In Igbo culture, praise names and reverential titles are commonly used for both universal forces and members of the community. This practice reflects the belief Igbos have that the divine (uwa mmuo) and mundane (uwa mmadu) are interconnected.
This belief reflects the idea that everyone embodies divinity (Chi) to varying degrees from birth and the more an individual actualizes their divine potential (Akaraka chi), the more reverence they receive through titles and recognition within the community.
There are few praise names reserved exclusively for the supreme creator e.g (Nne)Chukwu Okike, but those ones are not our focus here.
In the essay "Praise Names and Power De/constructions in Contemporary Igbo Chiefship" (2009), Obododimma Oha succinctly captures the tradition of praise names within Igbo culture.
‘‘It is not only human beings that are given praise names. Communities, the supernatural, and even animals, are sometimes given praise names. With respect to communities, praise-naming is often used in constructing the pride of their identities, in fact for patriotic reasons. In the case of the praise-naming of the supernatural, it is a rhetorical means of gaining the favour or enlisting the support of the being in question, like in the case of several praise names given to God in Jewish religious tradition.
Many personal names given to or taken by people, as their identities, may be praise-oriented, and the praise may be directed to either the supernatural, the bearer, or the giver of such a name, for example parents.’’
In the same essay, Obododimma Oha distinguishes between praise names used in different contexts, such as ‘Aha Echichi’, ‘Aha Ntutu’, and ‘Aha Otito’, which are relevant to this discussion.
‘aha otito (praise names), which are additional names taken by or given to individuals, either in backing up the traditional titles they have taken or in testifying to their competence in various vocations such as hunting, herbal healing, artistic productions, etc. There is a slight difference between aha ntutu (sobriquet used in greeting) and aha otito (praise name), just as there is a difference between aha echichi (title name), aha ntutu, and aha otito. Aha ntutu may be praise-oriented, in other words, it may also be aha na-enye otito (a name that praises), or a name that generally teaches a philosophy of life without any tickling of the ego. Every adult in the Igbo society normally chooses aha ntutu with which people greet him or her. Most of the time, it is the person’s age grade that asks the person to provide such a name, especially because within the context of the age grade, individuals discursively try to reconstruct their social identities with their abilities and philosophies. Also, in performances (dance, masquerading, wrestling, etc), the identities featured in the aha ntutu are particularly engaged in moving action. It tends to indicate how in the Igbo society attempts are made to harness the philosophies and perceptions of individuals, and to identify these philosophies and perceptions as people in social action. People who are unable to provide aha ntutu for themselves are normally regarded in their groups as being incapable of reflecting on life and perceiving their roles in life.’
In Igbo communities, it’s common for the praise names listed below to be given to people who have earned it as well. This practice stems from that belief that each person embodies divinity to different extents.
Some members of the society are even believed in some cases to be direct (re)incarnations of deities or cosmic forces.
50 Igbo Praise Names for Honoring Divinity:
Áchálá/Áchárá Úgó: Perennial tropical grass (Elephant grass) that attracts the Eagle | One who attracts good things | Majestic being that can summon another majestic being.
Ágbánwé Ágbánwé: Unchanging one | Unshakeable being | Reliable one | Consistent with results.
Ágbátáóbī nwá ógbényé: The friend of the poor.
Ágụ́bátá ọ́hị́á, mgbádá áwárá ọ́sọ́: The Leopard that arrives into the forest and causes the deer to flee | One to be feared | Mighty being.
Ágụ́ néché mbá: The leopard that watches over or guards the community | Protector.
Ágụ́ jí égbé: The leopard that holds a gun or weapon | Warrior.
Áká jí mbá: The hand that holds the community | Provider.
Áká ná-ágwọ́ ọ́rị́á: The hand that cures illness or disease | Healer.
Ákwá Ákwụ́rụ́: Infallible egg | Unmovable being | Unshakable force.
Ámá ámá Ámásị̀ Ámásị̀: All knowing one | Omniscient being.
Ámụ́má Mmírí: The divine mind of water | Prophetic gift of water | Seer | All knowing and seeing being.
Ánụ́ á ná-ágbá égbé ọ́ ná-átá nní: The animal that continues to eat food while it is being shot at | One who fears no one but should be feared instead | Mighty one that prevails despite attempts by others to hurt them.
Ányánwụ́ Ụ́tụ́tụ́: Morning sun | Morning star | Light of the world | Shining star.
Chí ájọ́ mmụ́ọ́ hụ́rụ́ wárá ọ́sọ́: The force that evil spirits saw and ran away | One who chases away evil spirits.
Ébíghéébí Élígwé: The everlasting being of heaven | One who lives in the heavens | One who lives in higher dimensions.
Ébúbé Díké: Glorious warrior | Glorious hero | One who overcomes with strength and brings glory.
Éjídé/Échétá óbī ésíké: The one who gives of confidence when remembered | Giver of hope.
Ékwúémé: One who does what they say | One who speaks and does as they have said | Trustworthy and Reliable being.
Íké ká Íké: Power that is greater than power | A force greater than other forces.
Íké mérírí ọ́nwụ́: The power that defeats death.
Íkúkú ámá ná ọ́nyá: Air that can never be caught by a trap | The wind that cannot be trapped | Untouchable force | Wind that does not blow in vain.
Ísí íyí nké ndụ́: The stream of life | Fountain of life | River that gives life.
Mmírí dị́ Égwú: Powerful force of water | Mighty force to be feared | Mighty waters.
Mmụ́ọ́ ná-érí Mmụ́ọ́: Spirit that eats other spirits | Powerful force greater than all forces.
Mmụ́ọ́ ká Mmụ́ọ́: Spirit greater than spirits | A mighty force.
Ọ́ bátá Ọ́ bíé: One whose presence ends every pain or misfortune | One whose presence puts an end to troubles | One whose arrival brings peace.
Ọ́ bátá ụ́lọ́ á dí mmá: One who comes to a home and everything becomes good | Bringer of favor or good fortune.
Ọ́ gbájírí ígwé kpọ́ yá nkụ́: One that breaks irons and calls it wood | One that breaks metal like firewood | A force that puts an end to hard things with ease.
Ódógwū Ákátáká: Fearless warrior | the One that is stronger than the strongest.
Ọ́gárányá Ngádángá: The wealthiest of all | The richest one that there is | One who produces wealth like it’s nothing.
Ọ́ gbárá nkị̀tị́ ókwú júrú ọ́nụ́: The silent one who keeps quiet but has a mouth full of words | One that has so much to say but decides to keep quiet | Powerful force that can do and undo as it likes.
Ójéná Mmụ́ọ́: One that walks in the spirit realm | A force that moves in spirit.
Ójémbá: The traveler | One who goes to and fro wherever they like | A force that moves freely without boundaries.
Ójí nkátá ékú mmírí: One that uses a basket to fetch water | One who carries water in a basket | A being that can do the impossible with ease.
Ọ́ kárị́rị́ íhé ásị́ ná ọ́ bụ́: A force that is greater than what people call it | Unfathomable being.
Ókéchí: Mighty force | A great god.
Óké mmírí ná-ébú ógwé: Great water that carries fearful storms | Mighty water that destroys anything that stands in its way.
Óké ósísí ná-ényé ndụ́: The great tree that gives life | The mighty tree that gives protection | The mighty tree of life.
Ọ́kụ́ ná-éré éré: Consuming fire | Unquenchable fire.
Ó lóró íhé lóró ényí: The one that swallows the thing that swallowed an elephant | A mighty force bigger than all things | A gigantic being.
Ó kwúsịá ọ́ gwụ́: One who has the final say | The force that speaks and puts an end to all matters.
Ómémmá: One who does good | Bestower of blessings.
Ómélụ́ ọ́rá: One who does everything good for the community | A kindhearted caretaker.
Ómé Ọ́káchíé: One who does and seals the thing they did with excellence | One who completes whatever they start | One who does something and does it with the maximum amount of force.
Ómé Údó: The peacemaker | Bringer of peace.
Óké/Nnúkwú mmánwụ́ ná-étí ónwé yá: The masquerade that flaunt itself | A masquerade that moves on its own or functions alone.
Óshímmírí (Átáátá): Mighty waters | The river that never runs dry | Bottomless sea.
Ọ́sụ́ ọ́fị́́á úkwú: The one who clears a mighty forest | The force who mysteriously solves problems.
Ótú áká ná-érú mbá: The hand that sustains a people or community | The hand that reaches the whole earth | The hand that provides for everyone.
Úgwú nyị́rị́ ónyé ọ́sọ́: The moutain that cannot be climbed.
Úgwú á ná-árị́́á átụ́ égwú: The mountain that when your climbing it, you become afraid | A terrible force.
Ụ́tá gbáwárá ílí: The arrow that can break the tomb or grave.
Those are the 50 (+2 bonus) praise names we've highlighted for you. In Igbo worldview, it is believed that what we acknowledge consciously, and with much energy, manifests itself.
Humans (Mmadu) and Spirits (Mmuo) coexist, reverence expressed in names is a way to acknowledge the divinity around us.
I trust that you found this insightful. Leave a comment below and share any other Igbo praise names you know, along with their meanings.
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