Mohawk Names

These names are used by the Mohawk (Kanienkehaka) people of New York, Ontario and Quebec. Mohawk children are traditionally given a name that is unique to their community, and it is not reused while the bearer is alive. It is considered inappropriate for outsiders to use these names.
gender
usage
Kaniehtiio f Mohawk
Means "she is good snow" in Mohawk, from ka- "she", óniehte "snow" and the suffix -iio "good".
Kawisenhawe f Mohawk
Means "she holds the ice" in Mohawk, from ka- "she", ówise "ice" and -hawe "hold, have".
Odeserundiye m Mohawk
Possibly means "lightning has struck" in Mohawk. This was the name of an 18th-century Mohawk chief, also called John Deseronto.
Tekakwitha f Mohawk
Means "she who bumps into things" or "she who puts things in place" in Mohawk. Tekakwitha, also named Kateri, was a 17th-century Mohawk woman who has become the first Native American Catholic saint.