What Elechi Means
To truly understand a language, you may have to understand their culture.
I was thrilled to learn that you want to know the meaning of my name. Will you tell me the meaning of your name too?
It is easy to find out what Elechi means. With a very basic knowledge of Igbo, even though I am not Igbo, you are good to go. Elechi is a multilingual name.
I read somewhere in Chinua Achebe's "No Longer at Ease" that African names have meanings. Of course, all names have meanings. Then, what is so special about the meaning of African names?
I have only been to Nigeria in Africa because I was born here. So let me write only of Nigerian names.
Image of Elechi Onodioma
The meanings of Nigerian names represent something. It could represent someone, a belief, a deity, a circumstance, a prayer, a statement of faith, an event, etc. As a result, Nigerian names have stories attached to them. Usually, the names are words, phrases, or sentences derived from a longer sentence that summarizes the story.
This pattern of naming children has affected our "English names". From my observation, ancient children were given missionary-based foreign names. I think it is something about cultural imperialism; that those names were purer than our Nigerian names.
It probably became a norm from then onwards for parents to attach a foreign name to their children's names. For example, Peter, Florence, Salome, Silas, etc. The Nigerian name then became for identity.
Now parents have used the concept of giving Nigerian names to give foreign names. Something I call, "Nigerian English Names". We now have words like Favour, Blessing, Salvation, Precious, etc used as names; phrases like “God knows", “God save" and “Jah bless" are now names. Sometimes, sentences like, “God save me”, are names.
Nigerian English Names have evolved to something I can no longer comprehend. The only way I try to understand it is this: every nice-looking English word can be given as a name. For example, Reward, Occasion, Prevail, Answer, Obedience, etc.
Nigerians are very religious people. It is expressed in their names as in other things. We even believe that people's name can affect their destinies.
Nigerian names have deeper meanings than the direct translation to English. I think it is something about languages. You cannot know the true meaning of something in one language by directly translating it to the other language. To truly understand a language, you may have to understand their culture.
Elechi, when translated to English directly, means, "To look to God." It means to put one's hope in God, not merely looking. It also means God-looker, one that looks to God. One that hopes in God.