The Given Name “Bornface”

Jonathan in Fall River, Wisconsin, says when he worked in Zambia he met many people named Bornface, supposedly because they were born face-up. In The African Book of Names, Ashkari Johnson Hodari explains that it’s common throughout sub-Saharan Africa to name individuals with reference to conditions or events happening at the time of their birth, such as a wedding, a period of grief, conflict with another group, the baby’s birthing position, and other things. This is part of a complete episode.