Naming is a linguistic universal. Every known human society distinguishes and individuates its members by their names. In the context of Africa and beyond, names are not just ordinary labels for the identification of their bearers; they mirror the culture, tradition and worldview of the people. Essien (1986: 5) argues that ‘naming is not an arbitrary affair, it is at once a mental, an emotional, a linguistic and a cultural matter’. It is widely believed that names and naming can influence the personality development and behaviour of their bearers. This claim justifies Camden's (1984: 43) admonition that ‘names should be chosen with good and gracious significations to inspire the bearer to good action’. This implies that people are assumed to live according to the message contained in their names. Significantly, names also embed deep cultural insights that reflect their bearers’ social lives, philosophy, religion, emotions and worldview. African names, for instance, are important cultural and symbolic resources that reflect the peculiarities of the African people, and capture their beliefs, values, identity and personality.

命名是一种语言普遍性。每个已知的人类社会都通过名字来区分和区分其成员。在非洲及其他地区，名字不仅仅是识别其持有者的普通标签；它们反映了人们的文化、传统和世界观。Essien (1986: 5) 认为“命名不是随意的事情，它同时是一种心理、情感、语言和文化问题”。人们普遍认为，名字和命名可以影响其持有者的个性发展和行为。这一主张证明了卡姆登 (1984: 43) 的警告，即“选择名称时应具有良好和亲切的含义，以激励持有者采取良好的行动”。这意味着人们被假定按照他们名字中包含的信息生活。显著地，名字还嵌入了深刻的文化洞察力，反映了承载者的社会生活、哲学、宗教、情感和世界观。例如，非洲名字是重要的文化和象征资源，反映了非洲人民的特点，体现了他们的信仰、价值观、身份和个性。