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Help[Opinions] Re: More word names
in reply to a message by RoxStar
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
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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