Slave name
Encyclopedia
A slave name is a name
given to a person who is or has been enslaved
or a name inherited from enslaved ancestors. Modern use of the term applies mostly to African-Americans and West Indians who are descended from slaves, and are thereby capable of having a "slave name".
, slaves often had a single name given at the discretion of their owner. A slave who was manumitted
(freed) might keep his or her slave name and adopt his or her former owner's name as a praenomen
and nomen
. As an example, one historian says that "a man named Publius Larcius freed a male slave named Nicia, who was then called Publius Larcius Nicia."
Historian Harold Whetstone Johnston
writes of instances in which a slave's former owner chose to ignore custom and simply chose a name for the freedman
.
In the 15th century, the rivers of Guinea and Cape Verde islands
were among the first in Africa explored by the Portuguese. In 1446, Portugal claimed Portuguese Guinea
(what is today Guinea-Bissau
), but few posts had been established before 1600. In 1630, the Portuguese were settled and governed the territory. Cacheu
had become one of the main centers of the (slave trade
), which declined in the 19th century.
In 1600, Portugal and other European powers, including France, England, Sweden
, Scotland, Spain, Brandenburg-Prussia, Denmark,and Holland, set up a thriving slave trade
along the West African coast.
In 1659, Saint-Louis
secured the whole of Senegal as territory of the French by the end of the 19th century.
Dakar
was built as the administrative trade center when the whole Senegal was a French territory
.
In 1765, Bissau was founded as a military center and slave trading post. It grew to become the main commercial center. The Portuguese used slave
labour to grow cotton and indigo in the previously uninhabited Cape Verde islands
. They traded goods and slaves, in the estuary of the Geba river
and slaves captured in local African wars and raids were sold in Europe and then, from the 16th century in the Americas.
Captured slaves
were all given a "slave name and in Europe like in France, many of them still bear the slave name, likely the Name Gomis is mainly associated with slavery in the history of the Guinea Bissau
(and his Manjaco peoples
). Bissau, a creole region, was the Slave Coast as the result of the arrival of Europeans in the 15th century. Before that period the slave trade
, was not yet a significant feature of the coastal economy. The change occurs after the Portuguese reached this region in 1446. The identity of peoples from Casamance in their names are Gomis, Mendy, Preira, Correa, Dacosta, Monteiro, Vieira referring to France slaves heritage when Portugal lost part of Guinea to French West Africa, including the center of the highest Portuguese commercial interest, the Casamance River
region.
In France, according to the diaspora and the slave name of descendants of the French slave trade, the name Gomis became a French decent name derived from the Portuguese lost of Casamance
( previously region of Guinea Portuguese, before becoming a French territory
and then later a region of Senegal). The origin of the name Portuguese name like Gomis is derived from Gomes, likewise Mendy is derived from Mendes; Preira from Pereira etc. And as part of the French heritage in history of these names from Casamance
, many Gomis are today French citizens living in France since the abolition of slavery. In West indies French territory, many names are memories of European or French names http://fr.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cat%C3%A9gorie:Homonymie_de_patronyme&from=G.
For a brief period in the 1790s the British
attempted to establish a rival foothold on an offshore island, at Bolama
. But many of the Manjaco and other entities became French after the abolition of the Slave trade in 1794, and 1848. It was not until 1 January 1860 that the Netherlands
abolished slavery. In the West Indies and Dutch Guiana
would have to wait until the 1 January 1863 for the abolition of slavery.
Freedom was restored and their slave name won back dignity and respect.
Today, slave name, baptised from birth or rebirth in the new world testifies to the authenticity of one's identity and own heritage of history, or lack thereof.
to the US Constitution, the vast majority of African-Americans in the United States
were enslaved. During enslavement, slaves' names were assigned by their owners. Others received a name based on what kind of work they were forced to do. Some African-Americans have last names such as Cotton, reflecting when they were made to pick cotton as slaves.
After emancipation, many freedmen and women took the surname
s of their former owners as their own. Some blacks in the U.S. took on the surname Freeman
, while others adopted the names of popular historical or contemporary figures of social importance, such as former presidents Washington
, Jefferson
, and Jackson
.
A number of African-Americans and Jamaican Americans have changed their names out of the belief that the names they were given at birth were "slave names." An individual's name change often coincides with a religious conversion (Muhammad Ali
changed his name from Cassius Clay and Louis Farrakhan
changed his from Louis Eugene Walcott, for example) or involvement with the black nationalist movement (e.g., Amiri Baraka
and Assata Shakur
).
Some organizations encourage African-Americans to abandon their "slave names." The Nation of Islam
is perhaps the best-known of them. In his book, Message to the Blackman in America
, Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad
writes often of "slave names." Some of his comments include:
Other organizations, such as the Black Nationalist US Organization, also advocate for African-Americans to change their "slave names."
islands belonging to the Dutch kingdom
(like Aruba
and the Dutch Antilles
) or former colonies, such as the Surinam have a large Creole
population consisting mostly of the descendants of slaves.
When freed during the 19th century, the ancestors of these people received surname
s which were given by their former owners; many of which referred to a specific character trait. For example Aruban governor Frits Goedgedrag
's name is Dutch
for "good behavior" whereas football player Edson Braafheid
's name means "goodness".
Many people kept these names, while others later chose their own name. These names were often in the local Spanish-based creole language, and subsequently changed to 'proper' Spanish
by Dutch officials, which explains why many Arubans and some Surinamese have Spanish surnames, but no Spanish ancestry.
Name
A name is a word or term used for identification. Names can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. A personal name identifies a specific unique and identifiable individual person, and may or may not include a middle name...
given to a person who is or has been enslaved
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
or a name inherited from enslaved ancestors. Modern use of the term applies mostly to African-Americans and West Indians who are descended from slaves, and are thereby capable of having a "slave name".
Ancient Rome
In RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, slaves often had a single name given at the discretion of their owner. A slave who was manumitted
Manumission
Manumission is the act of a slave owner freeing his or her slaves. In the United States before the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which abolished most slavery, this often happened upon the death of the owner, under conditions in his will.-Motivations:The...
(freed) might keep his or her slave name and adopt his or her former owner's name as a praenomen
Praenomen
The praenomen was a personal name chosen by the parents of a Roman child. It was first bestowed on the dies lustricus , the eighth day after the birth of a girl, or the ninth day after the birth of a boy...
and nomen
Roman naming conventions
By the Republican era and throughout the Imperial era, a name in ancient Rome for a male citizen consisted of three parts : praenomen , nomen and cognomen...
. As an example, one historian says that "a man named Publius Larcius freed a male slave named Nicia, who was then called Publius Larcius Nicia."
Historian Harold Whetstone Johnston
Harold Whetstone Johnston
Harold Whetstone Johnston was a classical historian and Professor of Latin at Indiana University who is most famous for writing The Private Life of the Romans.- Work :...
writes of instances in which a slave's former owner chose to ignore custom and simply chose a name for the freedman
Freedman
A freedman is a former slave who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, slaves became freedmen either by manumission or emancipation ....
.
Cape Colony
In the former Dutch colony, which is present day Cape Town, slaves were named after the months in which they were purchased. This resulted in surnames such as Januarie and Februarie.African-French
In France, the heritage of slave name from the French and Europeans slave trade can be found in the West Indies (Roots), Haiti.In the 15th century, the rivers of Guinea and Cape Verde islands
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
were among the first in Africa explored by the Portuguese. In 1446, Portugal claimed Portuguese Guinea
Portuguese Guinea
Portuguese Guinea was the name for what is today Guinea-Bissau from 1446 to September 10, 1974.-History:...
(what is today Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau
The Republic of Guinea-Bissau is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Senegal to the north, and Guinea to the south and east, with the Atlantic Ocean to its west....
), but few posts had been established before 1600. In 1630, the Portuguese were settled and governed the territory. Cacheu
Cacheu
Cacheu is a town in north western Guinea-Bissau, lying on the Cacheu River. Population 9,849 .-History and landmarks:The town of Cacheu is situated in territory of the Papel people....
had become one of the main centers of the (slave trade
Maafa
The Maafa refers to the 500 years of suffering of Africans and the African diaspora, through slavery, imperialism, colonialism, invasion, oppression, dehumanization and exploitation...
), which declined in the 19th century.
In 1600, Portugal and other European powers, including France, England, Sweden
Swedish slave trade
The Swedish slave trade occurred in the early history of Sweden, and again during the 17th century, around the time Swedish overseas colonies were established in North America and in Africa . It remained legal until 1813....
, Scotland, Spain, Brandenburg-Prussia, Denmark,and Holland, set up a thriving slave trade
Atlantic slave trade
The Atlantic slave trade, also known as the trans-atlantic slave trade, refers to the trade in slaves that took place across the Atlantic ocean from the sixteenth through to the nineteenth centuries...
along the West African coast.
In 1659, Saint-Louis
Saint-Louis, Senegal
Saint-Louis, or Ndar as it is called in Wolof, is the capital of Senegal's Saint-Louis Region. Located in the northwest of Senegal, near the mouth of the Senegal River, and 320 km north of Senegal's capital city Dakar, it has a population officially estimated at 176,000 in 2005. Saint-Louis...
secured the whole of Senegal as territory of the French by the end of the 19th century.
Dakar
Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
was built as the administrative trade center when the whole Senegal was a French territory
French West Africa
French West Africa was a federation of eight French colonial territories in Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan , French Guinea , Côte d'Ivoire , Upper Volta , Dahomey and Niger...
.
In 1765, Bissau was founded as a military center and slave trading post. It grew to become the main commercial center. The Portuguese used slave
African slave trade
Systems of servitude and slavery were common in many parts of Africa, as they were in much of the ancient world. In some African societies, the enslaved people were also indentured servants and fully integrated; in others, they were treated much worse...
labour to grow cotton and indigo in the previously uninhabited Cape Verde islands
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
. They traded goods and slaves, in the estuary of the Geba river
Geba River
The Geba is a river of West Africa that rises in Guinea, passes through Senegal, and reaches the Atlantic Ocean in Guinea-Bissau. It is about in total length.Its tributary the Colufe River joins the Geba at Bafatá...
and slaves captured in local African wars and raids were sold in Europe and then, from the 16th century in the Americas.
Captured slaves
Barbary Slave Trade
The Barbary Slave Trade refers to the slave markets which flourished on the Barbary Coast, or modern day Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and western Libya between the 16th and 19th centuries. These markets prospered while the states were nominally under Ottoman rule, but in reality were mostly autonomous...
were all given a "slave name and in Europe like in France, many of them still bear the slave name, likely the Name Gomis is mainly associated with slavery in the history of the Guinea Bissau
History of Guinea-Bissau
The history of Guinea-Bissau was dominated by Portugal from the 1450s to the 1970s; since independence, the country has been primarily controlled by a single-party system.-Portuguese rule:...
(and his Manjaco peoples
Manjack people
The Manjack people are an ethnic group in Guinea-Bissau. They are known as Manjaku by the Manjacks themselves, Ndiago by the Wolofs of Senegal, Manjaco by the Portuguese, and Manjaque by the French...
). Bissau, a creole region, was the Slave Coast as the result of the arrival of Europeans in the 15th century. Before that period the slave trade
Atlantic slave trade
The Atlantic slave trade, also known as the trans-atlantic slave trade, refers to the trade in slaves that took place across the Atlantic ocean from the sixteenth through to the nineteenth centuries...
, was not yet a significant feature of the coastal economy. The change occurs after the Portuguese reached this region in 1446. The identity of peoples from Casamance in their names are Gomis, Mendy, Preira, Correa, Dacosta, Monteiro, Vieira referring to France slaves heritage when Portugal lost part of Guinea to French West Africa, including the center of the highest Portuguese commercial interest, the Casamance River
Casamance River
The Casamance River flows westward for the most part into the Atlantic Ocean along a path about 200 miles in length. However, only 80 miles of it are navigable. The Casamance is the principal river of the Kolda, Sédhiou, and Ziguinchor Regions in the southern portion of Senegal between The...
region.
In France, according to the diaspora and the slave name of descendants of the French slave trade, the name Gomis became a French decent name derived from the Portuguese lost of Casamance
Casamance River
The Casamance River flows westward for the most part into the Atlantic Ocean along a path about 200 miles in length. However, only 80 miles of it are navigable. The Casamance is the principal river of the Kolda, Sédhiou, and Ziguinchor Regions in the southern portion of Senegal between The...
( previously region of Guinea Portuguese, before becoming a French territory
French West Africa
French West Africa was a federation of eight French colonial territories in Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan , French Guinea , Côte d'Ivoire , Upper Volta , Dahomey and Niger...
and then later a region of Senegal). The origin of the name Portuguese name like Gomis is derived from Gomes, likewise Mendy is derived from Mendes; Preira from Pereira etc. And as part of the French heritage in history of these names from Casamance
Carabane
Carabane, also known as Karabane, is an island and a village located in the extreme south-west of Senegal, in the mouth of the Casamance River. This relatively recent geological formation consists of a shoal and alluvium to which soil is added by accumulation in the branches and roots of the...
, many Gomis are today French citizens living in France since the abolition of slavery. In West indies French territory, many names are memories of European or French names http://fr.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cat%C3%A9gorie:Homonymie_de_patronyme&from=G.
For a brief period in the 1790s the British
Slavery in the British and French Caribbean
Slavery in the British and French Caribbean refers to slavery in the parts of the Caribbean dominated by France or the British Empire.-Conditions:The Lesser Antilles islands of Barbados, St...
attempted to establish a rival foothold on an offshore island, at Bolama
Bolama
Bolama is the closest of the Bijagós Islands to the mainland of Guinea-Bissau, and is also the name of the island's main town, the capital of the Bolama Region. Population 10,014 ....
. But many of the Manjaco and other entities became French after the abolition of the Slave trade in 1794, and 1848. It was not until 1 January 1860 that the Netherlands
Netherlands Antilles
The Netherlands Antilles , also referred to informally as the Dutch Antilles, was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, consisting of two groups of islands in the Lesser Antilles: Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao , in Leeward Antilles just off the Venezuelan coast; and Sint...
abolished slavery. In the West Indies and Dutch Guiana
History of Suriname
-Native American period:The history of Suriname dates from 3000 BC when Native Americans first inhabited the area. Present-day Suriname was the home to many distinct indigenous cultures. The largest tribes were the Arawaks, a nomadic coastal tribe that lived from hunting and fishing, and the Caribs...
would have to wait until the 1 January 1863 for the abolition of slavery.
Freedom was restored and their slave name won back dignity and respect.
Today, slave name, baptised from birth or rebirth in the new world testifies to the authenticity of one's identity and own heritage of history, or lack thereof.
African Americans
Prior to the ratification of the Thirteenth AmendmentThirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution officially abolished and continues to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. It was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, passed by the House on January 31, 1865, and adopted on December 6, 1865. On...
to the US Constitution, the vast majority of African-Americans in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
were enslaved. During enslavement, slaves' names were assigned by their owners. Others received a name based on what kind of work they were forced to do. Some African-Americans have last names such as Cotton, reflecting when they were made to pick cotton as slaves.
After emancipation, many freedmen and women took the surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
s of their former owners as their own. Some blacks in the U.S. took on the surname Freeman
Freeman (surname)
Freeman is a surname, and may refer to:* Alan Freeman Australian-born DJ* Alfred Percy Freeman Kent cricketer, only bowler to take 300 wickets in a season* Antonio Freeman , American football player...
, while others adopted the names of popular historical or contemporary figures of social importance, such as former presidents Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
, Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
, and Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
.
A number of African-Americans and Jamaican Americans have changed their names out of the belief that the names they were given at birth were "slave names." An individual's name change often coincides with a religious conversion (Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
changed his name from Cassius Clay and Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan Muhammad, Sr. is the leader of the African-American religious movement the Nation of Islam . He served as the minister of major mosques in Boston and Harlem, and was appointed by the longtime NOI leader, Elijah Muhammad, before his death in 1975, as the National Representative of...
changed his from Louis Eugene Walcott, for example) or involvement with the black nationalist movement (e.g., Amiri Baraka
Amiri Baraka
Amiri Baraka , formerly known as LeRoi Jones, is an American writer of poetry, drama, fiction, essays, and music criticism...
and Assata Shakur
Assata Shakur
Assata Olugbala Shakur is an African-American activist and escaped convict who was a member of the Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army...
).
Some organizations encourage African-Americans to abandon their "slave names." The Nation of Islam
Nation of Islam
The Nation of Islam is a mainly African-American new religious movement founded in Detroit, Michigan by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad in July 1930 to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African-Americans in the United States of America. The movement teaches black pride and...
is perhaps the best-known of them. In his book, Message to the Blackman in America
Message to the Blackman in America
Message to the Blackman in America is a book published by Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad in 1965, and reprinted several times since. After the death of Elijah Muhammad in 1975, it was first reprinted by UBUS Communications Systems...
, Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad
Elijah Muhammad
Elijah Muhammad was an African American religious leader, and led the Nation of Islam from 1934 until his death in 1975...
writes often of "slave names." Some of his comments include:
- "You must remember that slave-names will keep you a slave in the eyes of the civilized world today. You have seen, and recently, that Africa and Asia will not honor you or give you any respect as long as you are called by the white man’s name."
- "You are still called by your slave-masters' names. By rights, by international rights, you belong to the white man of America. He knows that. You have never gotten out of the shackles of slavery. You are still in them."
Other organizations, such as the Black Nationalist US Organization, also advocate for African-Americans to change their "slave names."
Kingdom of the Netherlands
The caribbeanCaribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
islands belonging to the Dutch kingdom
Kingdom of the Netherlands
The Kingdom of the Netherlands is a sovereign state and constitutional monarchy with territory in Western Europe and in the Caribbean. The four parts of the Kingdom—Aruba, Curaçao, the Netherlands, and Sint Maarten—are referred to as "countries", and participate on a basis of equality...
(like Aruba
Aruba
Aruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
and the Dutch Antilles
Netherlands Antilles
The Netherlands Antilles , also referred to informally as the Dutch Antilles, was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, consisting of two groups of islands in the Lesser Antilles: Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao , in Leeward Antilles just off the Venezuelan coast; and Sint...
) or former colonies, such as the Surinam have a large Creole
Creole peoples
The term Creole and its cognates in other languages — such as crioulo, criollo, créole, kriolu, criol, kreyol, kreol, kriulo, kriol, krio, etc. — have been applied to people in different countries and epochs, with rather different meanings...
population consisting mostly of the descendants of slaves.
When freed during the 19th century, the ancestors of these people received surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
s which were given by their former owners; many of which referred to a specific character trait. For example Aruban governor Frits Goedgedrag
Frits Goedgedrag
Frits M. de los Santos Goedgedrag is the current and first Governor of Curaçao. From 1 July 2002 to 9 October 2010, Goedgedrag was the Governor of the Netherlands Antilles. From 1992 to 1998, he was Administrator of Bonaire....
's name is Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
for "good behavior" whereas football player Edson Braafheid
Edson Braafheid
Edson René Braafheid is a Surinamese-born Dutch footballer who currently plays as a left back for German Bundesliga club 1899 Hoffenheim.- Utrecht :Braafheid began his professional career at FC Utrecht in 2003 and made 81 appearances for the side....
's name means "goodness".
Many people kept these names, while others later chose their own name. These names were often in the local Spanish-based creole language, and subsequently changed to 'proper' Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
by Dutch officials, which explains why many Arubans and some Surinamese have Spanish surnames, but no Spanish ancestry.