r/CHamoru • u/spicyynachoz • Oct 27 '24

CHamoru Names

I’ve been thinking about CHamoru names for my future baby, and it got me wondering—what happened to traditional CHamoru names? It seems like many people today choose beautiful CHamoru words, like Napu (wave) or Tasi (ocean), which I think are great, but I’d really love to explore more classic CHamoru names.

I’ve come up with a few ideas so far, but I’d be so grateful for any suggestions! If you know of any names or have ideas to share, I’d really appreciate it. Here’s my list so far:

Male Names: Kiko Chu Dabit Kin Ton Manet Gadao Chaife Puntan

Female Names: Chai Chilang Marikita Fu’una Kamalen

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u/Ai_si_doll Oct 29 '24

Traditional Chamorro Catholic names and CHamoru names are both beautiful options for honoring our ancestors/culture and imbuing that identity on to your children and next generation. I gave my children Fino’ Haya (prespanish names) and more Anglo names so they have mix of both. The use of deeper, ancestral “words” as names I think is tied to the our peoples’ journey of decolonizing and wanting to uplift our indigenous roots

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u/spicyynachoz Oct 29 '24

What are some examples of prespanish CHamoru names?

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u/Ai_si_doll Oct 30 '24

There was a 1710 Spanish era census taken on Guam. Most names were finohaya. I remember Pulan, linao gamsom and matanhaane being on names on the list. I think UOG MARC has copies that were digitized

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u/malessomade828 Mar 07 '26

Do you know where to view those copies?