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West African European Last Name?

thestreets

jesus is a messy heaux
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Okay so I was bored and decided to search the meaning behind my last name. So I search it but and all I get are European based searches. So I do a little more digging and I find out that my last name is Italian. That makes no sense to me because I am West African born and raised. I have my father's last name who is Togolese so that means that he should have an African last name. I mean it would only make sense. I also looked up countries that Italy has colonizing and they did not touch anywhere in West Africa at all; they only colonized some East African countries. Togo speaks French but most of not all Togolese people have West African last names. I'm confused. Maybe someone can help me out as to why is that. By the why my last name is Broccole (pronounce broccoli).
 

Baguette

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Either colonial admixture, coincidence, or missionary conversion. Colonial admixture isn't that common in most of Africa though so we can probably exclude that. that leaves either conversion or coincidence. My bet is on coincidence since it's "foreign-ness" isn't immediately apparent. My name for example exists in three different cultures on 2 different continents with 3 different meanings so I wouldn't take it too literally.
 
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MargaeryTyrell

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Some Africans took a European last name in order to succeed in colonial life. The best jobs and opportunities were given to those with European surnames first. Having a native surname could be a disadvantage sometimes. I don't know if this was a thing in Togo but some colonies had 'civilisation tests' for natives which usually meant converting to Christianity, speaking European languages and changing your surname or having a colonists pick one for you. If you followed these rules you would be given a civilisation ID card as proof that you're no longer a 'savage'. Which meant you could enter and live in the capital city.
 

KeiraNyongo

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Most West African languages do not have a written alphabet, so there is bound to be some overlap when you use European alphabets to write African names. I have the same issue. Because a European alphabet is used to write our family last name, we've ended up with a name that looks Nordic. However, we are definitely NOT Nordic. My father's tribe has a very strong oral history and we know the exact origins of our name. It is a combination of two words from our language due to something heroic one of my ancestors did.

And then you have other cases in which West Africans took up European names during the colonial era to get ahead. In those cases, it is very clear but the names from the country that directly colonized them.

In your case OP, it is simply a case of overlap when you use a European alphabet to write an African name because Italy did not have a colony in West Africa.
 

Shaneyahoo

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Yeah change your last name if you can, there is something inherently not only sad, but honestly shameful in a way if you have a european last name whilst never leaving the land of your ancestors, thats cucked
 

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