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Why so many Dominicans with ridiculous names?
Trujillo was not the reason why dominicans have nicknames, however he was the reason why the nicknames are used so frequently.deelt said:
Cubans and Puertoricans (PR never had a dictatorship or independence) also have nicknames, often using them frequently, but of course, not as frequent as quisqueyanos.
Nal0whs said:
Out of curiosity, why do you think "nicknames" are given or used more frequently among dominicans than among cubans and boriquas? Not to mention the concocted first names or those borrowed from other linguas/nationalities etc...?
ze
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I have a friend whose two daughters are named:
Jomayri and Mairobi.
Are these traditional Dominican names or something else?
I have also come across names like:
Claritza (F), Dilcia (F), Hostar (M), Maritza (F), Ransis (M), Sagrario (M), Yolarys (F), Rigoberto (M) and Arismende (M).
Can anyone shed any light as to whether these names are traditional or "origin unknown"?
I personally wouldn't use the modifier "ridiculous" to describe these names BUT they are definitely different and unusual, in my books.
Any assistance appreciated.
Gregg
Jomayri and Mairobi.
Are these traditional Dominican names or something else?
I have also come across names like:
Claritza (F), Dilcia (F), Hostar (M), Maritza (F), Ransis (M), Sagrario (M), Yolarys (F), Rigoberto (M) and Arismende (M).
Can anyone shed any light as to whether these names are traditional or "origin unknown"?
I personally wouldn't use the modifier "ridiculous" to describe these names BUT they are definitely different and unusual, in my books.
Any assistance appreciated.
Gregg
I have heard the names Claritza, Dilcia, Maritza, Sagrario, and Rigoberto at least once before. Some like Maritza and Sagrario I have heard many times before. I just don't know if they are traditional names.FireGuy said:
My wife told me that a co-worker (named humberto) of her was going to name his son Lamberto. When she heard this she burst out laughing and telling him not to do it because people are going to make fun of the poor kid, calling him Lambon.
My sister had a Dominican American co-worker named Yesbelt. After they broke the ice the girl told her that she was Dominican also. My sister replied I know, the girl asked how do you. My sister told her, well because Dominican parents give their kids weird name. The girl said, yeah you are right! Gosh!
Another one, when my wife was pregnant with our second child, we did not know the sex of the baby, and we did not have a name picked yet. Well, to start some contraversy in the family we told them that we were going to combine our names for the child. If it was a girl we would name her Robetricia, if it was a boy then Robetricio from Roberto and Patricia.
Man, the phone was ringing off the hook after we made that announcement to my mother. Anyway the baby was a boy and his name is Angel Daniel.
Also,
I am not open to the idea of naming kids after the father or mother or grandparents. Alright let me have it.
Regards,
Roberto
My sister had a Dominican American co-worker named Yesbelt. After they broke the ice the girl told her that she was Dominican also. My sister replied I know, the girl asked how do you. My sister told her, well because Dominican parents give their kids weird name. The girl said, yeah you are right! Gosh!
Another one, when my wife was pregnant with our second child, we did not know the sex of the baby, and we did not have a name picked yet. Well, to start some contraversy in the family we told them that we were going to combine our names for the child. If it was a girl we would name her Robetricia, if it was a boy then Robetricio from Roberto and Patricia.
Man, the phone was ringing off the hook after we made that announcement to my mother. Anyway the baby was a boy and his name is Angel Daniel.
Also,
I am not open to the idea of naming kids after the father or mother or grandparents. Alright let me have it.
Regards,
Roberto
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Honestly, I don't know.ze pequeno said:
However, I would speculate that the usage of nicknames within Dominicans being more prevailant than in the rest of the Hispanic Caribbean may have something to do with general attitudes towards outsiders in traditional Dominican society.
Historically, Dominican society has been a rural, agrarian, isolated society of barely 3 million people, almost all Cibae?os. All of this changed the moment Americans came in the 1920s and started to develop the east and later, with Trujillo the urbanization began taking shape.
However, traditionally Dominicans (and this is still evident in many rural communities) are very close nit people. Their entire universe used to revolve around the "cajellon" or dirt path, the grouping of wooden cabins, a well, and the neighbors in that settlement that is usually referred to as "el campo".
Traditionally, Dominican society was very plural, with self-centeredness not coming into play until the 1900s. Originally there were collective farming practices, entire communities would take care of a plot for their own consumption and neighbors would look over the children of the entire community as well. It was common practice for neighbors to punish the child of another neighbor, if they witness the child commiting something wrong and/or incorrect.
Life revolved around the house of the main family that originally settled that campo, today this has been replaced by the colmado, both in the campo and in the barrios.
This closely nit community often was not truthful of foreigners and always look at any foreigner with suspicion. They would offer their beds, food, water, etc to a foreigner, but they always were weary of possible hidden motives of a foreigner. This could very well be attributed to the constant invasions from Haiti and elsewhere, when foreigners would mingle among Dominicans only to erupt in a virtual massacre.
Perhaps, and this is where my speculation comes in play, the use of nicknames was a way to further "personalize" the close nit relationship that existed between the community members, and thus, allowing the members to speak or ask for help from another member, by using the nickname as oppose to his legal name.
The dictatorships of Lilis and Trujillo further enhanced this, probably, but the usage of nicknames by the Dominican population has been around for years before either dictatorship took place, even before the country was established.
One of the oddest sounding names that caught my attention was held by the daughter of a friend of mine, Melita, a folk herb healer and practitioner of strange occult arts, living in a small village south of San Juan de la Maguana. She called her daughter Chingua. I once asked Chingua the origin of her name and she told me that she was born awfully premature and with a peculiar appearance. It so happens that Chingua gave birth to a baby boy over two months ago, and I went to see the mother and child. The sight of the baby boy was astounding, he didn't seem to weight an ounce over two pounds, and he had a blue cast to his skin. I swore he would not survive. Today, after over two months he's fat and looks in very good health. The mother still hadn't a named the child, so I suggested 'Chinguito'. Like many names in the South, Chingua is Taino in origin, and probably means 'little lizard or iguana'.
some nicknames are cute
my mothers best friend when were kids is Dominican she lived across the street. when my little brother the youngest of my siblings was born she called him Yeyito and Yeyito he is today at 30 years old. (his real name is sergio like my father).
but i thought it was just done out of carino.
my mothers best friend when were kids is Dominican she lived across the street. when my little brother the youngest of my siblings was born she called him Yeyito and Yeyito he is today at 30 years old. (his real name is sergio like my father).
but i thought it was just done out of carino.
mami said:
In one of the glossaries of Dominicanisms there's the expression: 'le di? un yeyo y se muri?', where the term 'yeyo' is used to denote dizziness or lightheadedness. Contrary to popular belief, 'yeyo' is not Taino in origin. The term actually originates in Venezuela, from the early 1960s, when a popular TV comedian by the name of Yeyo had a recurrent skit where he would swoon and faint dramatically.
I've heard that nicknames are an African tradition, the idea being to confuse the spirits so they don't whisk you off.
I'll pass on disclosing my niece's name on a public forum. If you want to know what it is, feel free to PM me. BTW it's even worse than I thought. The first version I heard was not that bad because it was reasonably similar to a 'real' name.
The other day I saw a name - 'Warhawk' and as far as I could tell it was not a nickname.
Very metal. :bandit:
I'll pass on disclosing my niece's name on a public forum. If you want to know what it is, feel free to PM me. BTW it's even worse than I thought. The first version I heard was not that bad because it was reasonably similar to a 'real' name.
The other day I saw a name - 'Warhawk' and as far as I could tell it was not a nickname.
Very metal. :bandit:
No way can I comment, I am a mere sister-in-law and a foreigner to boot, so anything I say will be put down to my strange foreign ways. It is up to Mr C and his sisters to say what they think. They are saying quite a lot at the moment.
Whether they will say it to their brother and his wife still remains to be seen. I'll let you know.
Whether they will say it to their brother and his wife still remains to be seen. I'll let you know.
Berzin said:
I think parents should be allow to name thier children how ever they feel like it. And for the above thread stating names such as "Johnson Rodriguez".
I known anglos with first names as Morgan, Madison, Loyd, ect,, these are all last names too.
P.S What's wrong with Johanna vega?
Nyeden said:
What are your kids names?
I am a parent too, and I do think my children are unique. This does not mean I should try to be unique with their names and screw up their childhood with some ridiculous names. Kids in schools are getting meaner by the day, and a child with a weird name will be picked on and made fun of. Then when they become adults, a weird name will be an obstacle when they try to get a job.
The Haitian tradition you mention is what I was referring to, only I found this to be the case here as well. I worked in the campo near Cotui and practically everyone there had an 'alternative' name. Sure, there are Franciscos who get called Paco, Williams who get called Bill everywhere, and thin people who get called Flaco and so on, but what I mean people who have their given name and another totally different name. You'd only find out their real names when something formal had to be done.Mirador said:
Chirimoya said:
Years ago, upon returning from abroad, the day after moving to a furnished apartment in Bella Vista, my Venezuelan wife interviewed a woman to hire as a day maid. Although my wife was convinced that the women met all the requirements for the job, I noticed something suspect about her. At the end of the first day on the job, I told the woman I would walk her over to the bus stop, and upon reaching the bus stop I told her I was in adventure mode and would accompany her all the way to her home. She did not complain, as a matter of fact she was very enthusiastic. For my troubles I learned that the woman actually went by three names: Norma, Bernarda, and Santa, that she was part of a gang of apartment burglars who used the apartment building's private guards to inform the gang when the owners or tenants were out...