In the past, after a child was born in southwestern Shandong, adults would give the child a nickname, also called a nickname or a nickname. At that time, there was a general lack of literacy in the rural areas of southwestern Shandong, and most families gave their children names that were so crude that they would make so-called civilized people laugh out loud. Although these names sound inelegant, many of them imply the hopes and sustenance of adults.
In the past, the naming of children in southwestern Shandong mainly had the following characteristics.
1. Giving a nickname means that the child is easy to support. This is similar to many places across the country. In my memory, among the elders in our village who are older than me, there are some named Mavericks and Lambs, and some named Kittens and Puppies. My neighbor's eldest brother's name is Xiaolu. When I was a child, I once asked my mother: Why did the neighbor's uncle give his child such a name? My mother told me: Donkeys have strong skin and are easy to feed. The first two children in your uncle's family died when they were less than one year old. I named your eldest brother this name just in the hope that your eldest brother can support him.
2. Name the child according to the time when the child was born and the child’s characteristics. It is earthy and interesting. Those born on New Year's Eve are called Qiannian, those born in Laba are called Laba, and those born in Wu Gengtou (early morning) are called Wu Geng. After the eldest child of a family in the village was born, his head was accidentally bumped. The child did not cry at all, so his grandfather named him Tietou. After the second son was born, he cried and made noises and was very clingy, so he was named Difficult. The third son also loved to cry and make noises since he was a child, so he was named Naoxiao.
3. Southwestern Shandong is close to the land of saints. There are three types of unfilial piety: having no descendants is the most important thing. Naming children hopes to have more children and grandchildren. There is a family in the village that has been a single generation for several generations, and they really hope that their family will have a prosperous male family. After the first boy was born, he was named Shuan Zhu, the second boy was named He Zhu, the third boy was named Lian Zhu, the fourth boy was named Pull Zhu, and the fifth boy was named Wen Zhu. People in the village said that the reason why this family was able to give birth to five boys in a row after several generations was because the children were named well.
4. I hope that by naming my child, my family’s poverty situation can be changed. In the past, poverty was common in southwestern Shandong, and many families could not afford to have a full meal all year round. Many people suffered from the inability to change this situation, so they placed their hopes on their children, so they named their children such as Shengliang, Youyu, and Mancun.
People in southwestern Shandong have a big taboo when naming their children, that is, they cannot give their children names that are rich or noble. The reason for this is because they think that they are ordinary people from a small family. If they name their child with a rich and powerful name, they will not be able to afford it and will shorten their child's life.
Although people in southwestern Shandong give boys names that are crude and humble and not very elegant, they are more particular about naming girls. Except for some families who name their girls according to the order of Dani, Erni, Sanni, and Sini, most families will name their girls Ying, Yun, Lan, Hua, Duo, Cui, etc., which sounds pretty good. Poetic.
Nowadays, the times have developed, life has become richer, people's education level has generally improved, and naming of children has become more and more particular. Before a child is born, grandparents, parents, and parents will carry dictionaries and think over and over about how to give their children a name that is both elegant and full of beautiful meanings. But the past cannot be forgotten. From the nicknames of the people in southwestern Shandong, we can learn about the history of southwestern Shandong from a side, we can know the sufferings our predecessors have experienced, and we can read the deep nostalgia.