Re: surnames associated with the Shona in Zimbabwe?
by Jim Young (guest)
9/8/2009, 12:06 PM
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.