About Native American Names

American Indians usually have pretty interesting names. These names are given to them through various methods and usually by an elder. American Indians felt very strongly about naming their child, and it was almost treated like a ritual. In some American Indian cultures, they even held a ceremony when they were to name a child.

Significance

American Indian children were usually named by an elder who could be their grandmother, grandfather, mother and father. The name given by the elder comes to them in many different forms such as characteristics of the person, dreams that the elder may have, or the name of a family member who has died. Also in different tribes, two of the American Indians in the same tribe cannot share the same name. Once the person with the name has died, then the name may be used again.

Theories/Speculation

It is said that American Indians believed that they should not address the infant by the name that they were given because if the name was too well-known, the child or infant may be called back to the spirit world; this is what caused many American Indians to be given nicknames. Many American Indians were more commonly known by their nicknames instead of their name given at birth.

In different American Indian tribes, some children were given a ceremony when their names were given. The name usually is rendered because it refers to a certain characteristic of the child.

Some tribes named their children after events that preceded their birth or after animals.

It is often said that American Indians relied on the "Great Spirit" in order to give them visions or signs in order to determine the name for their offspring.

Considerations

If you are planning on giving your child an American Indian name, be sure to do lots of research on the name as there are different claims about their correct meaning. For example, many Websites claim that the name Aiyanna is an American Indian name when in fact research proves that the name wasn't even used until after the 1970s; the meaning of the name also is wrong. Also, if you're planning on naming your child after a particular tribe, do lots of research on the tribe as well in order to gain more insight to how they named their child and what exactly they did once the child was named.

Misconceptions

Many people believe today that American Indians were all given very strange names such as "Sitting Bull" or "Running Horse" when in fact it's not their first names that were given to them based on animals, visions and dreams. It is usually their surnames. It is also true that people believe that every American Indian was named after some sort of animal. This is not the case. Some were named after nature such as "Darkest White Cloud" while others were named after their elders who had died.

Potential

If you have a American Indian name and can prove your heritage then you may be in luck. Many colleges offer scholarships to students who can prove their American Indian heritage with documents such like birth certificates.