Personal Names Working for or Against Us: Sampling Ugandan Names

Personal Names Working for or Against Us: Sampling Ugandan Names, edited by Mercy Mirembe Ntangaare, offers an informative look at personal naming practices across Uganda. Through a focused collection of examples and insights, the book explores how names can carry deep social weight, shaping perceptions, identity, and personal experiences in daily life.

Names hold great significance in Ugandan cultural traditions, often communicating clan heritage, circumstance of birth, or family hopes. This volume examines the ways these names actively influence how individuals are received within their communities and wider social institutions, touching on both positive and negative consequences. It serves as a valuable resource for university students, researchers in sociology and onomastics, and general readers who wish to understand the cultural and social power behind the names we carry.