Name Giving in the Batswana Culture: A Generational Change Analysis

Abstract

Naming is an evolving and continuous process that could also be influenced by changes and practices that have emerged due to the contact South African people had with colonization, Christianity, and Western education influence. The study investigated how the Batswana people in Gauteng province give name(s) to their newly born child/children through the different generational changes. The problem is that the customary and traditional practices of name giving are gradually disappearing as generations evolve. Data was purposively sampled through an interview schedule that was administered face-to-face and online. The findings amongst others revealed that the practices in name-giving vary across the generations hence Baby Boomers and Generation X this responsibility is given to the grandparents of the newly born baby. The names given by the Baby Boomers and Generation X are mostly inherited from the family pedigree. Whereas Generation Z prefers to give their children their names, they are trying to break the tradition of inheriting names.