Ewe culture, arts, design

A number of Ewe names are very popular with a lot of interesting stories and history behind that fame. To find out what exactly these popular Ewe names are, an exercise was conducted to receive responses from my audience on Facebook and I believe they didn't disappoint. Their responses were just on time and on target hence a good thing that you get to know about these names. Ewe names are unique and carefully given to children to reflect the circumstances surrounding a child's birth, the belief of the parents and most importantly the impact of the names in the lives of the children in manifestation. In other words, the names are a vital component of the Ewe identity and diving deep into the meanings unravel nothing but a careful selection of these names.  These reasons are among the many reasons why some Ewe names seem to be very popular necessitating the need to find out from the natives and I am happy to urge you to continue reading to understand the secrets behind the fame a...

Tradition and believe are one of the common foundations for Ewe names but even as society picks up change, new integrations are embraced for a refined culture. Past were those times where there was a narrowed belief of the people in that the paramount belief one could come across is the traditional belief.  However, society has tremendously evolved and this has given everyone the chance to hold fast to that which he deems good and fit. And in a country where diversity is welcomed without infringement on the 'Right to Worship' of anyone, the belief has a role to play in how newborn babies are named. WORLA in Ewe language means 'creator' or in another instance, 'doer'. This word therefore, is a noun and can refer to any person at all in any instance depending on a specific circumstance or happening.  However, naming a child as 'Worla' moves further from the literal meaning of the word and the subject many will think of. This then takes me to the focus n...

In the mind of every native in a country or community, the native language must be fluently spoken by the natives. In any case where a person is unable to either speak or write his or her native language, an issue arises necessitating the need to inquire what actually could cause such an incapability to express oneself in his or her local language. The Ewe Language is spoken by the Anlos or Some people of Ghana. Even though Ewe speaking people are all over Ghana in various regions and beyond, they are based in the Volta Region especially. The people of Togo also speak Ewe but there is a kind of a bit difference in dialect and phonetics in how it is spoken. This difference is seen in some of the communities that the language is spoken but one thing surprising is that the writing is almost the same all across. Learn about Ewe names and meanings A little concern sometimes that seems quite disturbing to some of our elderly in the community is when some or our people are unable to speak the...

Once again, Ewe names stand to be of one unique kind in that the reason for the names is more than just the name itself. In this post, we look at these two names and what is worth learning from them.  Among the Ewes of Ghana, a number of names can be translated as Joy and an example is 'Dziedzorm'. Dziedzorm literally means 'I was joyful or happy'. Dzidzor translates into English as 'Happiness or joy'. Dzidzorli also translates into English as 'There is Joy'.   Now 'Dziedzorm' is a name that would be given to a child due to a number of reasons and some of these include: If the child came at an opportune time Maybe a couple wanted a male or female child and by a miracle that prayer gets answered, the parents can name a child as such. As a way of telling God throughout the life of the child since a name like this is given because as the child is called by this name, the parents are forever reminded of God's miraculous intervention and favour...

For every tribe in Ghana and amidst the rich cultures that exist in the country, names are very significant to the people hence the reason why names are not just seen ordinarily. Among the Ewes of Ghana, names are not just given to children but some factors which include the day of a child's birth, the cultural background, circumstances surrounding the birth of a child are some of the many influences that determine what name the child will be given. Ewe names particularly have gained so much popularity and two of such these names are Kofi and Ama .  This blog dives into the origin, cultural significance and some factors that might have made these names so famous. Find a list of Ewe names and their meanings here. Relevance of Ewe names The culture and circumstances surrounding the birth of a child most times form the basis for naming a child. For instance, a child has as part of his name the day he or she is born and this happens to be the middle name for many. In addition, the valu...

Traditionally in the Ewe culture, respect for the elderly is very important to the people and it is also a characteristic feature of most tribes or ethnic groups in Ghana alike. It is the reason why when young people want to refer to the elderly who is a man or a male, the name of the person (the elderly) is mentioned with the title ' efo ' or only the title ' efo ' without even mentioning the person's name. It will be disrespectful on  the part of any young person to directly call an elderly by his name. This was even strongly enforced in the olden days when even a child can't call his parents mummy or daddy as the 21st century children would do.  All the information behind the popularity or fame of the name is discussed in this post including other equally famous Ewe titles or names. The fame of efo Efo is an Ewe word which is a noun and it means 'a brother' or just simply 'brother'. Literally, every male is 'efo' but it is most often a...

In the middle of the year, someone gave me a list of animal names in English and wanted the Ewe translation for the animals on the list. I then realized it as important to make it easy for anyone who wants to learn about the names of animals in Ewe to access this knowledge. If you are someone who loves Ewe names and want to know about them and what their meaning is then do well to click here. From the list provided below, the English name of the animals is on the left as the Ewe translation is on the right. Animal names in English to Ewe Monkey - Kese    In the Ewe language, defining the gender of animals is mostly about the addition of the suffix ('tsu' for male and 'nor' for female).  1) fowl      - koklo   Generally, (koklo) refers to fowls whether male or female or even the chicks. 2) hen - koklon ɔ 3) cock - koklotsu 4) chick - koklovi 5) goat - gb ɔ 'Gbor' also happens to be the general Ewe name for a goat but when we are referring to a m...

The Ewe language has a number of names which can be either first names or surnames that sound funny when trying to consider the literal meaning of the names. Continue to read and learn more. FUNNY EWE NAMES Agbeli - Cassava Gbelornu - Dust bin Adukpo - Refuse dump Afianu - Tray Abadzivor - Bed sheet Gavor - money has finished Gaxadza - Cage Now that some of these names have been listed above, it is very much important to provide or let you know about the in-depth meaning or some background of where these names originate from. once again Ewe names are given for clearly defined purposes because names have a manifestation in the lives of the individuals that bear them. Background surrounding the names Agbeli Cassava is a food crop that is a tuber and given this name to someone is someway. It is a surname which is not very common though but the actual situation that might have led to the great grandfathers of this family choosing this name, is not known but there is definitely a reason o...

The birth of children comes with some difficult occurrences as well as strange situations and because of these, parents give children names to point to the various situations that surround their birth. This is one very common practice among the Ewes and to be looked at briefly will be examples of such names and some meanings associated with them. Megbenu - Given to a child whose mother died immediately after he or she has been delivered. Lumor - A male-given name that indicates that the child was born with the face looking downwards. Lumorshie - A female-given name that also indicates that she was born with her face looking downwards. Awumeshie - This is also a female name which means that the child was born with a covering like a cloth. Eklu - Given to a child who was conceived through the help of lesser gods. Afetorgbor - In traditional homes especially, there are old men who have a lot of experience in many of the traditions and they are normally the lords of the house or in anot...

Attributes of God  as many know it refers to the titles given to God because of who He is and what He does. These attributes are special attributions and they are unique in the making as they differ from one language to the other. The most important thing that is worth noting is that no matter the differences in the language used for these titles, they can at times have the same or similar meaning as all humans are basically a family.  The Ewes of Ghana have many titles used to refer to the Maker and it is very obvious in Ewe names among other instances. We will delve into some of these attributes and also talk about what they mean and some applicable uses. Consider the Bible which has many names attributed to God because He is kind, compassionate, good, loving, wonderful, mighty, all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present everywhere. [Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth. PSALM 80:1 ESV] In Ghana l...

    Names are something that the Ewes never play with because of the significance it holds in the Ewe community. View a list of Ewe names HERE.   Here is a list of some surnames that belong to the Ewes which are worth exploring. A The surnames start with the letter A. Aborchie Adagbedu Adator Adatorwovor Adawu Adjakofi Adjevi Adzaklo Adzika Adzraku Afavi : This names shows that a child was born after consultation with a god called 'afa'. Afeke Agbagedy Agbale Agbedrafor Agbemasu : It means that life does not always satisfy or isn't enough. This within a context can be understood better. Agbemenu : Means something in life or generally refers to all that can be found in life. Agbenu Agbenyenu : Life is something. Agbeta : Agbetsiafa Agbezudor Agbodo Agbodogli Agbodza Agboli Agbotsey Agorkpa Agorku Ahadzi Ahedor Ahiable Ahiabli Ahiagba Ahiakpa Ahianyo Ahiator Ahiavordi Ahlidza Akagle Akakpo ...