IndexIntroductionImportance of name and identity in African cultureProcesses and traditions in namingImpact of language and names on identityConclusionWorks CitedIntroductionNames are means of social identification, in some cultures, it is believed that a name says a lot about the roots, lineage and in some cases the future of the person. Names are the same situation, especially in the situation of African culture which cannot be only a creator of identity. Therefore, the process of naming a child in African society is considered a serious matter. A Yoruba adage says that a person's name and identity explain a lot about the person. And recognition of a person's name is deeply appreciated as an important tool for Nigerians, and in this case it is not too strange to find people in Nigerian culture changing their names and adopting new means of reinventing themselves. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Importance of Name and Identity in African Culture Naming children is a universal practice in all cultures around the world. Since there are different cultures, the way and manner in which the name is given also varies. The principles that guide naming vary from culture to culture. Nneka. And Justina (2016) discusses how in Igbo culture Nigerian names are chosen according to very clear, precise and particular rules. Children can take their names from supreme beings, totems and family trees of their parents, even circumstances occurring when the mother was pregnant can be a factor in determining the name the child will be given, names can also be derived ​Through magic and enchantment, often time, in African culture children are named after a dead relative who is believed to have been reincarnated through the child. Ngozi (2014) further explained that the naming process is in accordance “with the social, linguistic, historical, religious and philosophical norms of the parents' culture. In most cases, especially in African culture, the name presented at birth is one of the many names that a child will be associated with throughout his or her life because in most cases the father, mother, grandfather and many others have a name for the baby. Through adulthood the individual also acquires additional names, often some are the result of achievements in life or in some cases they are given nicknames associated with the individual's personality, social behavior, social class and other different factors . Processes and traditions of naming GivingNneka (2016) explains the assignment of the name as an acquisition of an identity, it is as if the child has undertaken an emblematic relationship with society, society validates the actuality of the individual and takes on the own obligations towards the child during the process of providing a name to the child. the child at birth. A child's name helps create an identity that is different from others; this implies that the society regards the child as a separate entity with different needs and feelings, which helps to separate the needs and feelings of the individual child from all other children in the community, through the different names of the child in the society register and as a child As a result of the different names, his success will exist separate from the success of others. Furthermore, it is not a strange situation to find people that among all their names there is one particular one that is favorite among them and that could be used in the situation in reinventing themselves. One situation is the adoption of nicknames. Ijeoma and Dorcas (2017) explain that “…Changing names is common amongconverts who adopt new religions. Furthermore, it is in covert cases that he suddenly realizes that his surname does not represent his new faith, or that he believes that the given names cannot support or survive with them in recent trends. Therefore they see the need for a name change. This study is exploring the preferences of undergraduate students at Federal Polytechnic Ede towards indigenous names and other categories. This study observes the significance that indigenous names play as a role in the social interaction of undergraduate students at Federal Polytechnic Ede. This can be seen in the explanation of Umera-Okeke and Ezenma-Ohento (2010) who postulate that “…Nigerian languages ​​communicate and transmit the culture of the people from the old generation to the new generation. The impact of language and names on identityLanguage is an important aspect of a culture and plays an important tool in society because it is the tool used in meetings, for socializing, for cohesion and for incorporating the daily activities of society. Therefore indigenous language should be valued as a means to support the uniqueness of different cultures, the main point is that language plays an important role in a culture. Umera-Okeke and Ezenma-Ohento (2010) explain language as a means of encouraging cultural sustainability of an indigenous language in a culture through the use of indigenous names, this was further explained in an example by Umera-Okeke and Justina (2016) “A Yoruba child who answers to Paul, John, Victor and Margret will promote whose culture? In the situation where the name he has is not his native language and therefore in cases like these, it may be necessary for the child, until adolescence, to begin to make an effort to understand the meaning of the names he bears and the situation from which he was born treatment. It is important to give a working explanation to names and an example given by Harder (2008) “names are words that mean special and tangible things, whether living as in the case of a person or an animal, in inanimate forms, as in the case of a place or a concept”. Since the focus of these definitions is humans, the names can be considered withdrawn representations that are used to describe and place humans in their society. Harder (2008) further distinguishes various types of human names. One example was personal names; which are used to designate both male and female in human society, the first names; which are the names given at birth. Last in its classification is the surname which can also be referred to as a surname or surname, the surname denotes a person's family background. He also recognized nicknames and pseudonyms as important categories of names. As stated by McDowell (1981) "nicknaming practices are widely distributed and everywhere adapted to the cultural matrices in which they operate." Aboh (2011) also defines “names as linguistic windows into people and what they do”. He also hypothesizes “…names as the core of our identity. Throughout human history, people have often used names to satisfy certain needs. Names are windows into people and their culture. The names people bear connect them to their past, their culture and even their spirituality. The names people choose for their children and others reflect the relationship between name, identity, and politics. "Conclusion In this study, the act of naming is seen as traditional, as it is done in line with the culture of the parents of the child who is being named. The choice of preference for the child is influenced by whether the naming ceremony is carried out when the bearer of the name is present but cannot make sense of his situation with respect to the name, and from, 4(2),, 12(2), 89-104.