In the latest installment of Tales From TikTok, @roro_inthecity had fans in stitches with his rundown of the most popular Jamaican girl names in his video posted April 19.
Roro, a Jamaican himself, started off the list with Sherry-Ann and Shelley-Ann at number 10, humorously pointing out how every Jamaican seems to know someone with these names. Nadine claimed the ninth spot, with Roro joking that every Jamaican has a cousin named Nadine. Jessica and Rebecca took eighth place, and the TikTok star comically insisted on exaggerating the “a” sound at the end of each name to get the pronunciation right.
Maxine, Paulette, Pauline, Winsome, and Prim followed in seventh, sixth, and fifth place, respectively. Roro playfully noted that these names are commonly associated with aunties and grandmas in Jamaica, adding to the humor. Marcia secured fourth place, while Suzette claimed the third spot. According to the influencer, any Jamaican girl named Suzette is automatically a great cook. Petta-Gay and Kerri-Ann took second and first place, respectively, with Roro humorously arguing that having the latter name ensures your Jamaican “card is never revoked.”
Social media users react.
In the comments section, Jamaican social media users shared that the list was spot-on, with one netizen jokingly acknowledging that “half” of their family members’ names were mentioned on it.
“No way! You just mentioned my mom, auntie, and grandma’s names in the video,” wrote another user.
A third person commented, “My name is Kerry-Ann, and my sister is Nadine. I also have an aunt named Winsome. We’re born and raised in Jamaica.”
Some users pointed out that a couple of other popular Jamaican girl names, such as “Sonia” and “Sharon,” were missing from the list.
According to data from Forebears, several of the names mentioned by Roro are indeed popular among Jamaican women. Analyzing the incident and frequency of each name, the outlet found that Marcia topped the list with 11,421 occurrences, translating to a frequency of one in every 252. Following closely behind, Pauline secured the second spot with 10,196 instances, equivalent to a frequency of one in 282. Paulette claimed third place (7,069, 1:408), and Winsome followed in fourth ( 4,799, 1:601). Interestingly, despite not being mentioned in the initial list, Sharon also had a high frequency of 10,869, rounding out to 1: 265.
Where do Jamaican names come from?
Many Jamaican names, as highlighted by Family Education, trace their roots to Irish, English, and Spanish origins, reflecting the island’s history of colonization from the 1400s to the 1600s. Initially inhabited by the indigenous Taíno people, Jamaica saw its population decimated by European diseases and enslavement after Christopher Columbus’ arrival in 1494, as noted by the Embassy of Jamaica.
From 1494 to 1655, the island was under Spanish rule, with enslaved Africans brought from West Africa to work in gold mining and agriculture, facing harsh conditions and high mortality rates. In 1655, Jamaica was seized by the English from the Spanish, marking the start of British rule until 1838. During this period, Jamaica became pivotal in the Atlantic slave trade, with enslaved Africans forcibly brought to cultivate sugar, coffee, and other crops, enriching British plantation owners.
Naming practices during slavery underscored a system of dehumanization and control, as observed by the Jamaican Slave Names Project. Some were named after their owners or assigned derogatory nicknames, erasing their cultural identities. Male slaves frequently adopted British place names or diminutive versions of British names in everyday use (e.g., Bess for Elizabeth, Will for William).
Despite these practices, many enslaved individuals maintained cultural connections through unofficial names within their communities. Evidence from the Jamaican Slave Names Project database revealed names rooted in the West African Akan-Twi language group, often associated with birth on specific days of the week, such as Cudjoe, Cubbenah, Quaco and Quao.
What do you think of this latest edition of Tales From TikTok? Did you hear your name or any of your loved ones’ names mentioned on the list?
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