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Help[Opinions] More word names
These people have been honoured for their charity work in a small South African town: Shepherd; Takesure; Welldone; Progress. Three men, and Progress is a woman.
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I like Welldone and Progress, find Shepherd neutral since it sounds too modern for my taste and dislike Takesure; although they happen to be interesting word names.
They sound like Puritan names or characters from "Pilgrims Progress." Are they related to each other?
Their surnames are different; that's all I know. But they certainly come from the same cultural background, where parents often try to give their children names that will serve as good omens or as signs of membership of a particular group, in this case a version of Christianity. Welldone, for instance, is more likely to refer to 'Well done, thou good and faithful servant' than to grilled steak.
Yep.
I've known a Peace, a Winsome and Sympathy. None of these surprise at all.
I've known a Peace, a Winsome and Sympathy. None of these surprise at all.
Takesure? That doesn't make very much sense as a word/pphrase name. It kinda sounds like some kind of vitamin or supplement.
Shepherd and its variants aren't unheard-of here in the US. There's a well-known newscaster named Shepherd Smith, for instance, though I forget if that's how he spells it.
Wonder if Welldone has a brother named Mediumrare.
Shepherd and its variants aren't unheard-of here in the US. There's a well-known newscaster named Shepherd Smith, for instance, though I forget if that's how he spells it.
Wonder if Welldone has a brother named Mediumrare.
Yes, in the USA Shepherd would normally be considered a given name created from a surname rather than being directly a "word name." I've known one man with this name personally and know of several others.
This message was edited 10/10/2024, 8:46 AM
In South Africa it is more likely that - oh dear, I've got to use the correct terms but it doesn't please me - white South Africans would be familiar with typically European/Anglophone surnames like Taylor, Cameron etc, which can serve as given names, whereas black South Africans would associate a word like Shepherd with Christianity. So RB Constance is right to think of Puritan names. Same principle.
It's not just South Africans. I've know people from Nigeria and Kenya, and I think Ghana, with these types of names.
Zimbabwe is the best. For a while, several years ago, there was a government spokesperson, male I think, whose name was Psychologies. And I once attended a university graduation ceremony at which a Zimbabwean student proudly received his degree: his name was Furniture.
This message was edited 10/10/2024, 11:57 PM