What’s In A (Twitter) Name?

Much Thought & Hella Creativity, Of Course.

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There are many stereotypes about Black folk floating around in this world. A penchant for fried chicken and a God given ability to kill it on the dance floor are among the more popular ones. But one most definitely rooted in fact is that when it comes to names, we are one hella creative bunch. Naming ourselves, naming our children, shoot, even naming our cars is almost never a meaningless, throwaway exercise. Much thought and effort is employed when the need to call a thing something arises.

Our government names span the range from parental mashups (mom is Latasha, Dad is Jason so daughter is Ja’tasha) and odes to the culture (Imani, Winston, Hadiiya) to brands we love (Armani, Hennessy, Chanel) and cities we’ve visited or would like to (Paris, Morocco, Brooklyn). And if, in the name of the ability to land a well-paying 9-5 in the future, restraint is shown when naming our children, you’d best believe that nicknames are where we ball ALL the way out. West Indian folk in particular have got the nickname game pon lock! From the physically descriptive (Chinee, Fatboy, Ole Lady) to the downright head scratching (in my family alone Adriana is Lynette, Patricia is Pammie and Vivian is Aday – because Caribbean).

With the advent of social media we of course apply this creativity to our handles and display names as well. Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat. Folks are showing out with their handles all across the web. My fav spot for clever names and wordplay is Twitter. Black Twitter to be specific. Much has been written about Black Twitter. The conversations, the threads, the companies peeking in trying to get a heads up on the newest trends. For all the talk and drama and sometimes downright hostility that surrounds Black Twitter it’s one of my favorite places on the internet. If you curate your circle right, your timeline will be blessed with some of the funniest, smartest, and most interesting people around. It is a well of  information and education as well as social and career opportunities you may never had had access to previously.

But even before you delve into the threads, gifs and clapbacks, peoples’ display names are enjoyable all on their own as they are ripe with snark, humor and wit. Who would of thought that a mere 20 characters could contain such gold? And the goodness only got better when Twitter expanded the display name character limit to 50. I’ve been so tickled that I started collecting my favs in my notes app. Below are a few that deserve some shine:

Peardrax Papi

Cerasee Lannister

Anika Punani Rose

DJ Slewdem

Oxtail Gawd

Haitienne Amanpur

Bumbothot

12 Years a Jamaican

Malcolm VeX

Oxtail Run Out

Bully Beef Bandit

Haitian Derulo

Lost Bully Beef Key

Al Woker

Elle Elle Cool Bae

Bell Biv D’Heux

Brokely Carmichael

Wokely Carmichael

Fab Five Petty

Amerigo Veshoochie

Memphis Bleak

Dr. Cornell Fresh

Harriet Thugman

Side Eye Spicer

Zora Neal Hurtsome

Zora Neal Hu$tlin

Sandra Bae O’Conner

ScamberRose

BaeHard Thurston

Sean John Luc Picard

Ally McReal

Khal DragHoe

Sophia PatrillHeaux

Ororo MonHeaux

Ace VenTurnUp

Tequila Mockingbird

Side Ho Bob

Wikipedia Brown

Cruella DeTrille

M’Baddie

M’Bakus’ Fur

Heart-Shaped-Herb-Riddim.mp3

Mary N’Kia River Tribe for Life

Vibranium Gyal

From Wakanda w/Love

Killmonger (His Time Will Come)

Lost Son of Wakanda

Killmonger’s Cousin from SAC

Wakandan Tech Support

I Never Freeze

Wakandan Librarian

T’Challa Back Youngin

Hey Auntie

What are your fav Black Twitter handles?