Message: "My column on Annika and Anika"

My column on Annika and Anika

by clevelandkentevans

10/9/2022, 10:22 AM

Here's today's column:

https://omaha.com/lifestyles/cleveland-evans-annikas-origins-a-mystery-popularity-is-not/article_562e23e4-441d-11ed-b061-5fe5f615970a.html

I would love to know the origin of the surname Anika now used by some Igbo people from Nigeria. Most people in Africa have surnames adopted within the last few generations, usually taken from the given name of a great-grandfather or other ancestor, but I as of yet haven't been able to find any examples of people with Anika as a first name in Nigeria.

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- ari. +1

10/9/2022, 12:21 PM

Fascinating, thank you! The only Anika I know is Tamil – as this website states, Anika is also an Indian name. Have you encountered many Indian American Anikas in your research?

- clevelandkentevans

10/9/2022, 8:00 PM

No, did not run across any South Asian American examples of Anika, but most of my research was done in records way before the time any substantial number of immigrants from South Asia came to the United States.

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