Names From the Hood

From the text of an email that I recently received from no fewer than three different sources:

'Le - a'


How would you pronounce this as a child's name???


Leah?? NO


Lee - A?? NOPE


Lay - a?? NO


Lei?? Guess Again.


It's pronounced 'Ledasha' oh yes...you read it right. The dash is not silent.

Her mother is irate because everyone is getting her name wrong. SO, if you see something come across your desk like this please remember to pronounce the dash.

While amusing, I suspect (and fervently hope) that the above story is apocryphal. The veracity of the story, however, is beside the point. What ultimately matters is that the name and the colorful story behind it could very well be true.

The friends and relatives who forwarded the email to me were hardly going out on a limb. As educators, parents of young children, and professionals whose work brings them into contact with members of the public, they have frequent, first-hand experience with many names that would put dear little “Ledasha” to shame.

Here’s a quick little sampling of names that sound like they could not possibly be real, but are:

Amazing Amari Yeah
Aryan
Ayre’ Jordan
Definest
Diablo
Erotica
Imunique
Johnnifer
Jream
Ke’Nautica
Khevyon
King Carleoin
La’Darryl
Las’ Chance’
My’ Lexus
Nemesis
Nimrod
Pawllos
PreciousDarn
Qualynndriqeka


Just let that list sink in for a moment.


If you are reading this post, you are well aware that my friends and I are hardly alone in our fascination with the creative names that some black parents give their children (while this blog is primarily focused on creative or unusual black names, crazy names from all sources are welcomed with equal snarkiness). While research suggests that the increase in distinctively black names is a fairly recent phenomenon, the sheer volume of comedic commentary, radio, newspaper and television stories, as well as online discussion dedicated to this topic illustrate the intense interest, passion and laughter that many of these names provoke.

The Ghetto Book of Baby Names (GBBN) is the ultimate reference book for Ghetto Names and the people who love/hate them. A uniquely conceived guide, this baby book in its final form will include more than 30,000 actual baby names representing every region of the country. In addition to the typical alphabetical listing found in traditional baby name books, GBBN sets out various categories, such as "Names Only an Orange Jumpsuit Could Love" and "Apostrophes Gone Wild." Editorial content is provided at the introduction of each category along with features like the Ghetto Name Builder™, Frequently Asked Questions, Ghetto Name AllStars, and a test to determine whether the reader is the bearer of a bona fide "Nom de Ghetto."