Creole onomastics

Abstract This article examines naming practices in creole languages and in scholarly discourse, addressing names in and for creole languages. It asks what constitutes a ‘creole name’, how the input languages affect and shape creole onomastics, and when creole serves as a glossonym and when as a class noun for a group of languages. Drawing on examples from diverse creoles, the overview shows that while many names originate from superstrate sources, they often undergo phonological and semantic changes. The discussion of glossonyms highlights how language names operate beyond identification, serving as instruments for categorization and identity construction reflecting both sociohistorical and present conditions. Naming emerges as a constitutive act that shapes linguistic conceptualization. Recognizing this performative dimension is essential for understanding processes of language making and for interrogating assumptions embedded in creole studies.