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Help[Facts] Re: Zola in Hebrew
in reply to a message by noel
My point was that was the only reason to be concerned. Not that the name Zola means "cheap", but that in the ears of Hebrew speakers, that is what may come to mind.
That Zola is being used by African Americans because it's a Zulu name is probably only party true, in that the belief that it means "peace" in Zulu may have increased it's popularity. Except for a few recent migrants though, most African Americans are culturally European. Zulu is as culturally familiar as Mongolian, and even if they'd successfully researched their ethnic roots, they'd hardly come across it (as I'm sure you're aware the majority of African Americans are descended from West Africans — even recent arrivals are usually West or Central African). A quick check of usage in South Africa bears this up — aside from one white woman (who was probably given the Italian name), all the bearers are actually men, not women, as are the Congolese (where the name has a different meaning again). The Zulu root for the woman's name seems to be simply internet baby namology. It would not surprise me if there was a different, American dialect source for Zola among African American women, but it's not Zulu.
That Zola is being used by African Americans because it's a Zulu name is probably only party true, in that the belief that it means "peace" in Zulu may have increased it's popularity. Except for a few recent migrants though, most African Americans are culturally European. Zulu is as culturally familiar as Mongolian, and even if they'd successfully researched their ethnic roots, they'd hardly come across it (as I'm sure you're aware the majority of African Americans are descended from West Africans — even recent arrivals are usually West or Central African). A quick check of usage in South Africa bears this up — aside from one white woman (who was probably given the Italian name), all the bearers are actually men, not women, as are the Congolese (where the name has a different meaning again). The Zulu root for the woman's name seems to be simply internet baby namology. It would not surprise me if there was a different, American dialect source for Zola among African American women, but it's not Zulu.
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