Naming, Power, and Gender: The Socio-Cultural and Linguistic Analysis of Personal Names Among the Kiga of Southwestern Uganda

In this paper, we examine personal names among the Kiga people of southwestern Uganda. We demonstrate how naming practices reflect gender power relations, cultural beliefs, values, and traditions among the Kiga. Based on a dataset of about 7,000 Kiga personal names collected mainly through reviewing tax collection registers and interviewing older individuals, we analyse the contribution morphology and semantics make to reinforce gendered ideologies in the Kiga society. The findings show that certain morphological affixes and connotations of some names appear to contribute to gender-connotative and stereotyped meanings, constructing males as superior to females. The study further shows that names portray differences in social status, gender roles, and physical attributes. The study employs Butler’s (1993) gender performativity theory to unravel how past naming practices culturally perpetuated gender inequalities and explores how later naming practices resisted them. Our study underscores the role of naming in apportioning roles and assigning social status based on one’s gender, offering insights into the worldview of the Kiga people on gender.