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[Surname] surnames associated with the Shona in Zimbabwe?
I'm trying to find out about the more common surnames associated with the Shona people, plus their meanings if possible. I've managed to pick up a handful of names that, at least, I believe are common names in Zimbabwe: Marufu, Zimunya, Muzenda, Tendai, and the most common I've found is Moyo. However, I don't know if any of these names are specifically associated with the Shona, or if they're from other cultures in the area.Thank you for any info on the names above and/or any other Shona names you can provide.
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Regarding Moyo: it appears that the name is Shona but some of the name settled among the Ndebele and were assimilated. One explanation of the name is that it is from the Shona word Mwoyo, meaning "heart". Another is that it is some sort of title.I have a few notes on African surnames which include the following snippets on Shona names:
CHIPUNZA a family of the Makoni tribe and one of the royal houses of that tribe.
MANYIKA name of one of the main divisions of the Shona people and a surname.
NANDORO a Shona clan name.
TAKATAFARE means "we are already dead".Browsing around I found the following translations of Shona surnames:
TANGWERAI "why have we been so hated?"
MORONGAZVOMBO "one who carries weapons".
IEKANJIKA "one who cuts across the country".Just passing on information from other sources, and unable to guarantee the reliability of any of it.
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Sorry young but most of your content is wrong in spelling and meaning
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TANGWERAI "why have we been so hated?"That....sounds disturbingly like Tswangirai. And the meaning fits. o.0Well, there are a lot of immigrants here, so it shouldn't be very hard to find some Shona names for me. I'll see if I can get back to you on it. =)
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I can't speak for the Shona, but Moyo is a common surname throughout a large part of South Africa too, among the Zulu especially. Down the East Coast, there were plenty of Moyo's.
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