It's All in a Name

Understanding the naming conventions of non-European cultures is important for an investigator or anyone wishing to certainly and correctly identify people in our diverse country. The following column information is an attempt to assist the reader in correctly applying the conventions of uniquely ethnic names so identification is possible. This article should not be interpreted as indicating any unusual prevalence of any specific ethnic group toward unlawful or immoral activities, since no such intention exists. In coming issues of The John Cooke Fraud Report, we will explore the mysteries of the naming practices of many ethnic cultures. In this issue, we look at the various naming traditions of Iran.

In our July/August 1994 issue, we addressed the subject of Middle Eastern names. The focus of that article was on the naming traditions of the Arabic speaking countries. Although Farsi (also known as Parsi or Persian) was mentioned, it was not discussed in depth. In this issue, we will concentrate on Iran.

Iran is a relatively large Middle Eastern country -- slightly larger than the American state of Alaska. Though it is located in the Middle East, Iran has quite a lot in common with European culture. The original inhabitants of Iran were Indo-Europeans, or Aryans, and the linguistic roots of Farsi are the same as the roots of English, German, Spanish, Latin, French, etc. Over the years, there has been a large cultural influence brought about by Iran's proximity to the Arabic cultures, but linguists still consider Farsi an Indo-European language.

Today, a little more than half of the approximately 60,000 inhabitants of Iran speak Farsi or a Farsi dialect. Another one-quarter speak Turkic and Turkic dialects. The remainder speak Kurdish, Arabic, Turkish or a similar language. Literacy is high: approximately 64 percent of males and 43 percent of females over the age of 15 are able to read and write. All schools in Iran teach in Farsi.

Religion plays a large part in daily Iranian life. The ancient Aryan people were Zoroastrians, practicing a monotheistic religion based on the teachings of Zarathushtra. Many of the teachings of modern Christianity are very similar to Zoroastrianism. This religion thrived in Iran for thousands of years until the Arab invasion of approximately 600 CE. Today, the majority of the population (91 percent) is Shi'a Muslim. Seven percent are
Sunni Muslim, and one percent are Baha'i.

Until recently, the Iranian people did not use family names. The naming traditions were more like the traditional Arabic names in that they reflected the names of the child's ancestors. Approximately 50 years ago, when the elder Shah was in power, it was decided that all families would choose a family name. Many chose names relating to the town in which they lived: Isfahani (from the town of Isfahan), Rafsanjani (from the town of Rafsanjan) or Shirazi (from the town of Shiraz). Others chose names that reflected their occupations: Kolahdouz (hatmaker) or Hakimi (doctor). Still others chose names that continued to indicate their heritage, combining an ancestor's name with -zadeh, a word meaning "borne of": Afsarzadeh, Bagherzadeh, Sharifzadeh. Typical family names may include Ahmadian, Ardebili, Bahram, Barforoush, Borhan, Daahi, Danai, Dehdashty, Ebrahimi, Esfandiari, Farrahi, Fathi, Fazollahi, Hakam, Hameed, Hashemi, Kahangi, Kamali, Khoshidi, Mehdiabadi, Mehraz, Moslehi, Nabavi, Negahban, Pakdaman, Pakdel, Pourheidari, Razizadeh, Razmara, Razavi, Roushanaee, Saadat, Samii, Sarrafzaadeh, Shahidi, Shahamatdoost, Sirjani, Taghavi, Tassoudji, Vahdani, Vehrahrami, Yadegari, Yaghmaie, Zahabi and Zamanian.

Children in Iran generally receive a first and last name. The first name is the personal name; it can be derived either from the ancient Persian names or from Arabic. (Note: Currently, there is an official list of names that are sanctioned by the Iranian government. Iranian parents are to use the names on the list to name their children.) The first son will often be given his father's or grandfather's name. Typical male Iranian names in-
clude Ahmad, Amir, Behrouz, Farhad, Hassan, Hossein, Hormoz, Kourosh, Mammad, Mahmoud, Massoud, Nassir and Reza, as well as names of the prophets, such as Mohammad or Ali, . Families will also try to name their successive children in such a way that the names sound good together, ie. all names beginning with the same sound or ending with the same combination of sounds. Or perhaps all will receive a particular third name, such as Reza Mohammad, Reza Ali, Reza Amir. Sometimes a third, religious name will also be given, usually of Arabic origin. And often, even if there is no official religious name, one will be given unoffi-cially.

Women's first names are often chosen for their beauty. These include the names of flowers and plants or names that simply sound pretty. Some typical Iranian girl's names are Dina, Elaheh, Fariba, Farida, Fatemah, Mahnaz, Mariella, Maryam, Naomeh, Parveen, Shafiqah, Shahrokh, Shahrzad, Shireen, Shokofeh, and Yasmin. Iranian women retain their family names throughout their lives. They do not change their names to conform to their husband's name; they maintain their birth name even after marriage. Some who emigrate to other cultures may adopt the ways of the new country, but it is not very common.

The child's last name is the same as his father's. This last name is very important because it can show heritage, background and family tree. If an Iranian man is asked, "Who are you?" he will usually answer with his last name.

When a child is born, an official document is issued. This document then serves to identify the person for the rest of his or her life. Events that occur, such as marriages or the birth of children, are recorded in this document. The document, known as a shenas nameh, is required to be presented for any official transaction. Driver's licenses, passports, visas, etc., are not issued without this piece of identification. The name listed in the document is the official name that will be used on the passport, so Iranians are generally not able to use false names to obtain documents.

On the other hand, the individual's name is written in the book in Farsi/Arabic script, which then must be transliterated into the alphabet used in the other countries the individual might visit or emigrate to. And this is where things might get a bit more sticky. What is pronounced one way in one country might be pronounced differently in another. Therefore, where the name is transliterated, as well as the linguistic background of the person doing the transliteration, plays a large part in the final spelling. And family members who arrive separately may have different spellings of the same name.

Another possible problem arises when the name in question is longer than the space available on the forms used in Western countries. For example, assume that a young man by the name of Mohammad Hassanzadeh Rafsanjani arrives in the United States. He settles in and goes to get his driver's license. When he completes the form, he is advised that his name is simply too long to fit on the license. His "middle name" is dropped and his driver's license is issued for Mohammad Rafsanjani. To Mohammad, however, Rafsanjani is merely a designation of where his ancestors were from. To his Iranian friends and his family, he is
known as Hassanzadeh. The various financial transactions he makes -- opening bank accounts, purchasing insurance, etc. -- can now be made in either name.

A third possibility occurs when the Iranian himself changes his name. In the recent past, when Iranian students arrived in the West, they would often choose a more western-sounding nickname, similar to their Iranian name, but much easier for Westerners to pronounce. A man by the name of Jahanshah might choose John; Ebrahim might become Abe; Rahim might become Ray. In other cases, the individual might choose to shorten his name. Mohammad Hassanzadeh Rafsanjani might choose to delete the name Rafsanjani and split the name Hassanzadeh into two names, becoming Mohammad Hassan Zadeh.

This ability to have two or more, seemingly official, versions of one's name can pose problems for investigators. The following suggestions may help in dealing with these individuals:

1. The claims professional is advised to make sure that all portions of the individual's name are included in the documentation. Consider the possibility that one name may have been dropped on some forms of identification. If possible, try to get the name as listed on the passport. When indexing, try various combinations of all known names. Try splitting or combining names to come up with different combinations.

2. Try different spellings of the name. Vowels are particularly tricky. Behrouz may also be spelled Behruz; Touraj may be spelled Turaj; Zadeh may also be spelled Zaadeh. Consonants may also be single or double, as in the names Masoud and Massoud; or they may be variations such as Kamran and Camran. These variations in spelling can occur within the same family, so check spellings of family members' names as well.

3. With women's names, check under both the woman's maiden name and under her husband's name. Although the maiden name is usually retained, the woman may be using her husband's name in some instances to follow Western traditions.

If you are a new subscriber, you may be interested in obtaining back issues of The John Cooke Fraud Report. In previous issues we have covered the naming traditions of other cultures:
Vietnamese (May/Jun '94 and Jul/Aug '95)
Arabic (Jul/Aug '94)
Hispanic (Sep/Oct '94 and Nov/Dec '95)
Korean (Nov/Dec '94)
Hmong, Cambodian & Laotian (Jan/Feb '95)
Russian (Mar/Apr '95)
Gypsies (May/June '95)
Phillipino (Jan/Feb '96)
Nigerian (Mar/Apr '96)