What’s in a Surname? Averting a Looming Identity Crisis
By: Dr. Salihu Lukman
Introduction
This article was predicated on the following points.
- Improper choice of a surname for someone who uses 3 names, especially when opening bank accounts, or applying for an ‘international’ passport or scholarship.
- Proper use of your town’s or hamlet’s name as a surname.
- Properties of a good surname.
- Using your first name alone to represent your full name.
Let me start by asking a rhetorical question. What is a surname? Is it your father’s name, your grandfather’s name, or your family’s name? Let me invite the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (LDOCE) to help me answer this question. It reads as follows:
“the name that you share with your parents, or often with your husband if you are a married woman, and which in English comes at the end of your full name. Synonym: last name, family name”
Important points to note in this definition are:
- A surname is NOT the name of your parents, but a name that you also share with your parents. Please note this point. It is very important. Even some professors are found wanting on this criteria.
- Surname is NOT the name of your husband for a married woman, but a name that you also share with your husband, i.e. your husband’s surname. I really have an issue with married women changing their surnames to those of their husbands. This will subject a woman to unnecessarily changing her surname in the unfortunate event of separation – may God Almighty forbid – or death of the husband if she chooses to remarry. I see this as an affront to the right of women. Marrying a woman does not mean that the husband has to destroy her initially established identity.
- When you write your full name starting with your first name, your surname comes last. Always write your first name first and your last name last unless otherwise directed in a given form.
- Surname = last name
- Surname = family name
In addition, LDOCE defined the first name to be synonymous with the forename and given name.
What are the Properties of a Good Surname?
- The primary aim of a surname is for identification and to serve as a connection point to as many of your kinsmen, tribesmen, and townsmen as possible. The more people your surname connects you to, the better.
- It should preferably be unique and different from the available common names in circulation. However, this may not be satisfied at all times because some family names have become common first names.
- What is of interest is knowing how well linked you are with your extended family via an appropriate surname. Hence, do not use only your father’s name as your surname. Instead, use your grandfather’s, great-grandfather’s, town’s, tribe’s, or hamlet’s name as your surname. That way, you will be linked to more of your extended family members.
What About Middle Names and the Correct Order of Writing Full Names?
The middle name is the name between a first name and a surname or last name. It is usually abbreviated and used only when one is using at least 3 names. Example: Salihu Y. Lukman.
It can be an additional first name. Hausas (and likely Fulanis) usually bear 2 first names, official and unofficial ones. He would use the official one on his birth certificate and in school attendance registers, and the unofficial one at home only. If you relate with him at school alone, then, you will know his official first name only while if you relate with him at home or informal setting alone, then, you are bound to know his unofficial first name only. There are many reasons surrounding the circumstances behind giving an unofficial first name, whether to hide the official one because it resembles someone held in high esteem such as parents, or grandparents, or for other reasons. For example,
- Abba/Abulbait/Abulkhair/Walid/Khalifa/Ubangida/Dattijo/Baba/ – When the official first name is the same as their father’s, grandfather’s, or great-grandfather’s name.
- Ummi/Walida/Mama – When the official first name is the same as their grandmother’s name.
- Unofficial names depicting the day one is born: Friday (Jumare), Saturday (Asabe), Sunday (Ladidi), Monday (Danliti), Tuesday (Talatu), and Wednesday (Laraba).
- Default unofficial first names by virtue of the official one: Binta (Fatima), Zara (Fatima), Nana (Aisha or Khadija).
All the following first names are preceded by Muhammad by default. Buhari, Sanusi, Bello, Auwal/Lawan/Lawal, Sani, Salisu, Rabi’u, Hamisu, Sadisu, Sabi’u, Saminu, Tasiu, Ashiru, etc. Hence, Muhammadu Buhari (former Nigerian president) and Muhammadu Sanusi (former emir of Kano) are both compound first names without their surnames.
Other common unofficial names that you may find some people use as official first names include Baffa, Balarabe, Haidar (Ali), Shehu (Usman), Jummai, etc. Shehu is always followed by Usman in the North because of the famous Islamic revivalist and scholar, Sheikh Usman Bin Fodio. Shehu is simply Sheikh in Hausa. Hence, every Shehu can bear Shehu Usman as his first name.
I have also noticed that Yorubas and Ebiras have at least 2 first names. Their abbreviated middle names are usually one of their first names.
Note that, saying ‘My names are’ when introducing yourself is illiterate English according to Professor Farooq Kperogi.
If one uses just two names as one’s full name, then, there is no ambiguity in detecting the surname as long as the first name comes first and the last name comes last. However, make sure that you have a middle name, i.e., use at least 3 names if possible to reduce the chances of having 2 persons bearing the same first name and surname. Hausas usually use just 2 names. Again, make sure that all your children are using the same format to avoid any identity crisis. At least, they should all have the same surname. Imagine two full siblings but with different surnames. The Yorubas and Ebiras use at least 3 names in which the middle name is also one of their first names because most of them usually have more than 3 first names.
Hausas on the other hand also bears more than one first name. As I mentioned earlier, these unofficial first names are hardly used as the official first names of individuals. For instance, my first names are Halifa (unofficial) and Salihu (official). Halifa means a successor, and in this case, a successor to Salihu who was my great-grandfather. I was using Halifa Yusuf (Yusuf being my father’s name) in primary school up till when my primary school leaving certificate was to be issued. That was when my late father, Yusuf, changed my name from Halifa Yusuf to Salihu Lukman. Lukman was my grandfather, thus, becoming connected with my extended family. But I also used Salihu Y. Lukman during my junior secondary school days at Government Secondary School (popularly referred to as Government Day), Tukur-Tukur Zaria before I deleted the middle name in the senior class starting from SS1 because all my form masters would omit my middle name in their attendance registers which led to confusion. Hence, I have been using just two names, Salihu Lukman, in all my certificates (WAEC, bachelor’s & master’s) except PhD certificate – which bears 3 names, Salihu Yusuf Lukman – because I was asked to use at least 3 names on my ‘international’ passport in 2010 before my visa can be issued by the Saudi Arabian Embassy to enable me to travel to Saudi Arabia for my PhD. You can save your children from this inconsistency and identity crisis by ensuring that they use at least 3 names on their birth certificates.
Saudi Arabia expects one to bear 4 names (first name, father’s name, grandfather’s name, and family name) when filling out most of her official documents. That is why some applicants for Saudi Arabian scholarships encounter problems because of the order in which they write their names. Family name here is very important and is synonymous with surname, simple. For instance, if you use 2 names only, say, first name and father’s name. Then, you need to skip the spaces for father’s and grandfather’s names and write your father’s name – which is your surname in this case – under the family name slot. Learning how to write your name in the correct order and in a consistent manner can save you a lot of trouble with banks, NIN (National Identity Number) registration, and ‘international’ passport processing.
If you use 3 names (first name, father’s name, grandfather’s name), then, you should not write your father’s name as your last name or surname. Your surname and also last name in this case is your grandfather’s name, not your father’s name. Many people make this avoidable mistake because of the wrong assumption that surname should always be your father’s name and last name. This is true if and only if one is using just 2 names. E.g. Salihu Yusuf Lukman not Salihu Lukman Yusuf. I can also write it as Lukman, Salihu Yusuf when asked to start with a surname first, note the comma immediately after the surname. A dilemma of choosing a surname usually arises if you use 3 names that are arranged in the following order: first name, father’s name, and grandfather’s name.
Many forms in Nigeria require that you write your surname first, followed by other names. In this case, your surname should be your last name (grandfather’s name) while your other names should consist of your first name followed by your father’s name. For instance, If I am using 3 names, Salihu Yusuf Lukman, where, Salihu = first name, Yusuf = father’s name, Lukman = grandfather’s name, then,
Surname: Lukman (not Yusuf)
Other Names: Salihu Yusuf (not Yusuf Salihu)
Many people and even institutions make the above mistakes frequently. If you are applying for an ‘international’ passport and you bear 3 names, make sure to avoid these mistakes.
In the same vein, if I am using the name of my hometown, say, Zaria, then it should always be my last name NOT my middle name. My full name should then be, Salihu Lukman Zaria. In this example,
Surname: Zaria
Other Names: Salihu Lukman
I have seen many people who use the name of their towns or hamlets among their names, but end up reducing it to just a middle name. In this case, the aim of using the name of the town or hamlet to connect one to the people in his town or hamlet is defeated because the middle name is usually abbreviated, hence, the name of the town or hamlet will die a natural death without serving its intended purpose. Just know that if you should decide to add your town’s or hamlet’s name to your name, then, it automatically replaces your former surname. For instance, writing
Surname: Lukman
Other Names: Salihu Zaria (or Salihu Z.)
is wrong.
People should be encouraged to use a surname that connects them to as many of their kinsmen, townsmen, and tribesmen as possible. Some hamlets consist of people that are all related to one another by blood relations. Such hamlet or area should bear the same surname. For instance, all the inhabitants of the Jamawa area in Zaria City ought to be using Jamawa as their surname because they are all descendants of Jamo, hence the name Jamawa. Similarly, inhabitants of the hamlet Kakaki in Zaria City ought to be using the name Kakaki or Ibrahim Tsoho – from whom they all descended – as a surname. Small ethnic groups like Ninzam in Kaduna State may also use the name of the ethnic group as their surname.
Other examples include:
a) Ibrahim Dabo, the first emir to have ruled Kano from the same lineage as the Bayeros would have been a more appropriate surname since it will connect the Bayeros with Abbas and all those that descended from Ibrahim Dabo who is the 2nd Emir of Kano after the Usman Danfodio Jihad.
b) Names of dynasties such as Mallawa, Sullabawa, and Katsinawa from the Zaria ruling houses when used as surnames for all those belonging to such dynasties would have connected the people to their relatives even more. For instance, our current Emir’s name is Ahmad Nuhu Bamalli. His last name, Bamalli, means that he hails from the Mallawa dynasty.
c) In Saudi Arabia, citizens who are originally from Nigeria and belong to the Hausa and Fulani ethnic groups use the general surname Al Hausawi and Al Fullati while those from Borno State use Al Barnawi.
Can a First Name be Used as A Surname?
Although this negates the essence of a surname, which is to connect you to your extended family so that identifying your relatives becomes easier, it has been in use in two forms nonetheless.
The first form involves the use of what will appear to be a compound name such as Muhammadu Buhari, our immediate past president. His father’s name is Adamu. Both Muhammadu and Buhari are his first names. Names of former Kano emirs such as Abdullahi Bayero and Muhammadu Sanusi (grandfather of MS II) are all first names only.
The second form involves using just a single first name which is split into 2 or 3 parts. This practice is rampant among Asians (Pakistanis, Indians, Bangladeshis). Examples:
a) Saleemurrahman which is a single name will be split into Saleem Ur Rahman.
First Name: Saleem
Middle Name: Ur
Surname: Rahman
b) Ridwanulhaq which is also another single name, will be split into Ridwan Ul Haq
First Name: Ridwan
Middle Name: Ul
Surname: Haq
Such names are sometimes used singly without splitting them into 2 or 3. However, recently, United Arab Emirates (UAE) has placed an entry ban on Asians who use just a single name.
We need to have an established surname or family name culture in Nigeria for better identification and cohesion.
Salihu Lukman is an Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Hafr Al Batin, Saudi Arabia