Figure 4-16 gives the proportions of names from Germanic and Celtic tradition in Botswana and Scotland according to tokens and types.
Figure 4-16: Names from Germanic and Celtic Tradition
Name Category Country No. of tokens % of tokens No. of types % of types
Germanic and Celtic Tradition
Scotland 63 19.1% 48 23.9%
Botswana 18 10.8% 16 12%
This category, as the name implies, derives from Germanic and Celtic traditions, Hanks et al (2006:xvii) have observed that ‘after Christianity and Germanic royalty, the greatest influence on the stock of names in the English-speaking world has been the Celtic tradition.’ Names from Celtic traditions mainly originate from Scottish and Irish Gaelic as well as from Welsh and some have become anglicized over the years and their original forms have completely faded away. In Figure 4-16, name tokens that derive from Germanic and Celtic sources make up 19.1% of the lexically non-transparent names in Scotland while in Botswana they are represented at 10.8%. In Scotland this category of names is the third most common after biblical and classical names whereas it is the least common type in Botswana. In Scotland names from Germanic and Celtic tradition represent 23.9% of the types of lexically non- transparent names while in Botswana they represent 12% of the same. In both countries the type percentage is a little higher than the token percentage so they have a relatively high type- token ratio.
Names that derive from Irish and Scottish Gaelic in Scotland include; Kenneth which is an anglicized form of two Gaelic names, Cinaed and Cainnech, Kevin which is also anglicized from the Gaelic name Caoimhìn, and Alistair/ Alasdair which is a Gaelic form of Alexander. Examples of names that derive from Germanic tradition in Scotland include Emma, which is originally a short form of compound names like Ermintrude but has since become a name in its own right, and which was made popular in medieval England by the fact that it was borne
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by the mother of Edward the Confessor. Another name represented in the Scotland data with Germanic origins is Alice which is originally a short version of the Germanic name Adalheidis but over the years it too has become regarded as a distinct name. The Botswana data contains some of the same examples of names of Gaelic origin as the Scottish data such as Kenneth and Kevin. From Germanic origins the Botswana data also has Emma and Freddy which is a pet form of Frederick from fred, frid ‘peace’ + rīc ‘power, ruler’. As previously stated, all the name definitions in the lexically non-transparent category are from Hanks et al (2006).
4.2.3.1 Names from Germanic and Celtic Tradition and Gender
This section discusses the proportions of names from Germanic and Celtic tradition in the two countries in relation to gender.
Figure 4-17: Names from Germanic and Celtic Tradition and Gender in Scotland
Gender No. of tokens % of tokens No. of types % of types
Male 40 63.5% 28 58.3%
Female 23 36.5% 20 41.7%
Total: 63 100% Total: 48 100%
Figure 4-18: Names from Germanic and Celtic Tradition and Gender in Botswana
Gender No. of tokens % of tokens No. of types % of types
Male 7 38.9% 7 43.8%
Female 11 61.1% 9 56.2%
Total: 18 100% Total: 16 100%
In Scotland there are more male name tokens (63.5%) from Germanic and Celtic sources than female name tokens which are at 36.5%. This scenario is the opposite of the one presented by names from classical tradition where there are more female names than male ones. In Botswana there are more female name tokens at 61.1% as compared to male ones at 38.9%. This picture is the same as the one presented by names from classical tradition where there are more female name tokens than male ones. The proportions for the name types indicate the same trend as that of name tokens, in Scotland there are 58.3% of male types and 41.7% of female types while in Botswana there are 43.8% of male types and 56.2% of female types.
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4.2.3.2 Etymology and Meaning of Names from Germanic and Celtic Tradition Figure 4-19: Etymology and Meaning of Names from Germanic and Celtic Tradition
Country Source known % source Meaning known % Meaning
Scotland 11/63 17.5% 22/63 34.9%
Botswana 0/18 0% 0/18 0%
Figure 4-19 illustrates the respondents’ knowledge of the sources and meanings of names from the Germanic and Celtic tradition category in the two countries. Respondents in Scotland gave the sources of the names using specific labels such as Germanic, Celtic, Gaelic, Welsh and Irish origins which is an indication that the respondents are very familiar with the origins of the names that they gave. In Scotland the respondents know the sources of 17.5% of the names that they gave. Although 82.5% of the sources are unknown, the figure was still unexpected because the information on the sources of the names is not readily available. Examples of names whose sources are indicated are, William-Germanic, Gavin-Celtic, Trevor-Welsh and Kenneth-Gaelic. One of the respondents who gave the origins of the name Kenneth clearly stated that the name is an anglicized version of the Gaelic names Cinaed and Cainnech which shows that they are very much aware of its origins. Respondents in Scotland know the meanings of 34.9% of the names which is surprising as the meanings of most such names have become opaque to modern day name givers and users. Some of the popular names whose meanings are given include the following; Alice ‘noble’, Henry ‘powerful ruler’, Gavin ‘hawk’ and Alasdair/ Alistair ‘warrior’. The fact that the respondents are not familiar with 82.5% of the sources of the given names and 65.1% of their meanings indicates that the names were given for other reasons apart from their sources and meanings. The Botswana data on the other hand indicates that the respondents did not know the sources and meanings of the names as both are recorded as 0%. This also shows that the choice of these names in Botswana was not dependent on their source or meaning.
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4.2.3.3 Motivations for Names from Germanic and Celtic Tradition Figure 4-20: Motivation for Names from Germanic and Celtic Tradition
Country Name motivation Total number % Name motivation
Scotland Not known/given 24 38.1%
Other 23 36.5%
Named for someone 6 9.5%
Family name 5 7.9%
Parents liked it 5 7.9%
Total: 63 Total: 99.9%
Botswana Not known/given 12 66.7%
Other 4 22.2%
Named for someone 1 5.5%
Parents liked it 1 5.5%
Family Name 0 0%
Total: 18 Total: 99.9%
According to Figure 4-20 the motivations behind names from Germanic and Celtic tradition are mainly Not known/given in both countries; in Scotland this category is the highest at 38.1% while in Botswana it is also the most common at 66.7%. The source or meaning of the names do not feature in the category for name motivation in either country which means that neither was considered as a motivating factor for giving the name. The second most common factors for giving the names in both countries are varied and are grouped under the category of Other. In Scotland these stand at 36.5% and they vary from respondent to respondent. For example; someone was named Connor because his parents ‘wanted a strong Celtic name which has never been used in the family before as a first name’. Another was named Jennifer which was the name of a sibling’s doll because the parents could not agree on any of the names that they had chosen. They settled for the name Jennifer as a compromise. Generally, the Scotland data does not show any examples where the traits or qualities associated with the meaning of a name are given as motivating factors for the choice of the name; however, there is an example of such in this category. In this instance the respondent has given the meaning of the name Kevin as ‘kind and gentle’ and goes on to state that his brother was given the name because ‘he was a gentle baby who never cried’. Although the actual meaning of the name Kevin derives from the Gaelic word caomh ‘comely, beloved’ and does not mean kind or gentle, the point is that there is an attempted connection made between the meaning of the name and the traits of the name bearer. The name Scott is also said to be given because it makes reference to the bearer’s
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heritage and culture. Both respondents who bear the name Scott state that it was given to them because they are Scottish and their parents wanted a name that reflected their heritage. This is a naming strategy that is observed more in the Botswana data than in the Scotland data.
The categories of ‘Named for someone’ and ‘Family name’ are treated as distinct here, the same way as in section 4.2.2.3 because there are indications that respondents were named for both family and non-family members. The category of ‘Named for someone’ is the third highest in Scotland at 9.5% and most of the respondents were named for family members while only 2/6 were named for non-family members. One was named after her mother’s friend while the other was given the name of a music band that his father liked. Although the name of a band is not the same as that of a person, the idea is that the person was named for something else other than a family member. The fourth highest category is that of names which were given because they are family names at 7.5%. Examples of names given in this way are Alisdair, Jennifer and Rudolf. Names that are regarded as family names go beyond the so-called ‘traditional or conventional’ names such as John, Margaret or Peter. Another 7.9% of the names were given because the parents liked them or liked the way they sounded. The names Alice and Gavin were given because the parents liked them while Emma was given because the parents liked the way it sounded. The reasons of liking a name and liking how it sounds are grouped together here as they express a similar idea although the idea might be debatable as it may be argued that liking a name is not the same as liking its sound as the liking may be connected to the orthographic features of the name and not its phonological features.
Figure 4-20 illustrates that the motivations behind the majority of the names in Botswana were Not known/given at 66.7%. The second highest category is that of Other which is at 22.2% and examples are Ronald ‘to show happiness and being thankful’ and Marriet ‘named by relative’. The name Sheila has a rather unusual motivation as given by the respondent, who did not know the actual meaning of the name. Their interpretation is that the name made reference to the Setswana word sila which means ‘to grind’. The family survived through grinding sorghum with a stone, so they anglicized the word sila into the name Sheila. The categories of Named for someone and Parents liked the name are at 5.5% each. As with previous name categories of biblical and classical tradition, this category does not have the motivation of a name given because it is a family name. This is a motivation that is specific to the Scotland data. Although respondents in Scotland were able to give sources of 17.5% of the names and meanings of 34.9%, neither the source nor the meaning appears as a motivating factor for the choice of the
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name. In Botswana, this was expected as none of the respondents gave the source or the meaning of the names.