Sunday, June 1, 2008

What's in a Name?

There was a recent flurry of emails amongst the palagis on-island sharing funny names we've come across since moving here. I'm sure there are weird names stateside but it seems like there is more than the fair share here in Samoa. I think with the shear volume of children in families there might be some baby naming fatigue contributing to the problem. Also, Samoan names can often have literal translations, naming a child "water" is common and makes for a nice name. Unfortunately literal names in English are often just regrettable. I can assure you that these are real names we've come across since moving here. Here's what we've come up with so far. If any of you reading this has more to add feel free!
Names:
29
Abcde
Aetalo - means eat taro
Afasene (half-a-cent)
Alcapone
Anewvision
Army and Navy (Brothers)
Baby
Batchlor (spelled like that)
Bear
Beaver Ho Ching
Billclinton
Boyblue
California
Christmas
Cinderella
Clever
Conference
Dynamite
Eddie & Edwin (Two brothers, possibly twins)
Fa'afetai (thank you)
Fa'afetai Fa'afetai Jr.
Fabulous
Fantastic
Fiapapalagi
Gasoliga (remember the g=n)
Hail-Mary
Han Solo
Happy
Hurricane
Kirisimasi (Christmas)
Kuwait
Larrybird
LBJ (The hospital is named LBJ)
Lima (5 or hand in Samoan, was probably the fifth kid)
Marie Antoinette Resurrected
Moonstar
Muliei
New Year
Nixon
Omaha
Oti (dead)
Pago Pago
Pluto
Ponce de Leon
Popeye
Poti (Male Sex Organ)
Pretty
Princess
Pu'u Brown
Queen.
Rainmaker
Rapture
Rectal
Rocky and Rambo (brothers)
Roketi (Rocket---tons of those)
Saddam
Salvation
Samoa
Shaqkobe or Kobeshaq
Socrates
Souvenir
Sterchicht
Superbowl
Tajmahal
Tutuila (The name of our island)
Ultimate Warrior
United States of America
United States of Samoa

2 comments:

Melinda said...

this is so funny. we know pago pago and han solo. i wish i knew ultimate warrior! we also know to'asefulu which means person #10.

thanks for the list!

Amber Letuli said...

Have a sister in law named fiapalagi, and when I was there there was a Bicentennial.