nm, read it wrong…
So if I ask someone named Shaniqua where the name comes from I’m going to hear “white pine”?
You’ll probably hear “It’s a fairly common name, and my parents liked it.” If you asked a girl named Mallory where her name came from, she’d probably respond, “It’s a fairly common name, and my parents liked it.” But I dunno, she might say, “Well it means ill-fated, or unlucky. Why?”
I’m not sure what your point is. Shaniqua has been a common name since forever, and some people know its origin, and some don’t. You know, like every name there is.
Well done. 
Thank you.
I’ve always been taught that Shaniqua is a “qu” derivative of Shakina, which is a Bantu name meaning “young person from the wilderness”. I’ve never heard of it being a creative respelling of Chenequa.
An example would be Chief Shanika of the Ovandgajera Tribe, recorded in a Colonial report to the British House of Commons in 1918:
To quote Bruce Willis in Pulp Fiction, “I’m American. Our names don’t mean shit.”
You spelled that two different ways. Which is it?
We have the internet now. Is there really anyone on Earth who hasn’t looked up the origin of their name?
Shanika. Shakina is a typo :smack:
LOL, for truth.
I have an extremely unusual first name. Not made up, just not at all common, and to this day I have to carefully spell it out for people. Usually twice. I survived.
I used to have a somewhat negative view of “made up black people’s names” but mostly because I thought that giving kids very stereotypical or odd names would be a hindrance in their potential scholastic and professional lives. Besides being at times quite silly (the OP’s link was very funny as was the link to Mormon names) but on reflection, names like “Brandi” and “Dakota” and “Jayden” and other trendy names are no less silly. And yet, kids mature and persevere and become Oprah or Condaleeza or even Barkavious. So, carry on.
Poor little Weavequisha is probably SOL, though.
Welp now that I think of it, I was in a bank a couple of years ago and the teller’s name (pinned to her chest with a plastic name tag) was Vageena. Or a close spelling thereof; I don’t recall exactly but the only logical way to pronounce her name was “vah-gee-nah”. I kid you not. And yes, she was black.
I remember thinking at the time, for the love of all that is holy, woman, why do you not change your name at least for professional reasons or at least tweak the spelling somehow.
Maybe she was just being defiant about her given name and if so, good for her and she’s probably braver than I would ever be. But still.
There was a cashier at Kroger today with the name on her nametag of Zippy, but I assume that is a nickname?
This. My only concern about names is that they should be spelled with the letters of the alphabet from some single language and have a pronunciation that flows from the orthography of some single language (i.e., not from names of letters or figures).
Almost every Hindu name is the name of some god or goddess. The names of most important deities – like Vishnu, Shiva, Krishna, Ram, Durga, Lakshmi, Sarasvati, Parvati, Devi, Ganesh, Varun, etc. – are amongst the most common names. And most other names are associated with one of the gods. For example “Shankar” is “Shiva.”
First of all, re-read what I wrote. I said that all of those family members were not on the list of Top 1000 names, meaning that it’s quite possible for a name to be both recognizable and uncommon. Second, that’s not a list of names of middle class white people; it’s a list of names of Americans. To the extent that it’s representative of anyone’s culture, it’s a culture that most of us in this thread share, and which encompasses many different races, ethnic backgrounds, and socioeconomic statuses.
I used to know someone named Ziggy. That was her real birth name.
I have a very common given name (Julia), use a very common nickname of that given name (Julie), and had a difficult to spell and pronounce German surname. There is no such thing as a name that will not be mocked, misspelled, mispronounced, butchered, spindled, and mutilated. I grew up in an area where “Julie” rhymes with “goalie.” It makes me cringe, but whatever. Now I live in an area where “Julie” is a bit of a trial to the native Spanish speakers. Again, whatever.
Choose a name that reflects what you want to call your child for the rest of your life, and off you go.
No, choose a name that reflects what you want other people to call your child for the rest of your child’s life. Their name is the first item of their inheritance, and it’s supposed to benefit them, not you. You’ll love them whatever their name is.
That’s putting way too much importance on it, in my opinion. My name isn’t to my benefit. It’s just a word that I’m trained to respond to.
I know a couple who named their daughter Zipporah, and they call her Zippy.