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ArchivesPrefixes in Afro-american names
I was just wondering about the prefix "Sha" and "La" that occur in alot of African/Afro-american names. Do they have their own meaning ?
For example my adopted daughter's name is Sha'Vaughna,and my foster daughter's name is Shavanna and my foster son's name is Shavonta. I was trying to figure out the meaning of their names for a project I'm working on for them.
I saw the entries on this website for Shavonne and Shevaun which are other forms of Siobhan and John.
Thanx bunches,
Kat
For example my adopted daughter's name is Sha'Vaughna,and my foster daughter's name is Shavanna and my foster son's name is Shavonta. I was trying to figure out the meaning of their names for a project I'm working on for them.
I saw the entries on this website for Shavonne and Shevaun which are other forms of Siobhan and John.
Thanx bunches,
Kat
1
Replies
I don't think the "La- " and "Sha- " name prefixes actually mean anything specific. African Americans have been coining new names since the 19th century -- perhaps as a means of creating a cultural identity for themselves which had been denied them or lost to them while under the institution of slavery. The La and Sha prefixes caught on in the 1980s, and have been popular ever since.
-- Nanaea
-- Nanaea
1