If he is in a tight spot, says Trouble Kalua, people mention his name, asking, "What do you expect?" Shortly before his birth in Malawi, his father had lost his job and income. Then the baby nearly died. "This boy is trouble," his father said. "His name is Trouble."

Across Africa names can have a story behind them. Yewande, for instance, is a Yoruba name meaning "mother has paid me a visit", given when an older female relative dies just before a girl is born. Kiptanui may suggest a difficult birth for mothers in Kenya.

But southern Africa stands out for nominative creativity, at least when it comes to English names. Ask Zimbabweans about their school friends and you will hear such a register: Lovemore, Hopewell, Innocence, Patience, Knowledge, Fortune, Brilliant, God Knows. A Malawian (himself Golden) lists friends named Goodfriday, Wisdom, Iron and BoyBoy.

Names reflect power and oppression. Under apartheid (种族隔离) in South Africa many black people took on English names, some under pressure from bosses too lazy to pronounce their real ones; others to avoid standing out in a system designed to rid black people of their history, dignity and identity. In Zimbabwe children were long given African names with meaning. This practice switched after British colonization, when having an English name was seen as a way of getting ahead.

Names may refer to circumstances around the birth, a quality parents see in the child, an ambition for them — or even for the country. Names, and the language they are in, reflect changing times, too. In Zimbabwe, whose economy is collapsing, one comes across people named No Money. In many places African names are replacing English ones.

Possibly names such as Salad Nthenda will become relics. The Malawian, whose mother ate lots of vegetables when pregnant, says his "name felt good from day one". He loves the "uniqueness". Although he is teased at times, he does not give a toss.