Name Post: The List

As you can probably tell from my recent posts, I’ve been trying to make as much headway as I can learning about naming in Morocco before my second round of visitors arrive later this month. My name posts are outnumbering my general life posts lately because if I wrote what I’d been up to it would mainly consist of the not-so-thrilling details of time spent grocery shopping, e-mailing future contacts and catching up on bad American television. Thanks largely to the fact that I am settled into my Rabat apartment and have a slew of wonderful contacts to call on, getting into the research side of things here has proved to be far easier than it was in Indonesia or India. In the past week I’ve had several lunch dates full of naming conversations, was a guest speaker at a high school about my research (more on that later), and have sought the help of a few new friends to do some translation work. All in all, while I've become entirely comfortable with the fact that this year is about many different forms of learning, it’s also nice to feel productive in an academic sense once in a while and have copious notes to prove it. In every country I go to this year I know I won’t be able to have the same kind of contacts or set up with which to work from, but I’m trying to take advantage of all that’s working in my favor while I can.

Hello Rabat.

One research jackpot of the past week was this list. To be honest, neither the person who gave me this list nor I have any idea exactly where it’s from or even how she got a hold of it. I was reluctant to share it just because I have no context for it and because of that, I can’t say that it’s an official document. I’m not sure if this is all the names that were sent to a particular regional committee during a certain time, or only names whose decisions were petitioned. Regardless, I find it quite interesting to go through and see what names were approved and what names were rejected (or, perhaps most interesting of all, what suggestions the government made in order to create a name that would be accepted). I do know the list spans across the years 2004-2007 (given the recent changes in policy, specifically regarding Amazigh names, obviously the outcomes might be different today). Most of the document is in Arabic, but based on what I remember from the translations of a friend, here is a simplified version I typed up:

Name	Decision	Year
Astor Francois	Rejected	2006
Bahrouin	Rejected	2005
Chayna	Rejected	2005
Chynes	Rejected	2005
Dylan	Rejected	2005
Hallya	Accepted	2005
Ikram Tamazight	Rejected; Suggested “Ikram”	2006
Inara	Accepted	2006
Jaid	Accepted	2006
Janet	Rejected	2006
Joud	Accepted	2005
Layana	Accepted	2005
Laytana	Rejected	2005
Linda	Rejected	2005
Loula	Rejected	2005
Magdoul	Accepted	2005
Maissane	Accepted	2006
Maksen	Rejected	2005
Masin Elian	Rejected	2005
Milena	Rejected	2005
Nourjane	Accepted	2005
Nyveen	Rejected	2005
Omaya	Accepted	2006
Rachele	Rejected	2006
Rafel	Rejected	2005
Rayana	Accepted	2006
Romaissa	Accepted	2005
Safir	Accepted	2005
Shahinaz	Accepted	2005
Sidra	Accepted	2005
Tim	Rejected	2006
Vanessa	Rejected; Suggested “Anisa”	2006
Wahib	Accepted	2006
Wissam	Accepted	2006
Youla	Rejected	2005
Zacharia	Rejected	2006
Zoe	Rejected	2005
Alae	Accepted	2004
Iptissam Ptissam	Rejected; suggested just “Iptissam”	2007
Pierre Faaris	Rejected; suggested “Faaris”	2006
Adam	Accepted	2004
Akrane-Idine	Accepted	2007
Yzaia	Accepted	2006
Aslam	Accepted	2005
Aanouz	Accepted	2005
Afane	Accepted	2006
Iguidir	Rejected	2006
Alissa	Rejected; suggested “Anisa”	2006
Ema	Rejected	2005
Imdad	Accepted	2007
Amarin	Accepted	2005
Amaline	Accepted	2007
Amir	Accepted	2006
Amelia	Accepted	2006
Anais	Accepted	2005
Anir	Accepted	2004
Aous	Accepted	2007
Onisa	Accepted	2005
Ouweys	Accepted	2006
Aissar	Accepted	2007
Ilaf	Accepted	2005
Betil	Rejected; Suggested “Batul”	2005
Badis	Accepted	2007
Benyebka	Rejected	2007
Tara	Accepted	2007
Tasmine	Accepted	2007
Tayssir	Accepted	2007
Tifawt	Accepted	2007
Tifa	Accepted	2007
Tawa	Accepted	2006
Jed	Accepted	2005
Jassim	Accepted	2007
Jibrail	Accepted	2004
Jaubeir	Accepted	2007
Jassir	Rejected	2006
Jaloua	Accepted	2005
Jounada	Accepted	2005
Janallal	Rejected	2004
Jinane	Accepted	2007
Janna	Accepted	2007
Joudia	Accepted	2007
Jouwairiya	Accepted	2005
Jeremy	Rejected	2007
Jailys	Rejected	2005
Jihane	Accepted	2004
Houmima	Accepted	2007
Khelian	Rejected	2005
Dalia	Accepted	2005
Dana	Accepted	2005
Dania	Rejected	2007
Djora	Accepted	2005
Douria	Accepted	2007
Douae	Accepted	2004
Douniel	Accepted	2005
Dyran	Accepted	2005
Racha	Accepted	2004
Rakane	Rejected	2005
Ralis	Accepted	2007
Rane	Accepted	2005
Rayn	Accepted	2007
Rita	Rejected	2005
Ritaje	Accepted	2005
Rahile	Accepted	2007
Razane	Accepted	2005
Rocham	Rejected	2006
Riham	Accepted	2004
Rostane Wissen	Rejected	2004
Roman	Rejected	2005
Rayan	Accepted	2004
Zinnira	Accepted	2005
Ziya	Accepted	2005
Zizi	Rejected	2005
Sara	Accepted	2004
Sania	Accepted	2007
Sajida	Rejected	2007
Sirine	Accepted	2005
Soulafa	Accepted	2005
Solwen	Accepted	2007
Salena	Accepted	2005
Sinan	Accepted	2004
Sondosse	Accepted	2004
Sania	Accepted	2007
Siwar	Accepted	2005
Susane	Rejected	2007
Sira	Accepted	2005
Celya	Accepted	2005
Cenda	Rejected	2005
Sinimane	Accepted	2007
Chadine	Rejected	2005
Shahine	Accepted	2006
Chainda	Rejected	2005
Sheaze	Rejected	2004
Chahd	Accepted	2006
Chahla	Rejected	2007
Cheryne	Accepted	2005
Sherihane	Accepted	2006
Sabrine	Accepted	2004
Safora	Accepted	2005
Salena	Accepted	2006
Sahra Isabelle	Rejected	2005
Sakhr	Accepted	2005
Sohaib	Accepted	2007
Sorine	Accepted	2007
Sofia	Accepted	2004
Sohane	Accepted	2007
Abdelhanin	Accepted	2004
Abdesettirre	Rejected	2005
Itab	Accepted	2006
Asli	Accepted	2005
Ilian	Accepted	2005
Ghandi	Accepted	2005
Ghofrane	Accepted	2006
Fady	Accepted	2007
Farabe	Rejected	2005
Kossay	Accepted	2007
Camelia	Accepted	2005
Kenzo	Accepted	2007
Keyane	Accepted	2004
Laala	Accepted	2004
Lamees	Accepted	2007
Lahim	Accepted	2007
Loumedia	Accepted	2004
Louniss	Accepted	2007
Lea	Rejected; Suggested “Layla”	2007
Lea Mariane	Rejected	2006
Lydia	Accepted	2007
Laysa	Rejected; Suggested” Layla”	2005
Lyssa	Accepted	2004
Lilia	Rejected	2005
Lyamine	Accepted	2006
Line	Accepted	2006
Marina	Rejected	2006
Mazine	Accepted	2005
Mazilia	Rejected	2006
Almasse Islam	Accepted	2005
Massine	Accepted	2005
Masinissa	Accepted	2004
Mahelle	Accepted	2005
Awia	Accepted	2005
May	Rejected	2007
Madghis	Accepted	2006
Marame	Accepted	2007
Marwa	Accepted	2004
Malak Rouhi	Accepted	2004
Melissa	Accepted	2005
Melina	Accepted	2007
Manar	Accepted	2004
Manaf	Accepted	2007
Mahal	Accepted	2004
Mahinar	Rejected	2005
Mikael	Accepted	2007
Mira	Accepted	2005
Maysara	Accepted	2006
Maissam	Accepted	2005
Maysoun	Accepted	2004
Neisa	Accepted	2007
Naila	Accepted	2004
Nadine Yossra	Accepted	2007
Nadine	Accepted	2007
Nassia	Accepted	2005
Nabil Juba	Accepted	2005
Nidhal	Accepted	2007
Noam Jibril	Accepted	2007
Noham	Accepted	2005
Nelia	Rejected	2006
Nehame	Accepted	2006
Noha-Meiss	Accepted	2005
Noradan	Accepted	2007
Norman	Rejected	2006
Nouri	Accepted	2005
Noriane	Accepted	2007
Numidia	Accepted	2007
Ninia	Accepted	2004
Hanae Joudiya	Accepted	2007
Haissam	Accepted	2007
Widiane	Accepted	2007
Wadir	Accepted	2005
Waris	Rejected	2007
Wacil	Accepted	2005
Ouiaae	Rejected	2005
Yara	Rejected	2005
Yamin	Accepted	2006
Eliane	Rejected	2004
Yani	Rejected	2004
Yanis	Accepted	2004
El Yassae	Accepted	2004
Alisha	Accepted	2004
Yuba	Accepted	2005
Menen	Rejected	2007
Rymade	Accepted	2007
Iwane	Accepted	2007
Sabri	Accepted	2007
Noe	Accepted	2007

It’s really hard to analyze this list without a context and I think it raises more questions than it answers. I do think it’s interesting to see though and to note the tiny differences in letters that controlled whether this particular committee accepted these names or not; Rachele is rejected, Racha is accepted. Layana is accepted, Laytana is not, Dana is accepted, Dania is not. The very western-sounding (to my ears) Lydia, Adam and Amelia are accepted, but Marina, Zoe and Jeremy are not.

To someone who grew up in a place where people have complete freedom in naming (and often in fact, use creative spellings to make their children’s names unique), the one-letter difference between “Dana” and Dania” seems ridiculous to try to control. It would be as if “Caitlin” was a legal name in the U.S. but “Kaitlin” was not. It’s also a reminder to me though that the difference between “Dana” and “Dania” might be huge to someone who has a much better knowledge of The Qur’an than I do, or of Moroccan history, or of the different ethnic identities within this country. As I am reminded consistently throughout this year, I am only at the tip of the iceberg in trying to understand what the legal, cultural and historical ramifications of these names across nations are.

I talked to a lot of Moroccan students this week as we tried to guess why a government might choose to have these restrictions; or, conversely, why a country like the U.S. would not. Framing these legalities within a specific place, culture and history, is a reminder that the difference between “Dana” and “Dania” may not be one to laugh off. To state the obvious, Morocco is a place that's had to fight for itself quite a bit. And framed within a history of colonization and along with that, a lot of racism and violence, the difference between the (traditionally) French “Lea” (rejected) and the (traditionally) Arab “Layla” (accepted) becomes much greater than just three letters.

Most of all after reading this list, I'm just left with the desire to meet the Moroccan couple who really wanted to name their son "Norman." Now that's a story I'd like to hear.