Local Naming Ceremony

Service Description

The Akan people of Ghana frequently name their children after the day of the week they were born and the order in which they were born. These "day names" have further meanings concerning the soul and character of the person. Middle names have considerably more variety and can refer to their birth order, twin status, or an ancestor's middle name. This naming tradition is shared throughout West Africa and the African diaspora. During the 18th–19th centuries, enslaved people in the Caribbean from the region that is modern-day Ghana were referred to as Coromantees. Traditionally in Ghana, a child would receive their Akan day name during an Outdooring, a naming ceremony eight days after birth, however some Africans born in other countries are privileged to have the opportunity to receive their names in adulthood.