Talk:Okinawan name

Need some sources
I started this article. I put Japanese name in Kanji as 比嘉 栄昇 as common Japanese name separating Family name and given name. This makes people who is not living in Japan find which Kanji represent Family name and given name easily. And the English name is like Eisho Higa in English order (Given name + family name). This is to link the name to other English articles.

As for The ban using Japanese style name (大和めきたる名字の禁止), finding the detail and source was very difficult (even in Japanese). If you have any, please add citation and write more. --Eurodollers (talk) 13:19, 31 January 2008 (UTC)

Others
Suyoshi Nakama —Preceding unsigned comment added by 165.155.110.74 (talk) 19:24, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

I am trying to find out how to spell my name (KIYAN) IN OKINAWAN CHARACTERS. If anyone can help me, I would appreciate it.

Paradiseconnection (talk) 03:11, 3 November 2009 (UTC)


 * Haisai. I'm not sure about Kiyan - was it changed from Kyan in past generations, somehow? Maybe it's a separate name entirely. But in any case, Kyan is a relatively common Okinawan surname. It's written as 喜屋武 in kanji and きゃん in hiragana; Okinawa doesn't have its own characters, and uses the Japanese writing system, including Chinese characters. LordAmeth (talk) 19:03, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Thank you Haisai, I guess when my ancestors came to America, it somehow changed to Kiyabu. I got Kiyan from my uncle (who passed away ). My father is too old to tell me what village we came from. I remember some relatives from the our village, came to visit him when I was a child. I will just keep searching. Thank you again! Barbara —Preceding unsigned comment added by Paradiseconnection (talk • contribs) 22:26, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Some notes
--Nanshu (talk) 07:03, 10 October 2011 (UTC)
 * I expanded the article substantially. Now it also covers name elements other than family names. I would like to rename the article to Okinawan name.
 * I replaced Haneji Chōshū with Tamagusuku Chōkun as an example. I know that Haneji Chōshū is frequently used in literature as an example of Okinawan naming conventions. But I do not think it is a good example because the naming conventions as we know today were still in the process of formation during his lifetime.
 * The scope of the article is personal names of modern-day Okinawa Prefecture. I am aware that the current article is Shuri-centric. I would like to add materials on Miyako and Yaeyama, but currently I have little information on them.
 * Personal names of Amami certainly deserve a separate article. Although Amami shares many cultural elements with Okinawa, naming conventions characteristic of Okinawa were developed independently after the separation of Amami from the Ryukyu Kingdom. So were those of Amami.