I want my name back :’(

Well, first I should say am not about to entertain you. I just feel like whining. I have a problem with several names and to be precise Yoruba names. It seems to me that there are not enough Yoruba names out there, I mean if you are Yoruba, or you have Yoruba friends, then you know someone that bears either Seun, Tope, Yinka, Bola, Biola, Biodun…. etc…. there’s an endless list of these blehish unisex names. And to worsen matters, Kemi is no longer for girls, just like I almost know more girls bearing Femi than guys. :s.

Like them Yoruba folks will say “tori komo le daran la se n somo loruko” (which means “you’ve been christened to make identification easy when you commit a crime” – my fair attempt at a literal translation). If that’s the case, I expect a great deal of ingenuity in naming children to aid this identification. Instead what do we find, people just naming children after their fathers, mothers, uncles and what not…. So actually a lot of Seuns, Seguns, Wales and Bisis should actually be called Junior or Seun IV, Wale XI or Bisi II. *mtcheeeew* Maybe we should revert to our “oriki” naming convention – like the Aina, Alade, Ayinla, Anike, Amoke etc but am sure we’ll soon run out of stock with these too.

Enough for the first names, at least people cover up for this with their surnames. Unfortunately, I almost can’t think of a surname more popular than mine – Ajayi! So my mum (a Lagos state teacher) goes for her headcount and they are like “just write your surname and initials, except you are an Ajayi – please write your full names!” I recall there were 12 Ajayis in my JSS 1 class (of course we were 103 in all) – don’t ask me, I finished from Ijebu-Ode Grammar School.

I feel jealous when you read people’s bio and all it says is “google me”. Last time I checked there were over 120 Seun Ajayis on facebook – the reason my facebook page isn’t www.facebook.com/seunajayi. Note, I chose my fb ID on the same day fb went live with IDs but I guess I wasn’t fast enough. Lucky though, I could settle with www.facebook.com/ajayiseun. Why do you think this page isn’t http://www.seunajayi.blogspot.com/? Cos one of us has it! And then this morning I get to work and get several chat messages and calls about one of us, “Seun Ajayi listed among UK’s 10 most wanted fraudsters”. Now ayam tayad!!! If I was a girl, I’d be hoping that the name will change after marriage – note the word hoping, cos weirdly I have an aunt that married an Ajayi!

Thank God for middle names! That makes is kinda better. Though again, I’ve met at least one person that has all 3. You’ll understand that since am a Christian and most of us are either Samuel, David, Emmanuel, Joseph, Isaiah etc… not such a long list too. *uhmmmmmmm*

Just so you know, I consider all other Seun Ajayis name snatchers… and I want my name back :’(

Enough whining! I have to go back to work. Guess I feel a lil better now… Come to think of it, am not the only one who will suffer this. My children? Dem go hear am too cos I can’t crack my head – let’s see what names their mum will come up with.