history.